Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

This article is about a tourist railroad in North Carolina. For the defunct east Tennessee short line railroad, see Smoky Mountain Railroad.

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Reporting mark	GSM
Locale	Western North Carolina
Dates of operation	1988–Present
Predecessor	Southern Railway
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	53 miles (85 kilometres)
Headquarters	Bryson City, North Carolina
Website	www.gsmr.com

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (reporting mark GSM) is a freight and heritage railroad in Western North Carolina.

Background

The railroad owns 53 miles (85 kilometres) of the "Murphy Branch", a former branch line of the Southern Railway, between Dillsboro and Andrews. The route passes through fertile valleys, a tunnel, and across river gorges in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. Several miles of the line near Andrews are currently out of service.

In addition to running tourist excursions year-round, the railroad also moves freight via an interchange with the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad in Sylva near Jackson Paper Manufacturing. In 2003, the railroad ran 963 excursions.

Roster

The railroad has seven diesel locomotives, GP9's #711, #777, #1751, & #1755, GP30's #2467 & 536, and U18B #1901. #1901 and #536 were used in the filming of The Fugitive , and are unoperational. In addition, the GSMR owns two steam locomotives; 2-8-0 Consolidation #1702, and former Southern Railway 2-8-0 #722. Both of these locomotives require extensive restoration before they can operate again. Locomotive #1702 has been out of service since the end of the 2004 season. The 722 was never operated by the GSMR.

GSMR had purchased a third steam locomotive, a former Swedish State Railways 4-6-0 #1149, in 2010 from the defunct Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad. This engine was originally slated to be moved to the GSMR in spring 2011. However, the engine continued to remain on the B&ML for two more years. Ultimately, the GSMR deemed the engine's move too costly and instead sold the engine to the Discovery Park of America, in Union City, Tennessee.

Towns and attractions served

• Dillsboro
• Bryson City
• Andrews
• The Nantahala Outdoor Center

Smoky Mountain Trains Museum

The railroad operates the Smoky Mountain Trains Museum in Bryson City, North Carolina. The museum features a collection of over 7000 Lionel model engines, cars and accessories, a large model train layout, a children’s activity center, and a gift shop.

Popular culture

The famous train wreck scene in the 1993 Warner Brothers blockbuster movie The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones was filmed in Dillsboro along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The wreckage set can still be viewed on eastbound Tuckasegee River Excursions departing from Bryson City.

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was also used in the filming of 1996 Warner Brothers comedy My Fellow Americans starring Jack Lemmon and James Garner when they stumble on to a charter train full of UNC-Chapel Hill fans headed for the NCAA Final Four.

Train scenes in the 1999 DreamWorks SKG film Forces of Nature starring Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock were also filmed on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

See also

• List of heritage railroads in the United States

External links

• Great Smoky Mountains Railroad website
• American Heritage Railways
• North Carolina Railway Association