Model Railroad Clubs
Chattanooga Area Model Railroad Club
Chattanooga, TN – The Chattanooga Area Model Railroad Club (CAMRC) was formed on March 30, 1969 by a group of local men interested in model railroading and promoting the hobby. The Club was incorporated on February 8, 1972, as a non-profit corporation. We are a growing club and we expect to do a lot for the modelers in this area in the coming years. Along with the layout at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo we have HO and NTRAK modules
In 2009 a group of model railroaders spun off of the Chattanooga Area Model Railroad Club and set out to establish a group interested in maintaining a railroad put together in a modular format. This modular format would allow a railroad to be assembled in many different sizes and shapes and interconnect with other individuals or clubs conforming to NMRA module standards.
Kingsport Model Train Project
Piedmont-Triad Model Railroading Club
Yadkin Valley Railroad Club at Black Cat Station holds final Open House
Museums
A Day in the Life: The Railroad
American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners
AAPRCO is a private organization the mission of which is to promote the operation, ownership, and enjoyment of the Private Passenger Railcar.
American Association of Railroads
The Association of American Railroads — one of the nation’s oldest and most respected trade associations — represents the major freight railroads of the United States, Canada and Mexico. Amtrak and some regional commuter railroads are also members of the AAR. In addition, the AAR has associate members including smaller freight railroads, railway suppliers and other companies with an interest in railroads.
An informational A to Z resource guide to American railroads.
Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, is a quasi-public corporation created by the U.S. Government’s Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 to improve and develop intercity passenger rail service throughout the United States. Amtrak passengers enjoy service in more than 500 communities in 46 states throughout a 22,000-mile route system.
Apple Valley Model Railroad Club
Associated Model Railroads of Columbia, SC
Archives of Appalachia at ETSU on Facebook
Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (BNSF), through its subsidiary The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with 33,000 route miles covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces. This network covers the western two-thirds of the United States, stretching from major Pacific Northwest and Southern California ports to the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest, and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada.
Carolina Clinchfield Chapter NRHS
A chapter of the National Railway Historical Society whose primary interest lies in the preservation of the history and heritage of the former Clinchfield Railroad.
Entry in Wikipedia, the free, on-line encyclopedia, for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway.
“Clinchfield Route” Was a Romance in Railroad Building
CSX Transportation, a subsidiary of CSX Corporation, operates the largest rail network in the eastern United States. With other CSXC subsidiaries, it provides intermodal transportation services across the U.S. and into key markets in Canada and Mexico. CSX Corporation and CSX Transportation were formed by the acquisition of the Chessie System Railway and the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1980. CSX Transportation and its 23,000-mile rail network in the eastern United States makes connections with every Class I freight railroad and its short-line partners to cover North America, Canada and Mexico.
Dixie Model Railroad Club – Nashville, TN
East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is an accredited American university located in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system of colleges and universities, the nation’s sixth largest system of public education, and is the fourth largest university in the state.
The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad Historical Society
Founded by John Waite in 1989 with a handful of ET&WNC RR enthusiasts, the ET&WNC Railroad Historical Society has expanded to hundreds of loyal followers of the little narrow gauge railroad. Intent upon preserving the history of the line, the Society holds a convention once a year, usually in June in the ET&WNC area, and has been instrumental in helping preserve several of the few remaining pieces of rolling stock. The Society also helps preserve artifacts, photos and historical documents pertaining to the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad/Linville River Railway.
FreeModel – Model Railroad Hobbyist Magazine – FreeModel RR Scenery website
“FRN is a blog about trains in all their forms — historical and modern, freight and passenger, real and model — and the people who are crazy about them.”
The e-zine (electronic) version of the popular magazine dedicated to large-scale model railroading.
A web portal dedicated to preserving and promoting information on North American built geared steam locomotives.
An individual’s rather long page containing definitions of a large number of both prototype and modelling terms mostly intended as an introduction for beginners but some more advanced terms are included as well.
Grand Strand Model Railroaders – Myrtle Beach, SC
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Tourist line operating over the former Murphy Branch of the Western North Carolina Railroad. A year after iron rails reached Asheville in 1880, workers scattered to the west of the city, digging, filling, and blasting an extension of the line that stretched 116 miles to Murphy, providing thousands with a path to reach the outside world. With the romance and mystique of an era gone by, guests on board the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad enjoy scenic train journeys across fertile valleys, through tunnels and across river gorges in a spectacular region called the Great Smoky Mountains. This section of western North Carolina offers a wide array of ever changing vegetation and fantastic landscapes. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is truly spectacular with 53 miles of track, two tunnels and 25 bridges.
This site features current maps all US states, but maps scanned from the 1895 Rand McNally Atlas, showing railroads
instead of highways, can be viewed by:
- Clicking on the state you want.
- Selecting from the alternatives which appear under “Maps:” the link marked “1895 map…”.
Note that these are big files, around 1 MB each.
The Library of Congress’ collection of historical railroad maps. All of the items presented are documented in RAILROAD MAPS OF THE UNITED STATES, compiled by Andrew M. Modelski in 1975. The bibliography contains 623 railroad maps of the United States.
An individual’s compilation of important milestones in English and American railway development.
This website is dedicated to past, current, and future residents of Johnson City, Tennessee as well as folks that are just fans of the city and local history. The site documents the early history of Johnson City, its unique railroad roots, and current restoration efforts underway in the “Johnson’s Depot Historic District” and vicinity which involve the reconstruction of portions of the City to the character of a late 19th-early 20th Century Railroad Town.
Kansas City Southern is a Class I rail system which operates over 3,130 track miles in 10 central and southeastern states. Founded in 1887 with the vision of providing the most direct salt water access from the Midwest, KCS today has the shortest route between Kansas City and the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Port Arthur, TX, New Orleans and West Lake Charles, LA and Gulfport, MS.
A link to a Wikipedia (the free, on-line encyclopedia) article on this logging line which operated in Carter County, TN during the first two decades of the 20th century.
MR Magazine Home Page.
Mountain Empire Model Railroaders
The Mountain Empire Model Railroaders meet every Saturday and have a running session from 10AM until 3PM. This is for the general public and every month there is a special Saturday just for Heritage Railroads. Everyone is welcome, so come on down and see the models layouts in 4 different gauges, there is N, G and HO as well as HNo3 in the Tweetsie layout.
Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette
NG&SLG Magazine Home Page.
Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis Railway Preservation Society
The NC&StL Preservation Society is chartered to promote the preservation of buildings, rolling stock, right of way and motive power; and collect, organize and preserve artifacts, history and information related to the NC&StL Railway along with the memories of those who made sure the trains got ‘to and from Dixieland’.
National Association of Railroad Passengers
NARP is an alliance of railroad passengers and citizens who want a transportation choice in this country. NARP is the only national organization speaking for the users of passenger trains and rail transit.
National Railway Historical Society
Founded in 1935, the official aims of the NRHS were “to preserve steam and electric railway historical material; to encourage the building of model railways; to secure data on the history of transportation; and to encourage rail transportation.” Over the decades these goals have been expanded to address railroad technology as it has evolved. From fewer than 40 persons, the NRHS has grown to include over 17,000 men and women of all ages and professions in over 170 chapters in every state and many foreign countries, making it the nation’s largest rail historical society. The NRHS is a non-profit section 501(c)(3) organization.
Neuse River Valley Model Railroad Club
Norfolk and Western Historical Society
The goal of the Norfolk and Western Historical Society, Inc. is the preservation of the history of the Norfolk and Western and Virginian railroads. Operating as a non-profit organization, it is covered by the 501C provisions of the Internal Revenue Service codes. It is not affiliated with, sponsored, or supported by the Norfolk and Western Railway or Norfolk Southern Corporation.
Norfolk Southern Railway Company, a subsidiary of Virginia-based Norfolk Southern, operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario. It serves 20 ports and connects with rail partners in the West and Canada, linking customers to markets around the world. Norfolk Southern provides comprehensive logistics services and offers the most extensive intermodal network in the East.
North Carolina Transportation Museum
The North Carolina Transportation Museum is located in Spencer on the site of what was once Southern Railway Company’s largest steam locomotive repair facility. The site features an authentic train depot, antique automobiles, and a 37-bay Roundhouse that includes 25 locomotives, dozens of rail cars and other exhibit areas. The museum offers seasonal train rides, guided tours for scheduled groups, and special events scheduled throughout the year.
Oldest Railroads in North America
Wikipedia article featuring a list of the oldest railroads in North America. A great reference to support those roundhouse arguments.
Operation Lifesaver is a national, non-profit education and awareness program dedicated to ending tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights of way. To accomplish its mission, Operation Lifesaver promotes 3 E’s: Education, Enforcement and Engineering.
Roanoke, VA based museum displaying not only the works of famed N&W photographer O. Winston Link but also showcasing the railroad and communities captured in his works. The O. Winston Link Museum is an operating division of the History Museum & Historical Society of Western Virginia, located at Center in the Square in Roanoke and housed in a restored passenger station.
Railroad Passenger Car Alliance
The Railroad Passenger Car Alliance (RPCA) is an organization of railroad passenger car owners, excursion trip sponsors, tourist line operators, museums, railfan organizations, steam locomotive operators and aficionados of the American railroad passenger car.
A web portal with links to over 5000 railroad-related web sites.
RailroadInfo.com is an online resource for railroad news and information. Offering a total of 5 railroad websites, RailroadInfo.com provides a wide variety of resources for railroaders, railfans, model railroaders and anyone interested in railroads.
An internet railroad directory, a guide to 17,000 rail-related websites including railroad history, train travel, model
railroading, railfan resources, train simulators, and railroad industry sites
A webzine (online magazine) of railway history and preservation, with roots in the now-defunct Locomotive and Railway Preservation magazine.
A portal for railroad-related information on the internet.
Shows – Model Train Shows
Shows – TRAIN SHOW, World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour, and The Great Train Show
A portal specializing in links to web sites dedicated to narrow gauge railroads, railroading and modeling.
South Carolina Railroad Museum
Southern Railway Historical Society
The Southern Railway Historical Association, Inc. is a nonprofit educational/historical organization chartered in North Carolina for the preservation and dissemination of information related to the Southern Railway, its predecessors and affiliates.
Steam Engine Wheel Arrangement
A portal to steam locomotive information.
This website is a service of Sunshine Software, Inc., a web hosting company located in Minnesota. Many of the people involved with the company are steam locomotive fans, and host several steam and railroad related websites, including the official website of Milwaukee Road 261 and trainpics which showcases the rail photography of Dale Brown, and Wes Barris’ magnificent www.steamlocomotive.com.
Tennessee Central Railway Museum
The Tennessee Central Railway Museum is dedicated to the preservation of Tennessee’s railroad heritage. Its Nashville facility is home to a unique collection of historic equipment. The museum also operates passenger excursions in Middle Tennessee, providing a unique opportunity for everyone to experience the joys of rail travel.
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM)
Home page for the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, the largest operating historic railroad in the Southeast.
The Tweetsie Trail is a rails-to-trails project traversing former ET&WNC (“Tweetsie”) railroad right-of-way between Johnson City and Elizabethton. The trail provides opportunities for walking, hiking, running, biking, etc. on a relatively flat grade in a beautiful, natural setting. When complete, the 10-mile trail will be the longest rails-to-trails project in Tennessee!
This page is designed to be a site where drawings of railroad locomotives, rolling stock, and lineside structures will be available for download for those of you who would like to design custom paint schemes for your own model railroads, or see “what might have been” if your favorite fallen flag had made it into the modern era.
A railfan web portal.
The Train Collectors Association (TCA), headquartered in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest and most prestigious collecting societies in the world. Its mission is to preserve an important segment of history – Tinplate Toy Trains – through research, establishment of collecting standards, education, community outreach, and fellowship and to promote the growth and enjoyment of the hobby.
Blowing Rock, NC based theme park featuring steam locomotive #12, the last surviving narrow-gauge steam locomotive of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad.
Union Pacific Railroad is an operating subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation. It is the largest railroad in North America, operating in the western two-thirds of the United States. The railroad serves 23 states, linking every major West Coast and Gulf Coast port and provides service to the east through its four major gateways in Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans. Additionally, Union Pacific operates key north/south corridors and is the only railroad to serve all six gateways to Mexico. UP also interchanges traffic with the Canadian rail systems.
Virginia Museum of Transportation
Home page for this fine Roanoke, VA based museum featuring N&W Class J 4-8-4 No. 611 and NKP Class S-2 2-8-4 No. 763.
White Pass & Yukon (private site)
Photos of ET&WNC engines #10 and #14.