tennessee valley railroad museum

Looking for something to do for my wife's birthday weekend, we decided to travel to Chattanooga and try to find something to do.......we ended up at the TVRM to take a train ride.......We chose to ride the Missionary Ridge Local which the round trip was about less than an hour.........I was fascinated by all of the locomotive engines and rail cars at the front the museum and one of them was actually occupied by a kids birthday party........the museum itself also had some historical artifacts........The train ride was pretty decent and the guide, Nathan was very informative and actually to time out to thank all of the riders individually for coming out. We also had a chance to see the shops at the end of the line........but the big thrill for me was watching the turntable in action and I got great video.......I would definitely recommend this trip.

My husband and I always enjoy train excursions and always pay the extra price for the dome car if at all possible. This was no exception. The confirmation letter stated that "Passengers will be asked to switch sides inside the cars before the return trip. This will allow all persons to see out both sides of the train during the ride" NO PROBLEM. Except that not only do you change sides but you give up your high price $120.00 per person seats to be sent downstairs where you have glorified dining chairs that you pick up and turn around to look out the window. (Nothing short of a Chinese Fire Drill). Now you are about 3 feet from the window which if you are lucky there is one. I sat facing a 2 1/2 foot section of wall directly in front of me and a window to the right that was so dirty you could see out of it.This situation allows the Railroad to basically double book. This is poor customer service.Luckily we were in the group that did not have the small child that cried during most of the trip and the young girl so full of energy that she couldn't sit still and ran up and down the stairs from the dome to the downstairs all afternoon.The ride itself is lovely (at least the first half since I have no idea what the second half looked like). There was some color starting and the ride up Bald Mountain with the switch backs very interesting. Our train host was very knowledgeable and very pleasant. The town of Cooperhill was very inviting and easy to spend the allotted time. And the logistics of transfering so many people from the Museum to the Station ran very well.So if they will just take care of the double booking by either making it clear to people that if you pay for the dome it is only yours for half the time, cut the price or just plan don't DOUBLE BOOK. The ride would be Excellent

Well managed day trip on perfect OCT day. Room for improvement could be some leadership for reboarding busses for 10 minute ride back to station. Otherwise very nice trip and facilities.

For someone old enough to remember coal driven locomotives, the memorabilia in the museum are fascinating. The station, built in 1906, has been beautifully restored and is worth touring and enjoying in its own right. The museum contains, among other things, oil cans used to oil the locomotives, engine bells, assorted lanterns, waiting room chairs, caboose stoves, and an assorted of photos of Etowah, the station, and various engines. Really worth the trip.

We rode the train in the spring when the dogwoods were in bloom and you could see the river. Get the best seat offered on this trip and ride the observation deck going back down.

We took the Hiwasee Loop train excursion as a birthday present to my husband- wonderful day! We loved the experience and would recommend this trip to others.

The female employee who has worked there for 14 years was so very helpful and knowledgeable. We really liked talking to her and she showed us some very cool stuff, like the old silver etched wood stoves. I have never seen such a fancy wood stove and one of them even had the invoice with it - $39.00! It had restrooms inside and the young lady told us that we could take coolers with non-alcoholic drinks and food on the train (something not on the train's website). We had a fun time on the train and in the museum.

Four of us took the trip and loved it. It was scenic, relaxing and we stopped in a beautiful little town in GA for a couple hours. Bought cupcakes and chocolate/caramel covered pretzels at the cupcake shop, shopped in a couple little shops. My only negative was we wanted to eat lunch and a van took us to a crowded restaurant a few miles away, food was OK, service was horrid and it took most of our layover. I will eat in town next time we go. On the trip back to Etiwah the conductor went to each car, played the banjo and told stories and sang. Loved it.

We took a large group on the train trip in October. We made advance reservations through Chattanooga (there is a $1.50 per ticket charge for doing this) since we were a large group, but there was plenty of space to have waited until the last day. We did call the Etowah station in advance and make sure they had a sufficient number of buses to get us to the State Park to start the trip. The lady appreciated that call. They use old buses to drive you to the train. It was possible to drive to the state park and pick up the start of the train. Parking at the Etowah Station can get tight; some people then parked along the street in Etowah and walked a few blocks to the station. There were people in wheelchairs able to take the trip and there are ramps to help with mobility needs. The museum is free and takes only a few minutes to walk through at the Etowah station. It doesn't really matter which side of the train you sit on, as it changes sides at the top. However, some people were pretty tired for the return trip (and it's not quite as sunny), so sitting on the side furthest from you when you get on the train for the trip up might be just a bit smarter. The snack bar is very limited, so we would encourage you to take along some food and beverages. You can get up and move around easily on the trip. There is a little unexpected entertainment along the way which was nice. The only thing that could have been improved on is that the commentary over the speaker could not be heard in some of the cars. We had people change cars to hear better. Sit back, relax and enjoy! The people who work on this trip, from the reservations to the station and the train were all very welcoming and appreciated. Don't forget to leave a tip in the can at the end of the trip.

We did the trip to Copperhill from Etowah. Long trip. 100 miles round trip. 3.5 hours each way. Train tops out at 20 mph during this trip. Gorgeous, pristine scenery along the Hiwassee River and in the Cherokee National Forest. Historic rail line over 100 years old. Unfortunately, CSX will not let the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum board on its tracks at the Etowah depot anymore. So TVRM had to build a ramp in a state park from which to depart. Patrons have to park at the depot and take school buses to the park. Handicapped people are allowed to park their cars at the state park. Unfortunately, TFRM plans TERRIBLY for handicapped people. The old trains are hard to get a walker through and impossible to get a wheelchair through. They should put handicapped people in the first car, which becomes the last car at Copperhill since they move the engine to the other end of the train for the trip back. The last car is the car from which the entire train departs. They are not able to "spot" the train for any other exit point since it would block a city street and would take up rail used by another company, Blue Ridge Scenic Railway (which travels to Copperhill from Blue Ridge, Ga.). A handicapped person with us had to negotiate three rail cars on a walker, which took a long time and completely exhausted her. After seeing Copperhill and the twin border town of McCaysville, Ga. (a really neat area with good shops and restaurants), you would think that TVRM would let handicapped people board the train five minutes earlier than the rest of the people! But, no, they do not! Terrible!Upon returning to Etowah, they at least did spot the train so handicapped people could exit at the nearest exit to where they were sitting. There was one disabled person in car 3 and one in car 4 and both were able to use the exit between those cars. But, again, they need to take into account disabled people better than this! It should not be that difficult when making reservations!Unlike other TVRM tours, this trip did not serve a meal on tables. There was a snack bar in the "commissary car," which was car 4. Everything reasonably priced and the poor guy did a good job handling the mob of people. You are able to bring snacks on board, too.The conductors who were dressed in full conductor apparel were not helpful at all in answering questions. When they walked up and down the aisles, they did not make eye contact with anyone and acted aloof. Occasionally, one of them would speak over the public address system, but many questions went unanswered. I talked to other passengers who said that other train excursions they had been on were much better organized and had much more informative people working the trips. One of the conductors did provide brief entertainment in each car on the return trip. Three songs sung to his banjo picking. The best view from the train is on the left side when leaving and on the right side on the return trip. They make passengers switch sides in Copperhill so everyone can enjoy the view. There is a lot good about this experience. But a lot bad, too. It was very frustrating. And it made the return trip seem very long. It would have seemed long anyhow. While the scenery of this trip probably is better than any of their tours, I still would take the Chickamauga or Summerville trip next time because they are shorter and because of the meal service. Actually, the Summerville trip may not be shorter, but you do get a meal served.I spoke with a store owner in Copperhill and she told me that the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway people are much easier to work with and more helpful in determining how many people will be visiting. She said they have a hotline they can call so they can know how many trains will be arriving in Copperhill, at what time, and with how many people. Meanwhile, she said that TVRM has no such service at all and that they do not have any kind of relationship with businesses in Copperhill. I mentioned this to one of the employees on the train and was told that since the TVRM office is in Chattanooga, they are not able to say how many people are on the trains until they count the tickets. That makes no sense to me. Just let the businesses in Copperhill know how many tickets have been sold and when the trains will be arriving. This is better than nothing.One more thing: The map they give you with your tickets is not the best map. If you get off in Calhoun, please note that Hwy 163 makes a turn on Hwy 11 and then 163 continues after making a quick left off of 11. Unfortunately, there is no sign on Hwy 11 pointing you in the direction of "163 East." We guessed wrong and turned left and got briefly lost.

We've been on two other Tennessee Valley rides and can't wait to ride them all! When making reservations I would recommend calling. To me the website is confusing. This particular ride is called the Hiwassee Loop. You have to go to the calendar exclusively for the Hiwasse Loop which is not on the main calendar. I would check the website for all options then call the just to make sure you haven't missed something before you book. We booked the Dome Observation and they are a fantastic value. You make half the trip in the Dome observation and half the trip in the lower section of the Dome cars and train. They opened the windows between cars and I got wonderful photos. We had just as much fun exploring the entire train as we did from the Observation dome. Don't hesitate to ask the crew questions. I would be amazed if they didn't have the answer they are all so knowledgeable. I would suggest you allot time to explore the Museum and building in Etowah. The building is beautiful and the displays are worth the time to read. Downtown Etowah is equally worth checking out. The shuttle busses start departing for the train about 15-20 before departure time.

The Hiwassee Loop train was a lot of fun. The Loop train is a half day trip. We have been on a number of train trips this fall and this was one of the best. It was a smooth ride with a narration about the local history. The conductors are fun and provide great information. On the ride you see the changing Hiwassee River, the power plant, the old train line, and more. It all starts at the museum which gives you a good foundation about the railroad line. Buses take you from the station to the boarding area. Arrive in the parking lot early as it fills up quickly.

The museum is very interesting if you're a history or train buff. You ride an old bus to the train. We rode in the dome coach. The dome we wanted we were told was booked and got a tad irritated when a passenger offered one of the employees on the train a tip to move to a better seat and he said he would see what he could do. Our dome was nice though, spacious seating for your legs, good view. Don't expect major views, you see the river but it's mostly trees and just a relaxing ride. The lull of the engine and feel of the ride makes you very sleepy. If you are in the dome, an attendant comes and takes snack orders (included in the price) of cheese or fruit cups, chips, candy, and drinks. Engineer gave a history on the way up, on the way back it was nice and quiet. One employee came and sat on the steps going up to our dome and played the banjo, which was nice. I would have ridden that train cross country.

This place is awesome! It's not cheap, but honestly folks, it takes a lot of fuel to run a train. I will be back here many more times!

This was the second time we went to Etowah, TN to ride the Copperhill Special and the second time we loved it. All the people we met that worked for the museum and on the train were friendly and helpful. The museum is a restored train depot with lots memorabilia. It is also the location of the shuttle to the train which is the only thing people complain about and it's hardly worth mentioning because the train ride is awesome. Dave Stoika is the conductor and he is very friendly and knowledge about historical trains. There is a fee for riding the train but not for entering the museum.