Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society and Museum Coach Yard
The Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society and its Museum Coach Yard are two places you can visit in Jonesborough, Tennessee 37659. Located at 208 Spring St., both establishments are non-profit organizations, and all earnings from the events go toward their preservation.
The Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society and Museum collaborate with the Norfolk Southern Railroad, which is also based in nearby Jonesborough. The objective of the Watauga is to preserve the region’s railroad history.
Historical Locomotives
Photographs and artifacts from past railroads are on display in the museum. A new computer screen at the museum displays digital train lines between Knoxville and Bristol. The Museum is clearly marked as being on the train line, and you can tell if a Norfolk Southern train is passing through town. A mixed freight train, in addition to the local railway, transports containers and other commodities that are later transferred to highway tractor-trailer vehicles.
The Chuckey Depot Museum
The Chuckey Depot Museum was developed with the help of the railroad historical society and the museum. In the early 1800s, the depot was an important part of the railroad system. There were a few of the old passenger railroad cars at the site. The train depot features a variety of displays and is open to the public for tours. A model of a historic train depot can be seen at the Chuckey Depot Museum.
The effort was made possible thanks to the Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society and Museum, which supports the Great Smoky Mountains Train Excursion.
Coach Yard’s Cars for Rent
In addition to historic locomotives, the museum also has four renovated passenger trains that are Amtrak compatible and mainline ready. The museum’s Coach Yard currently has five passenger cars available for rent. The WVRH&SM not only restores vintage rail cars but also offers passenger excursions on vintage trains. The old train cars are also rented out to the general public. The Clinchfield 100, for example, is being repaired at the museum’s Coach Yard after serving as Santa from the early 1950s until it was sold in Florida.
Free Railroad Ride!
Rides in the rebuilt trolley with a local railroad historian will be available. The North Carolina Transportation Museum’s roundhouse offers a free trolley ride to the depot.
Authors of rail-themed publications are also said to sign their books in the Coach Yard!
