Date: 2017-06-03
From: Carnegie Hotel, Johnson City, Tennessee 

To: Carnegie Hotel, Johnson City, Tennessee 
Miles today: 0.0

6/3Carnegie Hotel, Johnson City, TennesseeMiles: 0Total miles:  702.4Today was another busy day at the convention.  Instead of little toys, however, today was a day for big "toys."  We had breakfast at 7:00 at the hotel and were joined by Gizmo and Melanie. As I discussed in an earlier entry, Gizmo and Melanie were the first people I met when I started the trail back on April 7th, and.learned back.then that he was from Johnson City.  They were in town taking care of business and met us for breakfast. It was a very special merging of trail and trains.  We had a great time, and they got to meet Sandy.  After breakfast, Gil Williams gave a presentation on Combine car #15, a very unique railroad car. The 15 ran on the railroad to the very end in 1950 and is 1/3 passenger car, 1/3 baggage car, and 1/3 Railroad Post Office car.  The 15 turns 100 years old this year and is being restored in Spencer, North Carolina. After Gil's presentation, Sandy, Patricia, and I went to the museum, where I met up with my old friend, Ken. He was visiting the museum with his wife, daughter, and grandson.  Ken is an accomplished modeler and an overall great guy.  From there we drove to Newland for another 100 birthday party, this time for the Linville Depot. Along the way, I fulfilled a promise and stopped by Doe River Hiker Rest Hostel in Roan Mountain to say hi to Dave. It was great to see him again as he shuttled yet another hiker back to the trail.  We arrived in Newland in time for the depot's festivIties. After the railroad ceased operation in 1950, the depot was moved and turned into a personal residence .  It lost its depot look, along with its chesnut bark siding. In the late 1990s, it was scheduled for demolition, when the historical society stepped in and acquired the building and had it moved to Newland.  The restoration effort, spearheaded by Jerry Turbyfill, has been a huge success. Since American Chestnut bark is obviously unavailable  (for now!), the depot is now covered in poplar bark.  It is a beautiful restoration that represents thousands of hours of volunteer work by many people.  We attended a ceremony commemorating the depot's centennial birthday.  We also learned that two other southern staples, Moon Pies and Cheerwine soda, also turn 100 this year.  Next to the depot is Caboose 505, which is also being restored.  From there, it was off to our third, and last, 100 year birthday party: Engine #12.  We drove to the Tweetsie Railroad Amusement Park in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.  The 12, built in 1917, operated on the ET&WNC until 1950, and eventually found her way back to the North Carolina mountains when she was acquired by Tweetsie, where she has faithfully pulled passenger cars filled with happy children and their parents around a picturesque three-mile track since 1957.  The 12 is under repair right now, but Tweetsie's other locomotive, the Yukon Queen, filled in for her sister.  We were able to ride behind the locomotive for several trips around the mountain, and the crew let us out by the trestle for photographing a run-by.  As many times as I have done this, it never gets old.  After our train ride, we were treated to a banquet of fried chicken, ham, and all the fixings at the Tweetsie Palace.  The convention ends tomorrow with a train ride up the Doe River Gorge and a walk along the Tweetsie Trail. I'll be saying goodbye to Sandy and Sharon tomorrow morning, and will be back on the trail by Monday.