Smoky Mountain Railroad
The first segment was opened between Vestal in South Knoxville and Sevierville on December 20, 1909, bringing the line's total length to 27.8 miles.[3] At the end of 1937, the T&NC sold their shares of the Smoky Mountain Railroad to Midwest Steel, a company that dealt in scrap iron.The railroad's low speed (usually limited to 25 mph/40 kmph due to track conditions) made passenger service unprofitable once automobile ownership became widespread in the area, even though a custom self-propelled motorcar had been purchased in October 1922, for the then-huge sum of $16,000, and was used to make three daily runs between Sevierville and Knoxville.[4] World War II brought about the only notable period of profitability for the railroad, as the Tennessee Valley Authority initiated construction of Douglas Dam on the French Broad River a few miles north of Sevierville.In 1961 steam locomotives #107, a 2-8-0; and #206, a 2-6-0; were sold to "Rebel Railroad", a narrow gauge tourist train line built at nearby Pigeon Forge for static display.
Great Smoky Mountains RailroadKnoxville, TennesseeReporting markeast TennesseeTrack gaugestandard gaugeshortlineSevierville, TennesseeWilliam J. OliverSouth KnoxvilleSouthern RailwayWorld War IITennessee Valley AuthorityDouglas DamFrench Broad Riverbranch lineInterstate Commerce CommissionLittle River Railroadsteam locomotivesnarrow gaugePigeon ForgeDollywoodChattanooga, TennesseeColdwater, MichiganBaldwin Locomotive WorksCincinnati Southern RailwayCincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific RailwayPennsylvania RailroadLima Locomotive WorksEast Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia RailwayPittsburgh Locomotive WorksNashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis RailwayGenesee and Wyoming RailroadChattanooga Choo Choo HotelSchenectady Locomotive WorksThree Rivers RamblerGeneral ElectricGreat Northern RailwayFletcher, North CarolinaCooke Locomotive Works