Steam & Excursion > TVRM: Photo Charter: SR 630 + SR 4501

On March 12 & 13, 2018, Pete Lerro arranged a photo charter at Tennessee Valley Railway Museum (TVRM), Chattanooga, Tennessee. The first day was spent on TVRM's own trackage between their main depot at Grand Junction and the end of their line at East Chattanooga. This route features a tunnel through Missionary Ridge.

The second day was spent traveling to Summerville, Georgia and return via the ex-Central of Georgia line between Chattanooga, Tennessee and a junction at Griffin, Georgia, a distance of approximately 50 miles / 80 kilometers one way.

Image 1: SR 630 + SR 4501 Rossville, Georgia 10:26
Image 2: SR 630 + SR 4501 Rock Spring, Georgia 13:08 (with a 1950 Ford)
Image 3: SR 630 + SR 4501 Trion, Georgia, crossing Chattooga River 17:47

Image 2: Sorry, time did not permit working in PhotoShop to remove either the post in the foreground or the tarp over the old gas station in the distance.

Southern 630, 2-8-0 (ALCO Richmond 28446 / 1904), Southern class Ks-1
Southern 4501, 2-8-2 (BLW 37085 / 1911), Southern class Ms

Tennessee Valley Railway Museum (TVRM): https://www.tvrail.com/
Lerro Productions: http://www.lerrophotography.com/workshops-and-tours/railroad-photo-tours/

---

---

---

Great stuff!

I'm guessing that first image is toward the top of Missionary Ridge Grade, a little north of the Battlefield Parkway overpass. You probably saw some high tension power lines a couple of hundred yards behind you at this location. Am I close?

I get a kick out of that last photo. My partner's father is from Trion, and used to go fishing near that bridge when he was a kid. Just don't eat the fish.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/18 06:59 by MaryMcPherson.

As you suggest, the Rossville, Georgia location is now quite well-known. In my case, although I was a paid participan on the charter, I drove to Rossville, then walked-into the spot, following the ATV trail from the road, along the power lines, to the railway right-of-way.

Posted from iPhone

Milepost_130 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As you suggest, the Rossville, Georgia location is
> now quite well-known. In my case, although I was a
> paid participan on the charter, I drove to
> Rossville, then walked-into the spot, following
> the ATV trail from the road, along the power
> lines, to the railway right-of-way.
>
> Posted from iPhone


It's definitely a location I have considered, but we have always done that residential area toward the bottom of the grade. I might have missed out on this location, since I might not be able to handle this kind of terrain after the ankle injury I had last year. One can hope though; I'm still improving. Maybe one day!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

Wow! Almost timeless!
Bob

How 'bout from a 1950 Plymouth?

---

SFREER Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How 'bout from a 1950 Plymouth?


Tail track of the Grand Junction wye?

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

> Tail track of the Grand Junction wye?

Yes, TVRM entrance driveway. I think it was still snowing...

They used to have a series of Burma Shave signs as you drove in. They read something like:

Heed this warning
If you'd be spared
Trains don't whistle
Because they're scared
Burma Shave

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

After the sun came out!

---

MaryMcPherson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They used to have a series of Burma Shave signs as
> you drove in. They read something like:
>
> Heed this warning
> If you'd be spared
> Trains don't whistle
> Because they're scared
> Burma Shave

Close, but that isn't it. TVRM's version is:

He tried to cross
As fast train neared
Death didn't draft him
He volunteered

The signs have been renewed but not yet re-installed.

Thanks Tom.....I missed it and was hoping for some pix. Looks like you had a great time.

JBWX

SFREER Wrote
> Close, but that isn't it. TVRM's version is:
>
> He tried to cross
> As fast train neared
> Death didn't draft him
> He volunteered
>
> The signs have been renewed but not yet
> re-installed.

We filmed those signs in 1991. Been a while. I'll have to see if I have the shot digitized.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/18 19:22 by MaryMcPherson.

I didn't digitize that shot on the video drives, but I did back up the original camera tape on a DVD. Here you have freeze frames driving into the Grand Junction parking lot shot on June 10, 1991.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

---

---

---

And there you have it. The OLD Burma Shave signs! I did blow the first line.

This was my first steam chasing road trip with Kurt. We'd met the previous month, and on this trip we wrapped up with the Tennessee Valley after bagging the 1218 and Kentucky Central #11. I'd gotten a kick out of the signs driving by them earlier, and shot with his camera when we came by again later in the weekend.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/18 19:59 by MaryMcPherson.

---

---

---

Well, how about that. Mr. Soule must have changed the signs through the years...or maybe a new slogan is being used for the next round? Amazing what you can see a thousand times and not remember what it is! I looked at the new signs (sitting in our warehouse) and they are the "volunteered for death" version. Sorry about the confusion. Nevertheless, there are no Burma Shave signs in place at the moment.

As I think about it, I've seen the "Volunteered" version as well. They have been changed over the years, and there was a twenty year gap between my first and second visits. It's funny how you see something at age 18 that sticks with you more than something at age 38. Of course, that shot on Kurt's camera of the drive onto the property also helped it stick too.

As an aside, I noticed a rural farmhouse along the tracks in north-central Illinois that seemed to have a series of signs along the driveway. I started thinking about how a series of signs along such a driveway might read....

Turn around
No tresspassin'
Protected by
Smith & Wesson
Burma Shave

I had to explain to co-workers what Burma Shave was; they had no idea what the heck I was babbling on about!

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/18 03:32 by MaryMcPherson.