Over Memorial Day weekend 2022, the ET&WNC Historical Society hosted their 32nd Annual Convention at the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City, Tennessee. One of the highlights of the event was a visit to the Doe River Gorge in Hampton, Tennessee for a train ride along the most spectacular portion of the original ET&WNC Railroad. Their newly operational steam locomotive, Crown 4-4-0 number 15, was planned to be in operation for the convention but was unfortunately sidelined due to a flue failure. Instead, attendees were carried to Pardee Point by the railroad's little Plymouth diesel and a track speeder. From there the speeder made several trips back and forth to the end of the usable track, just a short walk from a surviving truss bridge. I opted to hike most of the way back, allowing for several action shots of the trains shuttling passengers through the gorge. After returning to the camp, the convention closed with the opportunity to see a preview of things to come at the gorge - two Porter 0-4-0s and two full trainsets of coaches purchased from the defunct Dry Gulch USA in Oklahoma. Plans are underway to have both new locomotives restored to operation and a 1-mile loop of track constructed to operate a Christmas Train experience and allow frequent steam excursions into the gorge. It will be a few years before these plans come to fruition but the future certainly looks bright for the most scenic rail line in the East. Huge thanks to the Doe River Gorge crew and the convention organizers for putting together such a great weekend.
For information about future events or joining the society, visit the ET&WNCRRHS website: www.etwncrrhs.org/