Museums of the Southern Railway
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- Cities: Bristol TN/VA
- Related Lines: Embreeville Branch | Johnson City & Carolina | Johnson City Southern
- Notable People: Dr. Samuel B. Cunningham | Samuel Spencer | W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
- Today: Norfolk Southern
- Railfan Guides: Virginia & Southwestern
- Resources & Sources: Books | Scholars-Authors | Museums | Associations | Website Editor | Site Map
- Related Websites: Rails Across the Appalachians | Clinchfield.org
Southern Railway Museums
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum – Chattanooga
In Chattanooga, as steam made its last appearances on the country’s major railroads, a few railroad fans began buying steam engines and passenger cars that the railroads would otherwise have scrapped. This small collection was the beginning of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, which was founded in 1961 by a small group of local residents who were intent on trying to save some American history by preserving, restoring, and operating authentic railway equipment from the “Golden Age of Railroading.”
Today, TVRM preserves railroad equipment not only to preserve machines but to preserve an experience as well. In providing this historical experience, TVRM hopes to educate our visitors about the importance of this industry and how it helped create the modern world in which we live. (excerpted from the TVRail.com website)
https://www.facebook.com/tvrail/
Chuckey Depot Museum – Jonesborough TN
(Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society & Museum)
The mission of the Chuckey Depot focuses on regional railroads in its exhibits, like the Southern, Clinchfield, and East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad. The museum maintains themed exhibits which change every six months. The Chuckey Depot Museum is located at 110 South 2nd Avenue. For more information, please call 423.753.1010. The Depot’s regular hours are Thursday-Sunday, 1pm-4pm.
- https://www.wataugavalleynrhs.org/museum.php
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/107377722614612
- Equipment Roster: https://www.wataugavalleynrhs.org/equipmentroster.php
- Passenger Cars: https://www.wataugavalleynrhs.org/passengercars.php
North Carolina Transportation Museum – Spencer NC
The North Carolina Transportation Museum is set on the former site of Southern Railway Company’s 1896-era Spencer Shops, the railroad’s main locomotive servicing facility. The museum has the largest collection of rail relics in the Carolinas, but don’t let that mislead you! This is more than a stuffy museum full of only railroad artifacts; it is an immersive experience that provides interactive activities and a full calendar of events great for not only rail fans but families too!
https://www.nctransportationmuseum.org/
Southern Railway #6900 E8A
Virginia Museum of Transportation – Roanoke VA
Climb aboard decades-old steam locomotives while watching modern trains zoom by on active mainline tracks. Located in downtown Roanoke’s century-old freight station, the museum includes an extensive collection of steam, diesel, and electric locomotives and other types of rail cars. Other visitor favorites include model trains, automotive and aviation exhibits, buggies, a trolley bus, and a Jupiter Rocket.
Norfolk & Western Railway #1218 2-6-6-4
George L. Carter Railroad Museum – Johnson City TN
On the campus of East Tennessee State University, the museum is open Saturdays from 10AM to 3PM. Annually thousands of visitors enjoy the museum’s displays, which include historic prototype railroad memorabilia, toy trains and model railroading locomotives, rolling stock, and structures. Four large operating layouts in three different scales provide viewing enjoyment in the museum’s 5,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space. One of the highlights is the ET&WNC model railroad layout, expansive, and beautifully modeled.
Southern-Railroads.org Sources and Resources
- Personal Maps, Timetables & Memorabilia – Documents, maps and track charts that I have from the SOU and predecessor railroads
- Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi: The Southern Railway
- Book – Graybeal: The Railroads of Johnson City
- Book – Harshaw: ‘Trains Trestles & Tunnels, Railroads of the Southern Appalachians’
- Book – Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review’
- Book – Scales: Natural Tunnel, Nature’s Marvel in Stone’
- Book – Stout: ‘Southern Railway: Through Passenger Service’
- Book – Ward: ‘Southern Railway Varnish 1964-1979’
- Book – Webb: ‘The Southern Railway System: An Illustrated History’
- Book – Wiley & Wallace: ‘The Southern Railway Handbook’
- Book – Withers & Sink: ‘Southern: A Motive Power Pictorial’
- Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
- Magazine – ‘Trains‘
- Magazine – ‘Classic Trains‘
- Website – StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website – Hawkinsrails.net
- Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City
- Website – Norfolk Southern Track Charts at Multimodalways.org
- Website – TheDieselShop.us
- Website – SteamLocomotive.com
Contact Us
Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the Southern or Model Railroads.
3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org