Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie Railroad. . Tweetsie dates to 1882, when the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) began operations in Johnson City, Tenn. In 1919, the railroad extended tracks to Boone, N.C. The ET&WNC added passenger service and brought lumber out of the mountains opening up a new source for agriculture in the once-remote Blue Ridge Mountains. The railroad was dubbed “Tweetsie” by mountaineers who became accustomed to the shrill “tweet” of the train's whistles., Locomotive No. 12, built in 1917-by Philadelphia's Baldwin Locomotive Works, was one of 13 narrow gauge ET&WNC steam locomotives. Modern roads and severe floods doomed the ET&WNC, and rail service to Boone ended in 1940. All steam locomotives were sold or scrapped, except for No. 12., Movie star Gene Autry briefly owned No. 12 in 1955, intending to take it to California to use in films. However, Grover Robbins, Jr. of Blowing Rock acquired ownership from Autry, deciding Tweetsie needed to return to its home. In 1956, No. 12 was fully restored and brought to Blowing Rock. Tweetsie Railroad opened in July 1957 and evolved into North Carolina's first theme park., Meticulously maintained and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Tweetsie's No. 12 locomotive operates to this day, continuing to delight rail fans and tourists., captions, left to right: , . North Carolina's first theme park. , . Early 1960s , An authentic western town is added to Tweetsie Railroad as the park adopts a Wild West theme. , . 1958 , Tweetsie's track is expanded to create a 3-mile loop., inset: , The North Carolina mountains and foothills were designated the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area in recognition of their natural beauty and living traditions of music, craft, agriculture, and Cherokee culture. This location is part of a regional trail of distinctive heritage sites. Ask for information at area visitor centers. More information online at: www.blueridgeheritage.com