Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

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This article is about a tourist railroad in North Carolina. For the defunct east Tennessee short line railroad, see Smoky Mountain Railroad.
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
File:GSMRR-1-.jpg
Overview
HeadquartersBryson City, North Carolina
Reporting markGSMR
LocaleWestern North Carolina
Dates of operation1988–present
PredecessorSouthern Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length53 miles (85 kilometers)
Other
Websitewww.gsmr.com

Coordinates: 35°25′46″N 83°26′55″W / 35.4294°N 83.4485°W / 35.4294; -83.4485

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (reporting mark GSMR) is a freight and heritage railroad based in Bryson City, North Carolina, United States. Since late 1999, the railroad is currently owned and operated by American Heritage Railways, Inc., which also owns and operates the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) in Colorado. The railroad operates excursion trains on the former Southern Railway Murphy branch line between Dillsboro and Nantahala, North Carolina. Since then, the GSMR became one of the most popular tourist railroads in the United States, with about 200,000 passengers each year.

Background

The GSMR's Byrson City depot in 2008

The Great Smoky Mountains Railway (GSMR) owns 53 miles (85 kilometers) of the Murphy Branch, a former branch line of the Southern Railway between Dillsboro and Nantahala, North Carolina.[1]

GSMR began operations in 1988, through a lease agreement between the NCDOT and Malcom and Joan MacNeill. With help of a team of investors, the MacNeils secured the lease within 48 hours of the Norfolk Southern Railway dispatching work trains to the Murphy Branch to begin dismantling the track. The GSMR route uses a route which passes through "fertile valleys, a tunnel and across river gorges" in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. Several miles of the line between the far western end of the Nantahala Gorge and Andrews are out of service. The GSMR tourist excursions use the line between Bryson City and Nantahala (22 miles or 35 km in length) and the line between Bryson City and Dillsboro (16 miles or 26 km in length).

In late 1999, the MacNeills sold the GSMR property to the American Heritage Railways, who were the owners of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) in Colorado.[2] Additionally, the bright and colorful blue, yellow and red "circus train" livery was dropped in favor of the new Tuscan red and gold stripe livery.[2] On March 9, 2000, the Great Smoky Mountain Railway was renamed to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.[2] The GSMR would eventually become one of the most popular tourist railroads in the United States with about 200,000 passengers each year.[3] In addition to operating tourists trains, the railroad has transported freight via an interchange with the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad in Sylva near Jackson Paper Manufacturing.[4]

In 2004, GSMR debuted its "Polar Express" train ride, based on the newly released movie and licensed through Warner Brothers. This ride has annually been a major economy boost for the railroad and the town of Bryson City. In 2019, GSMR broke all attendance records, with more than 91,000 people riding the Polar Express excursion alone.

In 2007, GSMR made the decision to close their Dillsboro depot and relocate their headquarters from Dillsboro to Bryson City due to their dispute with the Dillsboro Town Council not being resolved.[5] However, the Tuckasegee River excursions between Dillsboro and Bryson City continued with the trips starting at Bryson City and lay over in Dillsboro.[5]

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak caused the GSMR to suspend operations.[6] They resumed operations on June 4, 2020, with provisions for public health, such as social distancing.[6]

Roster fleet

Locomotives

The railroad has five operational diesel locomotives, GP9s Nos. 1751 and 1755, GP30 (upgrade to a GP30-3) No. 2467, GP35 (upgrade to a GP38-3M) No. 1009, and GP38-3 No. 2668.[7][8] GSMR's cannibalized GP9 No. 777 along with their GP7 No. 711, were repainted and destroyed in a "GTA 5 in real life" Stunt Video by Famous/Popular YouTuber, MrBeast.[citation needed] Both units were cut up shortly after.

GSMR owned one operational steam locomotive; S160 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type No. 1702, which was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in September 1942 for the U.S. Army during World War II. In 1991, it was purchased by the GSMR until 2005, when it was taken out of service due to firebox issues.[5] In 2012, the GSMR made an agreement with the Swain County of North Carolina donating US$700,000 to construct a new steam locomotive workshop for the restoration of No. 1702 and installing a new turntable in Bryson City for the locomotive to be turned around.[9] Afterwards, the restoration work of No. 1702 began in mid 2014 and completed in late July 2016 with the locomotive reentering excursion service.[10]

The railroad owns another 2-8-0 steam locomotive, Southern Railway Ks-1 No. 722, which originally worked on the former Murphy Branch from 1904 to 1952 and operated for the Southern Railway's steam excursion program from 1970 to 1980 until GSMR purchased it in late 2000, where it currently is. As of 2022, there are no known plans of restoration.[11][12]

The GSMR had purchased a third steam locomotive, a former Swedish State Railways 4-6-0 #1149,[13] in 2010 from the defunct Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad. This engine was originally slated to be moved to the GSMR in spring 2011. However, the engine continued to remain on the B&ML for two more years. Ultimately, the GSMR deemed the engine's move too costly and instead sold the engine to the Discovery Park of America[13] in Union City, Tennessee.

Locomotive details[14][15]
Number Image Type Wheel Arrangement Classification Builder Built Serial Number Former Status In Service Notes
1702 GSMR 1702 at Bryson City, NC - June 18, 2022.jpg Steam 2-8-0 S160 Baldwin Locomotive Works 1942 64641 U.S. Army,
Warren & Saline River Railroad,
Reader Railroad,
Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad		 Operational Yes The flagship locomotive of the GSMR.
722 Southern Ry 722 and Savanna & Atlanta 750 in August 1971.jpg Steam 2-8-0 Ks-1 Baldwin Locomotive Works 1904 24729 Southern Railway Stored No Operated for the Southern Railway steam excursion program from 1970 to 1980. Despite the possibility of a restoration, there were currently no known plans for one as of 2022.[12][16]
711 – Diesel (B-B) GP7 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 1954 19104 Chicago and North Western,
Union Pacific		 Scrapped No Scrapped in 2022 alongside 777 after being wrecked for a Youtube video
777 Nantahala Train Ride - panoramio.jpg Diesel (B-B) GP7 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 1954 19874 Chicago and North Western,
Union Pacific		 Scrapped No Used in production of The Fugitive. Retired and cannibalized as of 2020. Scrapped in 2022 alongside 711 after being wrecked for a Youtube video
1009 – Diesel (B-B) GP38-3M Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 1964 29006 Pennsylvania Railroad Operational Yes Purchased in 2020 from Western Rail Locomotive in Spokane, Washington.[8] Re-equipped with extended range and dynamic braking.[8] The locomotive's paint scheme in an American theme of red, white, and blue.[8]
1751 GSMR 1751 Bryson City.jpg Diesel (B-B) GP9 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 1955 19968 Southern Pacific,
Arizona Eastern Railway,
San Joaquin Valley Railroad		 Operational Yes Dynamic braking equipped.
1755 – Diesel (B-B) GP9 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 1956 21359 Southern Pacific,
Arizona Eastern Railway,
San Joaquin Valley Railroad		 Operational Yes Dynamic braking equipped.
2467 – Diesel (B-B) GP30-3 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 1963 28092 Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway,
BNSF Railway		 Operational Yes Upgraded to Dash-3 in 2020. Extended range dynamic braking equipped.
2668 – Diesel (B-B) GP38-3 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 1971 37275 Louisville and Nashville,
GATX		 Operational Yes Recently delivered to the GSMR on June 28, 2021.

Towns and attractions served

Smoky Mountain Trains Museum

The railroad owns the Smoky Mountain Trains Museum in Bryson City, North Carolina, adjacent to the GSMR depot.[17][18] The museum features a collection of over 7,000 Lionel model engines, cars and accessories, a large model train layout, a children's activity center, and a gift shop.[17][18]

Popular culture

The famous train wreck scene in the 1993 Warner Brothers blockbuster movie The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones was filmed in Dillsboro along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.[19]

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was also used in the filming of 1996 Warner Brothers comedy My Fellow Americans starring Jack Lemmon and James Garner when they stumble on to a charter train full of UNC-Chapel Hill fans headed for the NCAA Final Four.

Train scenes in the 1999 DreamWorks SKG film Forces of Nature starring Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock were also filmed on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

GSMR's No. 1702 steam locomotive was featured in the 1966 film, This Property Is Condemned, starring Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, and Charles Bronson.[14]

See also


References

  1. ^ "History". Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. American Heritage Railways. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Majors-Duff, Lisa (March 9, 2000). "Attraction's new owner has big plans for Great Smoky Mountain Railroad". The Sylva Herald and Ruralite. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  3. ^ "10 Fun Facts About the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad". Watershed Cabins. December 28, 2020. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "Freight Services". Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. American Heritage Railways. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Plott & Plott (2021), p. 187.
  6. ^ a b "A timeline: COVID-19 pandemic hits one-year mark in N.C." Smoky Mountain Times. March 10, 2021. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  7. ^ Plott & Plott (2021), p. 185.
  8. ^ a b c d "Great Smoky Mountains Railroad adds another engine to fleet". Smoky Mountain Times. January 6, 2021. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  9. ^ "GSMR Steam Engine #1702 Restoration Update". Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. American Heritage Railways. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  10. ^ Kays, Holly (August 3, 2016). "Renewed steam engine service excites Bryson, Dillsboro business owners". Smoky Mountain News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  11. ^ "Current status of GSMR Steam". Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. October 29, 2012. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Lester, David (January 8, 2019). "Requiem for Southern 722?". Trains. Kalmbach Media. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Karlsson, Lars Olov (2013). Ånglok vid Sveriges normalspåriga enskilda järnvägar. Del 2. MBJ–ÖVJ (in Swedish). Malmö: Frank Stenvalls Förlag. p. 154. ISBN 9-789172-661875.
  14. ^ a b George & Strack (2012), pp. 147–149.
  15. ^ George & Strack (2012), p. 176.
  16. ^ "Great Smoky Mountains Hosts HRA Spring Meeting". HeritageRail News. HeritageRail Alliance. May 15, 2017. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Smoky Mountain Trains Museum". Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. American Heritage Railways. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Great Smoky Mountains Hosts HRA Spring Meeting". HeritageRail News. HeritageRail Alliance. May 15, 2017. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  19. ^ George & Strack (2012), p. 47.

Bibliography

  • George, Michael; Strack, Frank (2012). Passage Through Time: The Official Guidebook (3rd ed.). Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
  • Plott, Jacob; Plott, Bob (2021). Smoky Mountain Railways (1st ed.). The History Press. ISBN 978-1-4671-4459-9.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
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