MONTHLY RAILROAD HERITAGE DAYS

GEORGE L. CARTER RAILROAD MUSEUM
will Host
Short Line Railroading Runs Again at ETSU's Carter Museum on February 25

East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, TN 37611
Phone : 423.439.6838

East Tennessee State University:
George L. Carter Railroad Museum

'Mixed Train Daily - Short Lines & Industrial Railroading'(with logging railroad demonstrations) are Heritage Day features

.......This month, the George L. Carter Railroad Museum will take the (rail)road less traveled as the February 25 "Heritage Day' event pays tribute to the short lines and rural transport efforts of yesterday. Located in the Campus Center Building of East Tennessee State University, special displays of model railroads as well as books and photos will highlight this special event, thanks again to members of the growing Mountain Empire Model Railroaders club and the George L. Carter Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

......While many of these Heritage Day events have focused on larger enterprises, the sinews of small and medium sized rail operations reached into all manner of places across North America, some for general commerce, some for specific industry. A "Mixed Train" was often a smaller scheduled operation that combined freight and passenger service in a single unit, usually on a daily or regular schedule. The advent of better roads and personal automobile ownership after the second world war ended much of this, and the federalization of passenger service by Amtrak was the final blow, though many operations that had specific reasons continued in the freight-only business.

......"We hope this event will be popular, but it is somewhat bittersweet for fans of real railroading as the scrapping operations of the East Tennessee Railway to Elizabethton continue," says Geoff Stunkard, the coordinator of the museum Heritage Days program. "Many people feel a sense of local pride about short line railroads, as they were considered 'our train.' We hope to give people a sense of how some of these railroads were operated."

......In addition to mixed operations on the museum-based 24x44 HO scale layout, there will also be demonstrations of the unique logging steam engines that would sometimes be called on when tracks had severe curvature or gradients. A photo display of original snapshot photos from the Buffalo Creek & Gauley, a West Virginia-based steam logging and mining operation that operated until 1963, will also be highlighted on this special day.

.......The Carter Railroad Museum is open on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and includes model railroad layouts, a special child's activity room, and ongoing programs. There is no admission fee but donations are welcome for its upkeep. The museum is also seeking artifacts for the newest addition dedicated to the long-defunct, but well-remembered 'Tweetsie' line, the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad; this room, still under construction, again will be open for guided tours during this event day.

.......In addition to the displays, there is also a growing research library, the National Railway Historical Society chapter, membership opportunities, and an oral history archive being established as part of the museum's programs. Info can be found online at http://etsu or http://johnsonsdepot.com/glcarter/cartermuseum.htm

.....The MEMRR club works in conjunction with the museum to demonstrate and maintain the model layouts, museum exhibits and other projects. More info can be found at /www.memrr.org. Membership opportunities are available to adults, and include special benefits and model railroading enjoyment.

.....The George L. Carter Railroad Museum is located on the campus of East Tennessee State University, Campus Center Building, 100 Ross Drive. The entrance door is adjacent to the flashing RR crossbuck.

.....For more information contact the Museum Director, Dr. Fred Alsop, at telephone 423/439-6838 or by email at alsopf@mail.etsu.edu .