News: Tweetsie Railroad hosts Tweetsie railfan weekend

Posted at 4:27 PM EDT (2027 GMT)

Jul. 21st, 2006 -- Via Press Release

Tweetsie Railroad will pay homage to its historic past as it hosts the second annual Railfan Weekend, September 9 and 10.  With Tweetsie Railroad’s 50th anniversary celebration in full swing, riding these historic coal-fired steam locomotives will truly be ‘a blast from the past’!  Railfans will have the opportunity to see the lost art of steam locomotive restoration and repair up close in one of the few train shops in North America that perform this timeless skill.

The highlight of the weekend will be the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina (ET&WNC) train, comprised of the historic #12 locomotive, pulling the 1870's vintage coach car on non-stop trips around the mountain. This exclusive train trip will be running Saturday, September 9 while the #190 locomotive pulls a separate train taking riders on a Wild West adventure. Sunday, September 10 will showcase a challenging doubleheader, with the #12 and #190 Tweetsie locomotives working together to pull the train to take Tweetsie fans on the Wild West train ride. 

Railfans will be escorted on tours of the famous Tweetsie Railroad shops, where steam locomotives from all over the nation are restored and repaired.  The Tweetsie shop staff is the best in the business and strives to keep historic locomotives from around the nation in top condition.

Tweetsie is offering a special Railfan Weekend price for both days of railroad entertainment: $42 for adults and $28 for children ages 3 through 12.  This includes two fun-filled days at the park with unlimited train rides as space allows. Shop tours, vintage ET&WNC films and a chance to ride in the cab of one of the historic locomotives will also be a part of this special weekend. Only guests with a Railfan Weekend pass will be allowed aboard the special trains. 

Tweetsie’s history goes well beyond 1957, when the park opened to the public.  The original Tweetsie was known as the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina (ET&WNC) Railroad.  The line began service in 1881 from Johnson City, T.N. to Cranberry, N.C. The railroad expanded the line to Boone, N.C. in 1916.  Service to Boone ended in 1940 after a severe flood destroyed most of the tracks, and in 1950 the remaining narrow gauge portion of the line shut down.  The railroad gained its familiar nickname, “Tweetsie” from the sound of the whistles as they echoed off the mountains.  The railroad’s sole surviving steam locomotive, engine #12, was purchased by Tweetsie Railroad in 1956, and North Carolina’s first theme park opened July 4, 1957.

Tweetsie Railroad is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains on Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Daily admission is $27 for adults and $19 for children ages 3 through 12. Children 2 and under are admitted free.  Tweetsie Railroad is open daily in the summer months, and every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from September 1 through October 29, including Labor Day Monday.  Hours are 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 

For more information about Railfan Weekend and the 2006 season at Tweetsie Railroad, or to purchase tickets, call 1-877-TWEETSIE or visit www.tweetsie.com.

For more information on this story please visit Tweetsie Railroad.