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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Bryson City, North Carolina |
| Reporting mark | GSMR |
| Locale | Western North Carolina |
| Dates of operation | 1988–present |
| Predecessor | Southern Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Length | 53 miles (85 kilometers) |
| Other | |
| Website | www |
TheGreat Smoky Mountains Railroad (reporting markGSMR) is aheritage andfreight railroad based inBryson City, North Carolina, United States. Originally formed in 1988, it is currently owned and operated byAmerican Heritage Railways since late 1999. The GSMR operatesexcursion trains on the formerSouthern Railway'sMurphy Branch betweenDillsboro andNantahala, North Carolina. The GSMR is one of the most populartourist railroads in the United States, carrying 200,000 passengers each year.
The Great Smoky Mountains Railway (GSMR) owns 53 miles (85 kilometers) of theMurphy Branch, a former branch line of the Southern Railway between Dillsboro and Nantahala, North Carolina.[1] It began operations in 1988, through a lease agreement between theNCDOT and Malcom & Joan MacNeill. With help of a team of investors, the MacNeils secured the lease only 48 hours before theNorfolk Southern would be dispatching work trains to the Murphy Branch to begin dismantling the track.[2] The full tourist route originally operated further west toAndrews andMurphy, North Carolina. Service between Andrews and Murphy ended in 1995. Regular service between Nantahala and Andrews ended by 2001.[3][4]
In late 1999, the MacNeills sold the GSMR property to the American Heritage Railways, the owners of theDurango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) in Colorado.[2] Additionally, the bright and colorful blue, yellow and red "circus train" livery was dropped in favor of the newTuscan red and gold stripe livery.[2] On March 9, 2000, the Great Smoky MountainRailway was renamed to the Great Smoky MountainsRailroad.[2]
Tourist trains of the GSMR route use a route passing through "fertile valleys, a tunnel and across river gorges" in theGreat Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. Tourist excursions use the line between Dillsboro and Bryson City (16 miles or 26 km in length) and the line between Bryson City and Nantahala (22 miles or 35 km in length). The GSMR eventually would become one of the most popular tourist railroads in the United States with about 200,000 passengers each year.[5] The railroad also has transported freight via an interchange with theBlue Ridge Southern Railroad inSylva near Jackson Paper Manufacturing.[6]
In 2004, GSMR debuted its "Polar Express" train ride, based on the newly released movie and licensed through Warner Brothers. This ride has been an annual major economy boost for the railroad and the town of Bryson City. In 2019, GSMR broke all attendance records, with more than 91,000 people riding the Polar Express excursion alone.
In 2007, due an unresolved dispute with the Dillsboro Town Council, the GSMR decided to relocate its headquarters from Dillsboro to Bryson City and close the Dillsboro depot.[7] However, theTuckasegee River excursions between Dillsboro and Bryson City continued, with the trips originating in Bryson City and laying over in Dillsboro.[7]
In March 2020, theCOVID-19 pandemic outbreak caused the GSMR to suspend operations.[8] However, they resumed on June 4, 2020, with provisions for public health such as social distancing.[8]
GSMR had a current operational diesel locomotive roster of seven 4-axle (B-B) units, as any 6-axle (C-C) unit would be too big for the tunnels, and too long for some the line's tight or sharp curves. All of the current units were built by The Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD). GSMR has twoGP9s, Nos. 1751 and 1755, aGP30 No. 2467, twoGP38-2s Nos. 2668 and 2335, anF9A No. 4210, and aGP35 No. 1009 which is now for sale despite still being operational and on the roster as of 2024.[9][10]
GSMR owns one operationalsteam locomotive;S1602-8-0 "Consolidation" typeNo. 1702, which was built byBaldwin Locomotive Works in September 1942 for theU.S. Army duringWorld War II. In 1991, it was purchased by the GSMR, and it operated for them until 2005, when it was taken out of service, due to firebox issues.[7] In 2012, the GSMR made an agreement withSwain County of North Carolina donating$700,000 to construct a new steam locomotive workshop for the restoration of No. 1702 and installing a newturntable in Bryson City for the locomotive to be turned around.[11] Afterwards, the restoration work of No. 1702 began in mid 2014 and completed in late July 2016 with the locomotive reentering excursion service.[12]
GSMR also owns another 2-8-0 built by Baldwin,Southern Railway Ks-1 No. 722, which worked on the former Murphy Branch from 1904 to 1952 and later operated from 1970 to 1980 in the Southern Railway's steam excursion program. The GSMR purchased it in late 2000 and planned to restore it to operating condition by 2026. The locomotive will be converted to burn oil like No. 1702.[13][14]
During 2010, GSMR purchased a third steam locomotive, a formerSwedish State Railways4-6-0No. 1149,[15] from the defunctBelfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad. This locomotive was originally slated to be moved to the GSMR in spring 2011. However, the engine remained on the B&ML for two more years. Ultimately, the railroad deemed the locomotive's planned move too costly and instead sold it to theDiscovery Park of America[15] inUnion City, Tennessee. In 1990, the GSMR considered importing a newly-builtChina Railways SY steam locomotive for use in their operations, but for unknown reasons, they never placed an order.[16]
In 2020 and 2022, the GSMR retiredGP9 No. 777 andGP7 No. 711, respectively. The two units were purchased by YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson (best known asMrBeast), who used No. 777 in a train vs. tank stunt for a YouTube video. He used 711 for a different stunt in a later video. Both videos were uploaded to YouTube in 2022. No. 777 was scrapped soon after the video it was featured in, and No. 711 was left abandoned in a field in Whittier, NC.
| Number | Image | Type | Wheel Arrangement | Classification | Builder | Built | Serial Number | Former Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 722 |  | Steam | 2-8-0 | Ks-1 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1904 | 24729 | Southern Railway | Undergoing restoration |
| 1702 |  | Steam | 2-8-0 | S160 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1942 | 64641 | U.S. Army, Warren & Saline River Railroad, Reader Railroad, Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad | Operational |
| 1009 |  | Diesel | (B-B) | GP38-3M | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1964 | 29006 | Pennsylvania Railroad | Operational |
| 1751 |  | Diesel | (B-B) | GP9 | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1955 | 19968 | Southern Pacific, Arizona Eastern Railway, San Joaquin Valley Railroad | Operational |
| 1755 |  | Diesel | (B-B) | GP9 | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1956 | 21359 | Southern Pacific, Arizona Eastern Railway, San Joaquin Valley Railroad | Operational |
| 2335 |  | Diesel | (B-B) | GP38-2 | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1972 | 7342 | St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, BNSF Railway | Operational |
| 2467 | – | Diesel | (B-B) | GP30-3 | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1963 | 28092 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, BNSF Railway | Operational |
| 2668 |  | Diesel | (B-B) | GP38-3 | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1971 | 37275 | Louisville and Nashville, GATX | Operational |
| 4210 | – | Diesel | (B-B) | F9a | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1956 | 37275 | Erie Mining Company | Operational |
No. 777 was retired in early 2020 and No. 711 in early 2022.
| Number | Image | Type | Wheel Arrangement | Classification | Builder | Built | Serial Number | Former Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 223 |  | Diesel | (B-B) | GP35 | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1964 | 29223 | - | Now CBR 1916 in Oregon |
| 711 |  | Diesel | (B-B) | GP7 | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1954 | 19104 | Chicago and North Western, Union Pacific | Abandoned at a field inWhittier, North Carolina following staged train wreck (35°24'46"N 83°19'45"W) |
| 777 |  | Diesel | (B-B) | GP9 | Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) | 1954 | 19874 | Chicago and North Western, Union Pacific | Destroyed in staged train wreck; subsequently scrapped |
The railroad owns the Smoky Mountain Trains Museum in Bryson City, North Carolina; located across Greenlee Street from theBryson City Depot.[19][20] The museum features a collection of over 7,000Lionel model engines, cars and accessories, a largemodel train layout, a children's activity center, and a gift shop.[19][20]
GSMR's No. 1702 steam locomotive was featured in the 1966 film,This Property Is Condemned, starringNatalie Wood,Robert Redford, andCharles Bronson.[17]
The famous train wreck scene in the 1993Warner Brothers blockbuster movieThe Fugitive starringHarrison Ford andTommy Lee Jones was filmed in Dillsboro along the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.[21]
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was used in the filming of 1996 Warner Brothers comedyMy Fellow Americans starringJack Lemmon andJames Garner; they stumble onto a charter train full of UNC-Chapel Hill fans headed for the NCAA Final Four.[22]
Train scenes in the 1999DreamWorks SKG filmForces of Nature starringBen Affleck andSandra Bullock also were filmed on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.[22]
35°25′46″N83°26′55″W / 35.4294°N 83.4485°W /35.4294; -83.4485
