The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is honoring its past while looking to the future with this year’s Founders Day weekend. Taking place Sept. 12-13, 2026, this year’s annual event, celebrating the museum’s 65th anniversary.
Train rides will be available all weekend at various times of the day with all departures originating from TVRM’s Grand Junction Depot located at 4119 Cromwell Road, Chattanooga, TN 37421.
Train tickets also include admission to the exhibit building, which houses various displays on the history of railroading in the Chattanooga area as well as a military railroad display.
On your way to the Exhibit Building, you can also take a look at TVRM’s newest display of a former Triple Crown “Road Railer.”
These truck trailers once operated over rails through our area with no railroad cars needed. The trailers rode on special railroad wheels, called “bogies,” and were closely connected to each other to form a lightweight, fast freight train.
The Tennessee Valley Model Railroaders Inc., located at the top of the hill along the driveway leading to Grand Junction, will be hosting an open house on both days of the event.
The club’s “Southern Railway CNO&TP ‘Rat Hole’” HO-scale layout models the line from Danville, KY to Harriman, TN. The club will be open from 10 a.m to 3 p.m Eastern Time and is free to the public for viewing.
In addition to train rides like the Missionary Ridge Local, Evening Ridge Runner, Dinner Train, and Dinner in the Depot, a night photo shoot will be hosted at the museum’s East Chattanooga shops (for an additional fee) featuring 115-year-old steam locomotive 4501. Locomotive No. 4501 was recently restored to the green-and-gold paint scheme it wore during excursion service from 1966 to 1996.
On Saturday, No. 4501 will alternate duties on the Missionary Ridge Local. According to Jason Fields of TVRM Operations and Education, the locomotive is typically used on the museum’s longer excursions, making its appearance on the Local an uncommon opportunity for riders.
Ticket information and departure times can be found on the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s website at www.tvrail.com.
Editor’s Note: Stirling Callahan is a member of the Tennessee Valley Model Railroaders Inc.
Leave a Reply