TVRM excursion near Black Mountain

A month ago or so I was on the riding mower working the lawn. Eli came running outside, closely followed by Briggs. He was yelling and gesturing for me to take off my ear protection. I thought maybe the house was on fire given the way he was acting!

 He said he had heard a steam train whistle. I guffawed. We went back and forth for a minute or so, with Briggs trying to reassure me about what they had heard. Finally, it went off again. The sound really is unmistakeable. It was coming up the track from Ridgecrest. None of us could come up with any explanation for a steam train to be on the line near us. I told the boys to jump in the car, we were off on a quest!

 tail end of the train between Black Mountain and Swannanoa

Dodging five o'clock rush hour traffic in downtown Black Mountain we blasted down US 70 and saw the tail end of the train before we got to Swannanoa. The traffic lights in Swannanoa were going to either make us or break us. My awesome driving skills got us through greater Swannanoa unscathed and without getting stuck by a light. We finally were ahead of the train! We gained more ground and I decided the pull off at a crossing near a landscaping nursery we patronize. We had plenty of time to get out, grab the camera and grab a pic. Unfortunately the stop signs in that part of the valley tend to jump in front of the camera sometimes.

front end, blocked by the sign between Swannanoa and Asheville

Success, but we were still confused about what was going on. Facebook saved us. We learned of a series of excursions sponsored by Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and Norfolk Southern, to build enthusiasm for steam train travel. There was a series of 4 outings planned from Asheville to Old Fort. That meant a journey through seven tunnels between Ridgecrest and Old Fort. I'm not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that all the rides were completely sold out! They were $60 per person; kind of steep. But had there been space, I would have been sorely torn about whether or not to spring for the trip. But at least by this point we had the schedule.  We waited for the train after a Saturday morning ballgame. On Sunday afternoon we walked down the Point Lookout trail to get a good vantage point. That was where we got our best pictures.

On Saturday, there was a photographer taking shots as the train came through Black Mountain. She graciously forwarded to me a couple of them after I politely asked if she would share. Her images are awesome!

photo by Tammy Schneider © 2013

We had a few friends from church who partook of the excursions. They said they were enjoyable, but that from the train cars, the trip seems rather closed in. I have to admit that seeing the trains from the ground as they make their way around Andrew's Geyser near Old Fort surely can't be beat by actually being on the train. We'll keep an eye out for future excursions, and hope to make one.

from the Point Lookout Trail