Stories, quotes and anecdotes from Appalachia. 1880s-1950s era.

Category: Railroad industry

This train never derailed more than once a trip

Even hardened historians grow weepy when confronted with the hard luck story of Smoky Mountain Railroad—a fit subject for Voltaire’s Candide.

In the early 20th century, the hundreds of short-line railroads were regarded by locals as their railroad. The KGJ&E was no exception.

On the weekend before Thanksgiving, the Santa Claus Special (“Santa Train”) departs from Kingsport, TN, arriving in Pikeville, KY.

It was the Chesapeake & Ohio’s first luxury passenger train – the Fast Flying Virginian, or F.F.V. It debuted on May 11, 1889.

Perhaps the most distinguishing single characteristic of the Tallulah Falls Railroad was its fascinating variety of trademark trestles.

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Appalachian Innovators: Untold Stories of Invention and Ingenuity
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David Doerr on Tapping Oil at the Roots of a Family Tree
Tami on The Guineas of West Virginia
Marbles in the Graveyard - The Secret Life of Marbles on Put the corpse in the barn till spring
Brian Sherwood on 125 reasons you’ll get sent to the lunatic asylum
Kat on “Everyday” Appalachian Superstitions

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