JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Shake off winter’s cabin fever and celebrate spring’s arrival with a train ride through the mountains of the Southern Appalachian region.
On March 26, the Watauga Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society will sponsor its Spring 2011 Excursion,a trip on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad through the Nantahala Gorge and the countryside of Western North Carolina. The excusion will travel through the Smoky Mountains.
The route of the former Southern Railway’s Murphy Branch line, established in 1891, with its five percent grade includes many bridges and the whitewater Nantahala Gorge. Much of the route follows the banks of the Little Tennessee and Nantahala rivers and cresses Fontana Lake Trestle standing 100 feet above the lake and spanning 780 feet. After crossing the Fontana Lake, the train will enter the gorge – a natural wonder.
The railroad line has become a favorite of film producers through the years. The train wreck scene in the 1993 movie “The Fugitive,” starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, was filmed in Dillsboro along the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. The wreckage of the set can still be viewed on the outbound train excursion from Dillsboro. The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad also was used in the filming of the 1996 comedy “My Fellow Americans,” starring Jack Lemmon and James Gardner, when they stumble on to a charter train full of UNC-Chapel Hill Fans headed for the NCAA Final Four. Train scenes in the 1998 movie “Forces of Nature,” starring Ben Affleck and Sandra bullock, also were filmed on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
Passengers can choose to ride in Coach Class, Crown Class or First Class coaches. The Coach Class is in restored vintage coaches, featuring windows that open and close for fresh-air viewing, ceiling fans and heat for cooler days. Crown Class Crown Class is aboard restored vintage coaches, featuring larger windows for better viewing (windows do not open) and climate control for passenger comfort. First Class offer passengers comfort and style in restored 1940s-era bar, lounge cars that feature seating at well-appointed tables and lounge/restaurant style chairs.
Tickets are: $79 for adult Coach Class seats and $58 for a child (ages 2 to 12 years). Adult Crown Class seats are $89 and $68 for children (2 to 12 years). First Class service Club Car seats are $120 for anyone 21 years and older.
The trip will begin in downtown Johnson City, Tenn., where passengers will board a motor coach departing at 6:30 a.m. for the Bryson City, N.C., from the Legion Street /Big Burley parking lot across the street from the Johnson City Recreation Center. Passengers will then board the excursion train in Bryson City at 11 a.m. for a 4.5-hour excursion covering 44 miles to Nantahala Gorge and return. There will be a one-hour layover at the gorge for sightseeing.
Passengers will have several options for lunch.
Upon returning to Bryson City, if time permits, passengers may have time to shop, snack and visit the Smoky Mountain Train Museum before returning to Johnson City about 6:30 p.m. via motor coach. To order tickets and to find out about lunch options, call (423) 753-5797 or e-mail wataugavalley@embarqmail.com. A printable ticket/lunch order from is available on the chapter’s web site at www.wataugavalleynrhs.org by clicking on the excursion link.
Check or money orders along with the number of tickets, the class of car selection and lunch choices may be mailed to Spring 2011 Excursions, Watauga Valley Chapter NRHS, P O Box 432, Johnson City, TN, 37605-0432. Specify if you will accept an alternate class of service if your choice is sold out. The difference will be refunded.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement