TVRM

A Night to Remember — Dinner in the Depot Returns August 16 🍽️ Experience an Evening Like No Other On August 16, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum invites you to Dinner in the Depot — an elegant evening of fine dining, nostalgic atmosphere, and the rhythmic sound of wheels on rails. Set in our beautifully…

Feel the Power of 1904 — Steam #630’s Mighty Pulse Echoes Through Chattanooga Sunlight flickers through Missionary Ridge Tunnel as #630 thunders ahead, whistle echoing off sandstone walls. You’re aboard the Missionary Ridge Local, a short-line excursion that compresses 120 years of railroad evolution into a single, sensory-rich hour. What begins as a gentle roll…

Long before dawn’s glow kissed Chattanooga’s ridges, my family boarded the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s Summerville Steam Special—nine glorious hours of clanging rods, Southern fare, and small-town charm. According to TVRM, the train departs Grand Junction Depot at 9 a.m. and returns around 6 p.m., tracing the former Central of Georgia main line across the…

TVRM’s mission—to “collect for preservation, operation … and display railroad artifacts in an authentic setting to educate the public” —guides every exhibit, from 150-ton steam engines to the finely detailed HO-scale empire tucked beneath Southern Railway Historical Association’s front brick building.   From 10 AM–3 PM today, you can step into that lower-level gallery and…

Welcome aboard — six ways to time-travel in a single weekend Chattanooga earned its place on the rail map in the 1850s, and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) still lets you experience that golden age at full scale. Whether you have an hour or a whole day, the rides below turn casual getaways into…

Feel the Steam, Savor the Sunset: Your Perfect TVRM Weekend Rail Itinerary Train Departure Experience Length Ideal For Steam Star #4501 – Summerville Steam Special 9:30 AM 9 hrs Day-trippers & rail enthusiasts Steam Engine #630 – Missionary Ridge Local 9:30, 11:00, 12:30, 2:00, 3:30 55 min Families & first-time riders Evening Ridge Runner 6:00…

Preserving the Past with Every Pane: Grand Junction’s Window Renovation Project Tucked away in the vibrant heart of Chattanooga, the Grand Junction Depot is more than a departure point—it’s a monument to a golden age of rail travel. Now, after 42 years, the depot’s upstairs dining room has been fitted with new windows, completing a…

All Aboard: Every Rail Journey at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Whether you have an hour, an afternoon, or a whole day to spare, TVRM offers a lineup of distinct rail experiences that turn an ordinary weekend into a memory-making journey. Below is your guide to every regularly scheduled trip you can book right now—plus…

When the skies are unpredictable, the best escape is one that stays steady on the rails. At the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM), every weekend offers an opportunity to ride into comfort, charm, and nostalgia—no umbrella required. From elegant evening departures to hands-on family fun, and even traditional high tea before a journey, TVRM welcomes…

NC&StL 710 Leads One of TVRM’s Longest Chickamauga Turns On a crisp morning in Chattanooga, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) embarked on one of its longest Chickamauga Turn excursions to date. Leading the journey was the venerable NC&StL 710, a diesel locomotive with a storied past, while the rear was graced by the elegantly…