The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (the GSM reporting mark) is a freight and legacy train in Western North Carolina.
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The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (formerly Railway) has 53 miles (85 kilometers) from Murphy Branch , a former branch of the Southern Railway between Dillsboro and Andrews. The line was completed to Dillsboro in 1883 and reached Andrews in 1890. The GSMR, which began operation in 1988, used a route that passed "fertile valleys, tunnels, and across river gorges" in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. A few miles from the current line of Andrews is not working; Current travel utilizes the line between Bryson City and Nantahala (22 miles or 35 km long), and lines between Bryson City and Dillsboro (16 miles or 26 km long).
In addition to running year-round excursions, the railway has also moved goods through exchange with the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad in Sylva near Jackson Paper Manufacturing. GSMR runs nearly 1,000 visits annually.
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List
The railway has seven diesel locomotives, GP9's # 711, # 777, # 1751, & amp; # 1755, GP30 # 2467 & amp; 536, and U18B # 1901. # 1901 and # 536 are used in filmmaking The Fugitive , and are not operational (which has been damaged in movies); tourists can see the accident scene when passing on Tuckasegee/Dillsboro sightseeing.
In addition, GSMR has two steam locomotives: S160 2-8-0 Consolidation # 1702, obtained ca. 1994, and the former Southern Railway 2-8-0 # 722. 722 has never operated on GSMR, formerly owned by Southern Railway, which operates locomotives for use in their steam program from 1966 to 1994 until it was purchased in December 2000. # 722 is currently awaiting recovery.
GSMR has purchased a third steam locomotive, the former Swedish State Railway 4-6-0 # 1149, in 2010 from Belfast Rail Lake and Moosehead. This machine was originally scheduled to be moved to GSMR in spring 2011. However, the engine remains in B & ML for two more years. Finally, GSMR considers the machine to move too expensive and instead sells the machine to Discovery Park of America, in Union City, Tennessee.
Consolidated steam locomotive # 1702, built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1942 for the US Army during World War II, was acquired by GSMR circa 1994. # 1702 was taken from service at the end of season 2004. It is expected that the machine will be restored and returned to service, although no definite plan is set. In October 2013 an "historic agreement" was reached between GSMR and Swain County (NC) to begin recovery # 1702. A new store, especially built for restoration, was completed the following year. In addition, a new turntable was built in Dillsboro for # 1702 to turn around for a trip back to Bryson City during a Tuckasegee River excursion. In March 2016 it was announced that # 1702 would return to serve that summer, which coincided with the construction and use of a new turntable for locomotives near the depots in Bryson City. Special events and unique "Steam Recreation of 2016" pin are combined to celebrate the return of # 1702.
City and tourist attractions served
- Dillsboro
- Bryson City
- Whittier
- Fontana Lake
- Nantahala Outdoor Center
Smoky Mountain Trains Museum
The railway operates the Smoky Mountain Trains Museum in Bryson City, North Carolina, adjacent to the historic Bryson City depot (where GSMR expeditions depart). The museum has a collection of over 7000 Lionel engine models, cars and accessories, a large model train layout, a children's activity center, and a souvenir shop.
Popular culture
The famous railroad accident 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. The set of wreckage can still be seen in the direction of the Tuckasegee River to the east which departs from Bryson City.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was also used in the 1996 Warner Brothers comedy film My Fellow Americans starring Jack Lemmon and James Garner as they stumbled onto a UNC-Chapel Hill fan-packed train that headed to the NCAA Final Four.
Train scenes in the 1999 SKW DreamWorks movie Natural Forces starring Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock are also filmed on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
Steam locomotive 2-8-0 GSMR # 1702 (previously from the US Army) featured in the 1966 movie, "The Property Is Convicted," starring Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, and Charles Bronson.
See also
- List of inherited railroads in the United States
References
External links
- Great Smoky Mountains Railroad website
- Railroad Heritage America
- North Carolina Railway Association
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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