Tweetsie Railroad

**Tweetsie Railroad** is a Wild West amusement park located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The centerpiece of the park is a Template:Convert ride on a train pulled by one of Tweetsie Railroad's two historic narrow-gauge steam locomotives.

## Park history

Opened on July 4, 1957, Tweetsie Railroad began as an excursion train ride pulled by coal-fired steam locomotive #12, the only surviving narrow-gauge engine of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC). Built in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, No.12 is a Template:RailGauge narrow gauge Template:Whyte coal-fired locomotive that ran from 1918 to 1940 carrying passengers and freight over the ET&WNC's Template:Convert line through the Appalachian Mountains from Johnson City, Tennessee to Boone, North Carolina.

The name "Tweetsie" was given to the original ET&WNC by area residents as a verbal acronym of its initials, but also referring to the shrill "tweet, tweet" of the locomotive whistles that echoed through the mountains. The nickname stuck with the railroad and its trains and became more identifiable than the railroad's official name.

Two years after the Template:RailGauge narrow-gauge portion of the ET&WNC ceased operations in 1950, the locomotive was purchased by a group of railroad enthusiasts and taken to Penn Laird, Virginia to operate as the **Shenandoah Central Railroad**, which opened in May 1953. Rains from Hurricane Hazel washed out the Shenandoah Central in October, 1954, and Locomotive #12 was once again put up for sale. Cowboy actor and singer Gene Autry optioned the locomotive with the intent to move it to California for use in motion pictures. However, Autry ultimately determined that the transportation and restoration costs made his plan impractical.

Grover Robbins, an entrepreneur from Blowing Rock, North Carolina, purchased Autry's option and bought the locomotive in August, 1955. Robbins moved the #12 locomotive back to its native Blue Ridge Mountains as the centerpiece of a new "Tweetsie Railroad" tourist attraction. One mile of track was constructed near Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and on July 4, 1957, the locomotive made its first public trip over the line. In 1958, the track was extended to a 3-mile loop around the mountain, and the trains at Tweetsie Railroad have traveled that circuit ever since. Grover Robbins' brothers, Harry and Spencer, were also involved with the operation of Tweetsie Railroad, and the park is still controlled and operated by the Robbins family.

Tweetsie Railroad became a popular tourist attraction, and quickly evolved into the first theme park in North Carolina—and one of the first in the nation. A western town and saloon were built around the original depot area. A train robbery and cowboy-and-Indian show were added to the train ride, playing off the Wild West theme that was very popular at the time on television and in movies. The theme was enhanced by regular visits from Charlotte's WBTV television personality/singing cowboy Fred Kirby, who hosted a popular children's show.

In 1960, Tweetsie acquired another coal-fired steam locomotive, USATC S118 Class Template:Whyte #190, the "Yukon Queen" from Alaska's White Pass and Yukon Route. Also built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1943 for the US Army, the engine was part of an 11-locomotive fleet of "MacArthur" 2-8-2s originally purchased for use overseas. During World War II, the locomotives were sent to Alaska for use on the White Pass and Yukon.

In 1961, Magic Mountain was constructed on the central mountain inside the rail loop. Also in 1961, Fort Boone was constructed.

1976 - Tweetsie opens its own Steam Locomotive Shop to handle maintenance on its two vintage steam trains as well as other steam engines across the country.

1990 saw Tweetsie debut the Ghost Train Halloween Festival with a spooky nighttime train ride and a small haunted house.

Engine No. 12 celebrated its 75th birthday in 1992. As part of the celebration, No. 12 wore an ET&WNC livery for the next several years. That same year, the U.S. Department of the Interior lists Tweetsie in National Register of Historic Places.

1998 - The Tweetsie Railroad Steam Locomotive Shop is expanded to a modern facility to better serve an expanding array of customers. Historic engine No. 12 is completely overhauled to its original condition. 2000 - Tweetsie celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Ghost Train® Halloween Festival, which has grown to be one of the "Top 20 Events in the Southeast" by the Southeast Tourism Association. Engine No. 190, the "Yukon Queen", is completely overhauled to its original condition.

2002 - Tweetsie celebrates its 45th season with a new album by the Grammy Award winning band Riders In The Sky, titled "Ridin' the Tweetsie Railroad". It contains some of the classic American railroad songs, plus songs written about Tweetsie Railroad by the band's members: Too Slim, Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, and Joey the Cowpolka King. Thomas the Tank Engine™ makes its first appearance at Tweetsie Railroad for a ten-day event, starting an annual tradition.

2003 - Tweetsie Railroad commences its 46th season with the debut of the Tweetsie Twister ride on Miner's Mountain, the return of Thomas the Tank Engine™, and the opening of an entertainment stage for its new Hopper and Porter™ mascot characters. 2004 - The Purina Incredible Dog Team performs for the first time at Tweetsie Railroad in a nine-day-long event. These amazing canines have won acclaim across America performing on television, at halftime shows and at other public events. Tweetsie Railroad acquires the assets of Castle Ridge Products, which manufactured scores of Crown steam locomotives during the late 20th century. These assets are added to Tweetsie's renowned Steam Locomotive Shop, which supplies parts and complete rebuilding services to owners of steam locomotives at parks, attractions and museums in North America.

On February 9, 2017, Locomotive #12 celebrated its 100th Birthday and Tweetsie Railroad celebrated its 60th anniversary season. During this season the park introduced the "Tweetsie Christmas" holiday-themed event. An official ceremony was held for the locomotive during Tweetsie Railroad's Heritage Weekend on August 26, 2017. Locomotive #190 celebrated its 75th birthday in 2018.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Tweetsie Railroad initially opened with very few attractions open. However, the park was forced to close back down.

## Historic designations

* National Register of Historic Places #NPS–92000147 — East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad Locomotive No. 12.

## Locomotive workshop

Tweetsie Railroad also has its own locomotive workshop to maintain its two locomotives as well as overhauling other steam locomotives from several different amusement parks such as Walt Disney World, Busch Gardens, Six Flags and Dollywood.

## General information

Tweetsie Railroad is located on US 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Tweetsie Railroad's Wild West-themed operating season is from April to October, The park is open weekends in the spring and autumn, as well as daily from Memorial Day weekend until mid-August. In addition, the park is open on Friday and Saturday nights from late September through the month of October for the very-popular "Ghost Train" Halloween event. The park then closes for daytime operations; then re-opens on select evenings starting in around Thanksgiving for "Tweetsie Christmas", which runs through the month of December. Other special events are held throughout the season, including a large fireworks display on the Independence Day Fourth of July, and Railroad Heritage Weekend in August, which focuses on the history of Tweetsie Railroad's narrow-gauge locomotives.

Tweetsie Railroad is open from early April through October, and on select nights in late November through December for the Tweetsie Christmas event. In addition to the Wild West train adventure and the amusement rides, Tweetsie Railroad has a variety of live entertainment shows featuring talented performers selected from the immediate area and from the Southeast. The park hosts numerous special events each season, including Letterland-themed days in May for school groups, visits by Thomas the Tank Engine and a very popular nighttime "Ghost Train" Halloween event in October.

## Rides and attractions

### Food/Stores

* Depot Gift Shop & Museum
* Depot (2008)
* Locomotion Train Shop
* Cowboy Cantina
* General Store
* Western Shop
* Funnel Cakes
* Rosewater's Chocolate Company
* New Orleans Snowballs

### Tweetsie Junction

#### Attractions

* Himalaya
* Bikes and Buggies

### Food/Stores

* Sparky's Barbeque
* Blacksmith
* Feed & Seed Restaurant
* Fudgeworks

### Country Fair

* Tilt-A-Whirl
* Fun-N-Games
* Planes & Helicopters
* Ferris Wheel
* Carousel
* Computer Portraits
* Balloons
* Turnpike Cruisers
* Tornado
* Free Fall
* Round Up
* Arcade
* Shooting Gallery

### Magic Mountain/Miner's Mountain

#### Attractions

* Tweetsie Twister
* Gem Mining
* Gold Panning
* F-80 Ride
* Boat Ride
* Deer Park Zoo
* Mouse Mine Train
* Playground (Original)
* Playground (2022)
* Chair Lift Station & Observation Deck

#### Shows

* Hopper and Porter's Musical Celebration
* Professor Peppercorn's Magical Extravaganza
* Rainmaker Show
* Clogging Stage

#### Food/stores

* Company Store
* Miner's Diner

1. ↑ Ties: the Southern Railway System Magazine, June 1953 - "Tweetsie" Rides the Rails Again
2. ↑ Template:NRISref