Historic Railway Preservation

A Nostalgic Ride Back to 1980 at TVRM: Celebrating 45 Years of 630 & USA 610! As dawn breaks tomorrow, visitors to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) will find themselves on a remarkable journey back in time. While every day at TVRM offers a peek into railroad history, tomorrow promises an especially nostalgic trip….

Today for “Throwback Thursday,” Southern Railway 630 leads a TVRM Missionary Ridge Local trip out of East Chattanooga in the mid-1980s.  Though clothing styles have changed since the 80s, you can still experience the same nostalgia of historic steam and passenger equipment with the Southern 630 from 1904 leading our Missionary Ridge Local excursions this…

Many visitors are familiar with the museum’s flagship locomotive 4501, and although it continues in operation at TVRM much as it did in the 1930s, the tender behind it was not always behind 4501. This ‘new’ tender was sourced to carry additional coal and water, in the Southern excursion era, after it was discovered on…

Last week, new batteries were installed in F7A locomotive 576, and the engine had all accessible light bulbs replaced. As a result, another major step in the locomotive’s return to service was accomplished. Once returned to service, the 576 will dethrone the 710 as the oldest operating diesel locomotive in our collection, as it was…

Pullman Porters: Catalysts of Change in U.S. Railways In the golden age of American passenger railway service, luxury sleeping cars spelled elegance and sophistication, with the name “Pullman” becoming almost synonymous with such opulence. As passengers luxuriated in comfort, it was the Pullman Porters, primarily African-American men, who maintained the high standards of service that…

TVRM’s Tribute: Marines Guarding U.S. Mail in the 1920s The 1920s, often referred to as the “Roaring 20s”, was a decade filled with excitement, jazz, flappers, and immense cultural shifts. But beyond the music and dance, the decade holds a significant place in the annals of railroad history. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) is…

Stepping back in time, few could predict the storied life that Car 390 would lead. Built in 1947 by American Car and Foundry, this remarkable railway carriage first served the Central of Georgia’s famed train “the Nancy Hanks II”. As of recent, it is set to grace the tracks again in its original Central of…

History coming home: At the beginning of World War II, the US Army ordered a fleet of diesel-switching locomotives from the American Locomotive Co (Alco). In September 1943, Alco delivered model S2 #7100 for service at the recently opened Volunteer Ordinance Works in Chattanooga, now home to the Volkswagen auto plant and TVRM’s Tyner Terminal…