JOHNSON CITY – The George L. Carter Railroad Museum at East Tennessee State University will hold its Super South themed Heritage Day on the final day of the month, Oct. 31.
Special trains headed to Florida and other vacation destinations displayed advertisements
such as “Come to the Sunshine” to lure travelers in the northern areas of New York,
Chicago and Detroit where the cold winds of winter would drive thousands of passengers
to travel South. Beyond the passenger operations, these lines were notable for moving
vast amounts of produce – oranges, watermelons, peaches and more – to northern metropolitan
regions. Timber, paper, carbon, and more also came from the area.
Though the South was rural in many aspects, it played a mighty role in supplying the
nation with products, including imports arriving in New Orleans, Tampa, Savannah and
other sea-based cities. From a heritage aspect, lines were named for the region, such
as Seaboard Air Line, Atlantic Coast Line, the Southern Railway and maintained a fierce
sense of pride in their operation and region.
“One aspect of this region’s railroads were the colorful paint schemes. The train
itself was part of the celebration,” says Geoff Stunkard, Heritage Days coordinator.
“Today, many of these same mainlines are occupied by CSX, Amtrak, and Norfolk Southern,
but there are still colorful regional lines like the Florida East Coast carrying on
the tradition. We expect to have a mix of old and new on this Heritage Day.”
Located in the Campus Center Building, the Carter Railroad Museum is open Saturdays
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and presents Heritage Days programs on the last Saturday of
each month. For October, the massive HO scale display will have the most activity
as this G-gauge logging railroad offers a detailed look of how that business was done. The
museum will have a limited number of special trick-or-treat gifts for children attending
the Super South Heritage Day.
There is no admission fee to the museum, but donations are welcome. The Mountain Empire
Model Railroaders club and the George L. Carter Chapter of the National Railway Historical
Society serve as hosts during the museum’s operating hours, and will have personal
equipment for display on the museum’s massive 24x44-foot HO scale model. The newest
addition to the museum is dedicated to the long-defunct but well-remembered Tweetsie
line, the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad, a regional Super South
line for many local fans.
In addition to the displays, there is also a children’s activity room, growing research
library, and an oral history archive is being established as part of the museum's
programs. For more information, visit www.etsu.edu/railroad.
The Carter Railroad Museum is open to the public and follows COVID-19 health and safety
guidelines issued by the CDC and ETSU. Masks and social distancing are required in
the museum and temperature checks are conducted at the door.
The museum can be identified by a flashing railroad-crossing signal at the back entrance
to the Campus Center Building. Visitors should enter ETSU’s campus from State of Franklin
Road onto Jack Vest Drive and continue east toward 176 Ross Drive, adjacent to the
flashing RR crossing sign.
For more information about Heritage Day, contact Dr. Fred Alsop at 423-439-6838 or
alsopf@etsu.edu. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.