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"Slow Train to Autumn Glory - Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Gives You Time to Soak in the Leaves"

• The Charlotte Observer, October 1st, 2006
• by Susan Houston

If you tried to gaze at the fall foliage at a leisurely 10 to 15 miles per hour on the Blue Ridge Parkway , you would cause a traffic nightmare.

In the southwest corner of North Carolina , the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad takes leaf peepers on a snail's-pace tour of some of the mountains' most majestic scenery.

The train departing from Bryson City on the Nantahala Gorge Excursion crosses over part of Fontana Lake and follows the Little Tennessee and Nantahala rivers into cliff-lined Nantahala Gorge.

The Tuckaseegee River Excursion departs from Dillsboro and closely follows that scenic river past farmland, a Cherokee burial mound and the remains of the train wreck created for the movie "The Fugitive" and through the Cowee Tunnel, also featured in that movie.

"We just love the mountains," says Becky Thomas of Easley , S.C. , on a recent Tuckaseegee River Excursion. She persuaded her sister, Kathi Kelley, and her two children Kase, 10, and Erin, 4, to join her in the open-air car for their first ride.

"It's gorgeous here," says Thomas, who said she'd return to ride the open-air car again and see the fall leaves. "I enjoy the scenery, and you can feel the breeze blowing."

Along with scenery, a train excursion offers a rich lesson in the history of the area and of the railroad's importance to it.

During the famine of 1845, there was only one road, Buncombe Turnpike, connecting Asheville to the outside world, according to "Passage Through Time," the official guidebook to the railroad, written by Michael George and Frank Strack.

"(I)t was impossible to ship crops into the area before they rotted," they wrote. Residents pressured the legislature to build a railroad, and the Western North Carolina Railroad was chartered in 1855.

But the Civil War and financial and legal problems delayed construction of the line. The tracks connecting Salisbury to Asheville weren't completed until 1879.

The next year, construction began on the 116-mile extension of the Western North Carolina Railroad connecting Asheville to Murphy. The extension, known as the Murphy Branch, presented several difficulties, with its steep grades and sharp curves. It took 11 years to complete.

Most of the grinding, hard labor of building the railroad was done by convicts. Nineteen of these inmates drowned at the mouth of the Cowee Tunnel, when a raft carrying them across the Tuckaseegee River tipped over and sent them into the water, still shackled in irons. The convicts were buried on top of the tunnel in an unmarked grave.

The railroad brought goods from around the world to this formerly isolated pocket of the mountains. It was also critical in the wartime construction of the Fontana Dam, the highest dam in the eastern United States .

Passengers - eager to travel from town to town at pace faster than a horse and buggy or mule-drawn cart - crowded the coaches. At the turn of the 20th century, six daily passenger trains ran between Asheville and Lake Junaluska , and four ran between Asheville and Murphy.

Almost derailed

The company was on the verge of tearing up the tracks of the Murphy Branch when the state stepped in and purchased the rails. In 1988, The Great Smoky Mountains Railway was created to run tourist excursions.

American Heritage Railways, which also operates the Durango & Silverton railroad in Colorado , bought the railway in 1999 and changed its name slightly (from Railway to Railroad). It also gave its cars their distinctive Tuscan Red and Rio Grande Gold color scheme.

This year, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad will run 932 excursions carrying more than 200,000 passengers. The railroad is now using diesel locomotives while its two steam engines undergo extensive repairs. These have been adapted to run on diesel, to eliminate flying cinders.

Like other historic railroads, this one offers several special seasonal trains designed to attract tourists and children. April's Little Engine that Could and July's visit by Thomas the Tank Engine are always popular. Last year's Christmas-time Polar Express run drew 40,000 passengers, says Roxanne Marshall, the railroad's marketing director.

This October, the railroad will introduce "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" as a Halloween-themed ride.

"I enjoy the special events. The grandparents are bringing their grandchildren and telling them about the railroads," says Marshall , a train buff with 90,000 miles in her logbook.

Other special excursions and packages include weekend mystery theater and gourmet dinner trains and summertime whitewater rafting and train combinations. Other trips are designed for beer or wine connoisseurs, railroad fans or photographers. The nearly yearlong season ends with a New Year's Eve gala.

Peak time is October

But the railroad's busiest time remains October, Marshall says, when tourists pour into the Smoky Mountains to catch sight of the trees ablaze in color. Trains run both routes twice a day, Nantahala Gorge at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Tuckaseegee River at 8:45 a.m. and 2:05 p.m.

"We can put 10 cars on the Nantahala Gorge and 8 on the Tuckaseegee River , and they are filled to maximum capacity," she says.

The Nantahala Gorge excursion is "a little bit more scenic," she says. The train crosses the 777-foot-long Fontana Lake Bridge more than 100 feet above the water, where parts of the 1999 movie "Forces of Nature" (Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck) were filmed. The route continues through the Nantahala Gorge, with cliffs so steep that this "Land of the Noonday Sun" in Cherokee language is in shadow for most of the day.

The excursion breaks for a one-hour layover at the Nantahala Outdoor Center , where passengers can picnic by the river before returning to Bryson City.

The Tuckaseegee River excursion passes by the filming location of the dramatic train and bus crash that frees prisoner Harrison Ford in "The Fugitive." Special tracks were laid to the left of the mainline so the train wreck would look more realistic.

Almost immediately afterward, the train crosses the river for the first time and heads into the total darkness of the Cowee Tunnel. The 836-foot tunnel was dug by hand with pickaxes and shovels.

"How many minutes do you think it took to go through the tunnel?" our car attendant asks. Most people guess at least two minutes, but it only seems that long. It's actually only 45 seconds.

Other highlights on the excursion include a sweeping curve that allows a panoramic view of the rocky river and a Cherokee burial mound fenced by zigzagging rails. At the Bryson City depot, passengers can spend their layover eating lunch and listening to The Depot Band singing train songs.

There's also time for a quick trip to the various gift shops nearby and the Smoky Mountain Trains Lionel Museum , a toy train lover's paradise with the largest collection of Lionel trains in the Southeast.

Each excursion lasts about four hours, and the slow pace is not for everyone.

"Overall, I can think of a lot of other things I'd rather be doing," says Phil Stephany of Conyers , Ga. , on the way back to Dillsboro. "We were thinking of taking a train ride out West, and this has cured me of that."

Seatmate Sherry Southworthy from Gainesville , Fla. , is also using this trip as a test case for train travel with her 8-year-old grandson, Jordan McGillivray of Highlands . But she was encouraged to take the train more often, not less. "I'm a train aficionado, so I just love it."

The leisurely place suits Becky Thomas, too. "This is definitely the best way to see the leaves. This is the way to go."Glide on the Leaf Train

BASICS

GETTING THERE: It's a bit more than a three-hour drive from Charlotte to either depot of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. Take Interstate 85 South to U.S. 74 (at Kings Mountain ); take U.S. 74 Bypass West to Interstate 26 (at Columbus ); take I-26 northwest to Asheville . Continue west on Interstate 40. At Clyde , take Exit 27 onto U.S. 74 West. To get to the Dillsboro depot, take Exit 81 (Dillsboro) and follow exit ramp to traffic light, make a left turn at traffic light. The third street to the right is Depot Street .

To get to the Bryson City depot, continue on U.S. 74 West in Dillsboro to Exit 67 ( Bryson City ). Bear right at the end of the exit ramp onto Veterans Boulevard . Turn right onto Main Street at the first traffic light on Veterans Boulevard , then turn left onto Everett Street at the next light. At the first traffic light on Everett , turn left onto Mitchell Street . The GSMR will be on your right.

THE TRAIN

EXCURSIONS: GSMR offers a variety of excursions throughout the year, including whitewater rafting, gourmet dinners, mystery theater and seasonal trips for children. The primary excursions in October's leaf season are the Nantahala Gorge (4 1/2 hours; 44 miles round trip) and the Tuckaseegee River (4 hours; 32 miles).

Season train offerings include the Great Pumpkin Patch Express (Oct. 13-15, 20-22 and 27-29; leaves from Dillsboro) and the Polar Express (Nov. 10-Dec. 23; leaves from Bryson City ). Call for details.

TICKETS: Nantahala Gorge and Tuckaseegee River , open-air or standard coach (heated, with windows that open and close): $42; $20 for ages 3-12; 2 and younger. free. To upgrade to Crown Coach (climate-controlled with large picture windows), add $12 for adults, $6 for children; $6 charge for 2 and younger. Add $20 for upgrade to Club Car (21 and older). Complimentary snacks are served in the Club Car, and cocktails, beer and wine may be purchased there.

While each depot has a ticket office, reservations are strongly encouraged for this busy time of year. To reserve tickets, call 800-872-4681 or make reservations online at www.gsmr.com

WHERE TO EAT: The Nantahala Gorge excursion offers a picnic lunch you may order: a choice of turkey, ham or roast beef sandwich, with cheese and an apple for adults ($8) and peanut butter and jelly sandwich for children ($5.25). Both have chips, cookie and a drink in a souvenir cup. The Tuckaseegee River excursion offers a barbecue sandwich for adults and a hot dog for children for the same prices with the same extras as above. You may also bring your own lunch, but in a small cooler and with no alcohol. Each depot also has eateries and restaurants within walking distance.

WHAT TO DO: The Nantahala Gorge excursion has a one-hour layover at the Nantahala Outdoor Center , which includes a resort with three eateries and a store specializing in outdoor gear. If you purchased a rail and raft package, this is where the rafting part begins. Otherwise, picnic by the river and watch the rafters pass by.

The Tuckaseegee River excursion has a 1 1/2-hour layover in Bryson City , where you can visit the Great Smoky Mountain Trains Lionel Museum . It's heaven on Earth for anyone who ever had a train set. You can get a souvenir photo taken, buy train souvenirs and be serenaded by The Depot Band, specializing in country songs about trains.

RESOURCES

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad: 800-872-4681; www.gsmr.com.