Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum EMD GP-38

Hi All,

I paid a visit to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum last week, located in Chattanooga, TN, and took a ride on the "local" from the passenger depot to the engineering depot 3 miles down the track, where the locomotive was turned and there was a visit to the engineering and paint shops.

The locomotive was a General Motors EMD GP-38, 2000 hp, built in 1968 for the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway. Named in honor of the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia V-P's 80th birthday, it was fully restored by the TVRM in 2015-2016, and put into service in 2017.

The turntable was of interest. Built in 1906, it had a heavy duty rail anchored with plates and bolts, not spikes, and short ties (sleepers) placed on concrete. I suspect the bolts are anchored in the concrete base. The wheels were broad tread and had no flange. The bridge was turned by a small one cylinder diesel motor housed in a kennel on the bridge through a gear reduction system. Interesting points that I may include on my current turntable build.

More to follow on some more of the TVRM locomotives, many of which are in working condition.

Nigel

Thanks for posting Nigel -

Interesting arrangement on the turntble Nigel.  I wonder, were all turntable wheels flangeless ?

It always makes me smile a bit when the States refers to anything "historic" - I suspect anything built after WW2 is classed as "historic" !  The loco in your picture is, to me, almost "current" if not "modern".  Where are all the kettles ?…………..

 I remember going round a museum house in Maine a few years ago and the curator was amazed when I told him my Mother had used most of the kitchen gadgets on display when we were kids - flat iron, open range fire with all the "hanging bits", butter churns and cream separators,  gas mantles and "Tilley" pressure lamps etc.

We did live in a house in the country without electricity.  ;-)