One of our favorite adventures for the weekend was a trip to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and Train Ride! This activity was for both Nate and Zachary -- Zachary loves trains and totally enjoyed the train ride -- and Nathan loves history and the way that trains work...so they both won! This was a real neat experience as we got to learn about the ways that the railway system used to be, we saw an actual turntable still in use and we went through one of the oldest tunnels still active in the railways system today in America. I'll get into more detail as we come to the pictures...
Waiting for the train...
Zachary was so excited....Eli wanted more breakfast! :)
Zachary with one of the "conductors" as he calls them!
Zachary also thought it was really neat that they stamped our tickets....though it took us a few minutes to explain to him that his hole punches wouldn't reveal any words at the end of the ride. (Anyone seen The Polar Express??)
Here is some history on the turntable...
So the train loads this ramp and the machine turns the engine around so that it can now go the opposite way on the tracks! The man told us that prior to some smart engineer thinking -- the train engines used to be turned around on these ramps by four VERY STRONG men!
There she goes....
Here is inside their shop....a lot of history and stories to be told from these old trains!
Heading back...
And here are some shots from the tunnel...This tunnel was completed in 1858 and was known as the pre-Civil War Missionary Ridge Tunnel, a.k.a. the Chattanooga, Harrison, Georgetown, & Charleston Railroad Tunnel. This is definitely not a place for a claustrophobic person!!
Look close -- this is a pic you won't see everyday -- the light at the end of the tunnel! Ha!
And we made it out!
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