Byways Traveling South & Ride the Rails

Featuring North America’s Leading Travel Destinations

Traveling South Riding the Rails

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PREVIEW

By Steve Kirchner, Editor & Publisher

One of America’s favorite group tour destinations is elcome to another issue of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Some 20 years ago Pigeon Byways, as we focus on Forge wasn’t even on the tourism map. And then a lady Traveling South, and bring by the name of Dolly Parton decided this part of back our annual Riding the Rails issue.

Tennessee needed an economic boost, and she lent her We begin our adventures in the South, name, resources and contacts to make it happen. with a visit to Colonial Williamsburg in Today Dollywood is the center of this active place, and Virginia. This is a fascinating story the launch of the Wild Eagle coaster will bring even about how one of the leading historical attractions in the United States came to be. Beginning in 1699, and last- more screams to Pigeon Forge this year.

But with theaters everywhere, and attractions like the ing for 81 years, Williamsburg was the largest, most popincredible Titanic drawing huge crowds as the 100th ulous, and most anniversary of the liner’s influential of the maiden and final voyage American colonies. approaches, it’s a great time Men like George to be there.

Washington, Thomas Several of our Riding the Jefferson, Patrick Henry Rails destinations are also in and George Mason were the South.

In eastern frequent visitors. It was Tennessee, plan time to ride here that the ideals that the Three Rivers Rambler in influenced the founding Knoxville.

We also redisof our nation were estabcover an incredible and long lished. lost railroad that went over And then it was gone. the sea to take travelers to Forever lost in time. Until Key West in Florida. And one man with a dream the streetcars of New approached another with Orleans are celebrated as the financial resources to part of the informative make that dream come streetcar coverage. true. And the rest, as they But we’ve not forgotten say, is history! the West, with features on We travel west on I-64 the Durango and Silverton to the modern capital of Virginia, Richmond. Abraham Lincoln visited Richmond 10 days Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado, and the full story before he was assassinated.

From the Revolutionary of the amazing Grand Period to the Civil War Canyon Railway in Arizona. era, we visit a capital that And the streetcars in San was at the center of America’s most devastating war. It’s Francisco complete the history and present day use of said that the path to freedom burned through Richmond, this memorable mode of transportation. and as you’ll discover, that is literally true. The rise and West Virginia rounds out the coverage of scenic railfall of Richmond is at the heart of the 150th commemoroads, with the Mountain State offering a different perration of America’s Civil War. spective to railroad and transportation history.

Further south we arrive in Arkansas, and cross the In What’s Happening, we note the 40th Anniversary of Arkansas River into North Little Rock. We’ll visit the an Arkansas State Park that produces diamonds, visit the North Shore Maritime Center that houses the Arkansas Newseum in Washington, DC to catch up on the Inland Maritime Museum featuring the USS Razorback Presidential race, and return to Moline, Illinois, to celeSubmarine and the Arkansas Queen Riverboat. Over the brate the reopening of the John Deere Pavilion.

Big Dam Bridge to tour the William J. Clinton There’s plenty in this issue of Byways to keep you Presidential Library, and return to view the Old Mill and take in a baseball game at Dickey-Stephens Park. entertained. We hope you enjoy.

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Tour Shasta Dam

Explore Shasta Caverns

Stroll the Sundial Bridge

Free Parking, Free Internet, Fresh Air, Open Roads and Hassel Free.

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Mount Shasta

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Steaks • Seafood • Chicken • Breakfast 540-740-3514 9576 S. Congress Street Open 7 Days a Week 7 am - 9 pm Come by and meet your hosts, Randy & Rebecca Newland

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Volume 29, Issue No. 1, 2012

Features

On the cover. A steam engine on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado is featured. For more on Riding the Rails, turn to page 34.

Traveling South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Colonial Williamsburg Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The Path to Freedom Burned Through Richmond, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The Rise and Fall of Richmond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 In the Heart of Arkansas, North Little Rock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Screams of Delight in Pigeon Forge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Riding The Rails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 The Story of the Grand Canyon Railway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Knoxville’s Three Rivers Rambler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Riding the Rails in West Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 A Tale of Two “Streetcar” Cities: New Orleans & San Francisco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Departments

Byways Instant Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Byways Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Free Byways Subscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

What’s Happening

Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park Celebrates 40 Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 The Newseum: Every Four Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 John Deere Pavilion Reopens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Coming in future issues of Byways… Favorite destinations along our Oceans, Rivers and Lakes, The Old West, and the Mid-Atlantic States, Great American Roads, and much more are upcoming in future issues of Byways magazine.

Right: Sunset view from Virginia Beach, Virginia

Left: The Old West Virginia City, Nevada

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Fifes and Drums at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia

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Traveling South

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Colonial Williamsburg was the Revolutionary City of its time.

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Colonial Williamsburg

illiamsburg was the thriving capital of Virginia when the dream of American freedom and independence was taking shape and the colony was a rich and powerful land stretching west to the Mississippi River and north to the Great Lakes.

For 81 formative years, from 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the political, cultural, and educational center of what was then the largest, most populous, and most influential of the American colonies. It was here that the fundamental concepts of our republic -- responsible leadership, a sense of public service, self-government, and individual liberty -were nurtured.

In its shops, taverns, government buildings, homes and streets George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Mason and other Virginia patriots established the ideals that influenced the founding of our nation and have inspired generations of Americans and others around the world.

Named in honor of William III, King of England and designed by Royal Gov. Francis Nicholson, Williamsburg is one of the country’s oldest planned communities.

Near the end of the Revolutionary War and through the influence of Thomas 12 • Byways

Jefferson, the seat of government of Virginia was moved up the peninsula to the safer and more centrally located city of Richmond.

For nearly a century and a half afterward, Williamsburg was a simple, quiet college town, home of the College of William and Mary.

Restoration Begins In 1926, the Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church, shared his dream of preserving

The Prentis House in winter

the city’s historic buildings with philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr., and the restoration began.

Dr. Goodwin feared that scores of structures that had figured in the life of the colony and the founding of the nation would soon disappear forever. Rockefeller and Goodwin began a modest project to preserve a few of the more important buildings. Eventually, the work progressed and expanded to include a major portion of the colonial town, encompassing approximately 85 percent of the 18th-century capital’s original area.

Mr. Rockefeller gave the project his personal leadership until his death in 1960, and it was his quiet generosity of spirit and uncompromising ethic of excellence that guided and still dominates its development. He funded the preservation of more than 80 of the original structures, the reconstruction of many buildings, and also the construction of extensive facilities to accommodate the visiting public.

The stockade is a popular stop for picture-taking.

In the preservation of the setting of Virginia’s 18thcentury capital, Mr. Rockefeller and Dr. Goodwin saw an opportunity to ensure that the courageous ideals of the patriots who helped create the American democratic system live on for future generations.

Carriage rides are fun at Colonial Williamsburg.

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Evening program at the Capitol

Colonial Williamsburg Today the sumptuous Friday seafood buffet in the Williamsburg The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation operates three Lodge Restaurant. If an authentic colonial tavern is your world-class museums whose collections enhance and choice, you can enjoy Breakfast with Citizens of the enrich the guest experience beyond the living history of the Historic Area. The award-winning DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum houses the Foundation’s renowned collection of British and American fine and decorative arts dating from 1600 through 1830.

The exhibitions, “Richard Newsham’s Fire Engine” and “Tall Case Clocks” opened last year. The awardwinning Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum is the oldest institution in the United States dedicated solely to the collection and preservation of Amrerican folk art.

Colonial Williamsburg also operates Bassett Hall, a two-story, 18th-century frame house on 585 acres (including woodlands) near the colonial Capitol building, was the Williamsburg home of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr. Dining Colonial Williamsburg’s dining experiences are as rich as its history. Guests may choose from 10 restaurants including four historic dining taverns. Brunch served in the elegant Regency Room in the Williamsburg Inn, or 14 • Byways

Revolution Fridays through Sundays in the King’s Arms Tavern or tea with Mrs. Campbell seasonally afternoons in Christiana Campbell’s Tavern. For a special evening, reserve the Chef’s Table in the Purdie House Kitchen behind the King’s Arms Tavern and enjoy a five-course dinner inspired by recipes from the 18th century and learn from the chef how each was prepared.

When the lights go down, Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area doesn’t go dark. Through Live After 5, guests enjoy new Historic Area and dining programs every night. Guests can experience cresset lighting every night in the Historic Area as the town comes to life while choosing from a variety of evening programs.

Celebrate America through the new program, “A Salute to the Nation,” a stirring tribute to our nation that includes Colonial Williamsburg’s Fifes and Drums and military staff. The program concludes with a short fireworks salute. This program spans 250 years of ideas that have created a unique spirit and identity – the American identity – in its infinite variations.

Notable Colonial Williamsburg Visitors More than 100 million visitors have enjoyed the

Colonial Williamsburg experience since 1932, among them have been world leaders including U.S. presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. More than 100 heads of state and government have toured the site on their way to visit the White House. Various other officials, ministers, and celebrities have also visited.

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The Powder Magazine now serves as an exhibit space for Colonial Williamsburg.

Operating Hours General Information: 1-800-HISTORY (1-800-447Colonial Williamsburg’s operating hours generally are 8769) 9:00am–5:00pm, but vary by season. Colonial Mailing Address: The Colonial Williamsburg Williamsburg’s Historic Area is open seven days a week, Foundation P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187365 days a year.

1776 http://www.history.org

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THE PATH TO FREEDOM BURNED THROUGH RICHMOND

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Walk the same path that Abraham Lincoln took to the White House of the Confederacy when he visited Richmond just 10 days before he was assassinated.

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n to Richmond! was the battle cry that inspired 19th century Union troops to conquer the capital of the Confederacy. Today these words invite 21st century visitors to discover the places, stories and experiences of a region that helped reshape America’s history.

The American Civil War was one of our nation’s most important and defining struggles. It shook the country’s foundations culturally, politically and technologically. It marked the end of slavery in America. It sparked new innovations in science, medicine and transportation. But the conflict also divided families, strained loyalties and pitted brother against brother on the battlefield.

Few areas of the United States were affected like the Richmond Region. Richmond was “ground zero” during the Civil War—the capital of the Confederacy and the scene of several major battles. The Richmond Region became the backdrop for a multitude of historical events that changed the face of our nation.

This year you can visit the beautiful Virginia Civil War sites, museums, historic homes, battlefield parks, cemeteries, slave-trade sites, and interpretive trails and walking tours. Enjoy some of America’s most authentic and compelling historical experiences—in a modern destination with world-class dining, lodging, shopping and entertainment. Visit our world-class Civil War and Emancipation attractions and museums.

Civil War and Emancipation history abounds in the Richmond-Petersburg Region. Walk the same path that Abraham Lincoln took to the White House of the Confederacy when he visited Richmond just 10 days before he was assassinated.

Explore the lives of African-Americans during the war

at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, located in historic Jackson Ward. Experience Civil War history brought to life at Pamplin Historical Park in Petersburg. Learn about America’s darkest hours at the Confederate War Memorial Chapel. And visit The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar—the nation’s first museum to interpret the Civil War from Union, Confederate, and African American perspectives.

Walk along the slave trails of Richmond at night guided only by the flicker of torches just as in centuries past and visit the Reconciliation Statue that is linked to identical memorials in Liverpool, England and Benin, Africa.

Other not-to-be-missed Richmond and Petersburg attractions include the Museum of the Confederacy, the Library of Virginia, the Virginia Historical Society and the Chimborazo Medical Museum. There is something for everyone to choose from among our excellent spectrum of museums and attractions.

The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar

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The Rise and Fall of Richmond

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efore the War: Richmond was a thriving center of commerce in the years preceding the American Civil War. Richmond’s merchants supplied Northern markets with tobacco; its flour-milling firms dominated trade with South America; and Tredegar Iron Works produced railroad iron and ordnance for the federal government. Richmond was also an integral part of the slave trade in America. Thousands of enslaved Africans passed through Richmond on their way to the various auction houses within the city.

Secession: Torn over the decision of whether or not to secede from the Union, Virginia was geographically, economically, socially and culturally “between” the North and South. The debate to remain in the Union had raged for months. On April 4, 1861 Virginia had in fact, voted to stay in the Union. Only after war had broken out between the North and South did Virginians make the decision to secede.

The New Confederate Capital: In May of 1861 the Confederacy moved its capital from Montgomery, AL to Richmond. The Richmond Dispatch reported President Jefferson Davis arrived in Richmond “to resounding, deafening cheers, oft repeated, for Davis and the Southern Confederacy, from several thousand willing mouths, honest hearts, and warm hands.”

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Brilliant lights shine on modern-day Richmond.

The War Years: Richmond played many roles during the war. Capital, hospital and prison center and manufacturer of war supplies for the South, and a strategic military objective of the North. One-fourth of the war’s battles and 60% of its casualties occurred within a 75-mile radius of the city.

Civilians suffered as well. Food and other items were often in short supply in addition to the continual threat of Union invasion.

The City Burns: On April 2, 1865 orders were given to evacuate the city American Civil War reenactment at Gaines Mill

Robert E. Lee Memorial on Monument Avenue

Civil Rights Memorial

and burn all the cotton, tobacco and other property which owners could not carry away to prevent it from falling into the hands of the advancing Union troops. By dawn of April 3, the warehouse district was in flames. A southerly wind spread the fire to many other parts of the city. Witnesses observed mobs had formed and “broke open and pillaged stores and committed excesses of every kind. From midnight until dawn the city was a pandemonium. A greater portion of the principal business part of Richmond was a blazing furnace.”

Union Occupation and Reconstruction:

By April 3, 1865 the Confederates had evacuated and Union troops entered Richmond. Efforts were organized to extinguish the fires and on April 4, Lincoln toured the city just days before his assassination. During the next several decades Richmond rebuilt a new and thriving city from the ashes of war.

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The North Shore Maritime Center houses the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum featuring the USS Razorback on the Arkansas River.

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In the Heart of Arkansas, North Little Rock

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The Arkansas River Queen is featured at the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum.

esting in the heart of Arkansas sits the charming City of North Little Rock. With its magnetic personality, North Little Rock surprises its visitors by offering diverse recreation and entertainment venues for all to enjoy year-round.

Enjoy the scenic Arkansas River by visiting the North Shore Maritime Center that houses the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum featuring the USS Razorback Submarine and the Arkansas Queen Riverboat. If you wish to stay on dry land then take a stroll on the Arkansas River Trail, a multi-use 17 mile trail that connects North Little Rock and Little Rock via, the lovingly called, Big Dam Bridge.

Elevated 90 feet above the Arkansas River, the Big Dam Bridge is the longest pedestrian/bicycle bridge in the world designed and built for that purpose. Also along the river, visitors have the opportunity to stay at the Downtown Riverside RV Park where they can enjoy the striking view of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and the capital city’s skyline.

Stop and see a little movie history at The Old Mill. A replica of an old grist mill seen throughout the Old South, The Old Mill is featured in the opening scenes of Gone with the Wind. Whether it is the blooming flowers in spring or the snow covered paddlewheel in winter, The Old Mill is the place for the perfect picture.

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The Old Mill

See the city in a fun way by riding the Electric River Rail Trolley that will take you into the Argenta Arts District full of art galleries, restaurants, retail shops, and nightlife entertainment.

While you’re in Argenta take in a ball game at Dickey-Stephens Ballpark. One of the finest facilities in minor league baseball, DickeyStephens is home to the Arkansas Travelers.

If you need a little retail therapy, visit the newly renovated McCain Mall and the Lakewood Village Shopping Center.

As you plan your next visit, don’t forget to visit our website: www.northlittlerock.travel or visit the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/NLRVB Check for events and local packages in the area. Do yourself a favor and Do North!

Dickey-Stephens Ballpark

Elevated 90 feet above the Arkansas River, the Big Dam Bridge is the longest pedestrian/bicycle bridge in the world.

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Screams of Delight in Pigeon Forge

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It starts on Dollywood’s highest peak and rises 21 stocreams of delight from a blazing new roller coastries into the sky. You experience the sensation of flight as er at Dollywood and more placid “ooohs” and “ahhhhs” from rides underneath a giant helium bal- the coaster’s twisting track swoops and soars along a loon are among the new sounds in the group-popular 3,127-foot-long journey that reaches 61 miles per hour. destination of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Dollywood unveils its Wild Eagle roller coaster – for awhile the first of its design in the U.S. – in late March, and WonderWorks plans to add its Wonders of Flight balloon ride later in the year.

In addition to those two new attractions, the Smoky Mountain Opry Show joins the Pigeon Forge entertainment scene, the Great Smoky Mountain Lumberjack Feud will present its first full season and the Titanic Museum Attraction will commemorate the centennial of the sinking of the magnificent ocean liner.

The Wild Eagle got a lot of attention from ride enthusiasts as soon as Dolly Parton announced it. It is a “wing coaster,” meaning that you sit on “wings” extending along either side of the coaster’s track – with nothing but air above and below you.

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The nearly two-and-a-half minute “flight” affords you panoramic Great Smoky Mountains views before you plummet down the initial 135-foot drop. There are four inversions, including a giant loop, a “zero-G” roll and a giant flat spin before “landing.”

Wild Eagle won’t be the only new ride providing views of the Great Smoky Mountains.

WonderWorks, that attention-getting, upside-down science-oriented attraction, is working with the French company Aerophile to launch the Wonders of Flight, a tethered balloon ride on a major scale this spring.

A giant helium-filled balloon 72 feet in diameter will lift a 30-passenger gondola 500 feet above the city for day and evening flights.

Aerophile has been giving people a lift since 1994 and has permanent installations in destinations such as Paris and Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Owners call it ideal for weddings, birthdays, special occasions and group outings.

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This is a year of special commemoration at the Titanic Museum Attraction because April 15, 2012, marks the centennial of the magnificent ocean liner’s sinking.

The attraction, which honors the memories of the 2,208 passengers and crew members who where on board, has a year-long series of special activities, including Irish Month at Titanic in March, saluting the ship’s Irish builders and the many Irish aboard.

A new exhibit is dedicated to James Cameron’s Hollywood blockbuster, “Titanic.� It uses video, photos, costumes and props to give you a behind-thescenes look at the making of the movie.

Movies will be honored more permanently when the Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center opens later in the year. It will feature replicas of famous movie sets and movie stars and actually will be three attractions in one – the Hollywood Wax Museum, the Castle of Chaos and Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors.

The Smoky Mountain Opry Theater, the new name for the venue formerly known as the Miracle Theater, is home to the Smoky Mountain Opry Show starting in March.

The Smoky Mountain Opry Show is a project of Fee/Hedrick Family Entertainment, which also presents the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show, the Comedy Barn and the Country Jamboree Breakfast Show.

Another new theater houses the Great Smoky Mountain Lumberjack Feud. It opened last fall, offering a roaring – literally roaring – show featuring ESPN timber athletes. Axes fly, chain-

saws flash, lumberjacks race up 60-foot poles and timber camp dogs show their competitive spirit, too.

Shopping always is a popular Pigeon Forge diversion, and the landmark Stages West western-wear store is gearing up to offer even more cowboy hats, boots, jeans, jackets and leather goods.

A 3,300-square-foot addition, which is to be finished in June, will make Stages West the largest store of its kind in the Southeast.

Information about all aspects of Pigeon Forge is available online at MyPigeonForge.com or by calling toll-free to 1-800-251-9100.

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Riding The Rails

The route from Durango to Silverton Colorado Tourism photos by Matt Inden /Weaver Multimedia Group Byways • 35

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

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he Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad operates 45 miles of track between Durango and Silverton, Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and is also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

The route was originally built between 1881 and 1882, by the Denver and Rio Grande Railway, in order to carry supplies and people to and silver and gold ore from mines in the San Juan Mountains.

The line from Durango to Silverton has run continuously since 1881, although it is now a tourist and heritage line hauling passengers, and one of the few places in the 36 • Byways

United States with continuous use of steam locomotives.

The route to Silverton is an unforgettable journey along the spectacular Animas River. The Animas River is one of the last free-flowing rivers in the entire western United States. The route along the Animas, which begins high in the San Juan Mountains and ends in a confluence with the San Juan River in New Mexico, boasts some of Colorado’s most striking canyon scenery.

Durango was founded by the Denver & Rio Grande Railway in 1880. The railroad arrived in Durango on August 5, 1881 and construction on the line to Silverton began in the fall of the same year. By July of 1882, the tracks to Silverton were completed and the train began hauling both passengers and freight.

From the very beginning, the railroad was promoted as a scenic route for passenger service, although the line was constructed primarily to haul mine ores, both gold and silver, from the San Juan Mountains. It is estimated over $300 million in precious metals has been transported over this route.

The train crosses the river five times on its journey to Silverton, offering spectacular views from both sides of the train. It passes fertile farmlands, old stagecoach roads, the breathtaking “Highline,” the remote Tacoma Power Plant, old mining camps. The train stands in the shadow of peaks reaching over 14,000 feet, often

with year-round snow.

Secluded in a mountain valley at an elevation of 9,318 feet, Silverton came into existence because of the rich treasures that the surrounding mountains held. Though there are no longer any operating mines, the

mining legacy pervades every aspect of the town, as a visit will show. It is a legacy that glitters in Silverton’s elaborate Victorian-era architecture, reflecting the millions of dollars drawn from the earth during the mining boom of the late 1800s to early 1900s. Downtown Silverton along Greene & Blair Streets boasts of a bold past and is designated as a National Historic District. Be sure to stop by the Silverton Museum, Jail and Mining Heritage Center and uncover many artifacts of San Juan County’s past. Still craving more? Visit the Mayflower Mill, Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour, be deputized by the Silverton Gunfighters, or take a listen to the Silverton Brass Band; all offered May to October.

Today the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad continues to provide year-round train service, operating a historical train with rolling stock indigenous to the line. The locomotives used to pull today’s train remain 100% coal-fired, steam-operated.

The locomotives are 1923-25 vintage and are maintained in original condition. The coaches each feature restroom facilities and are heated during the winter months for passenger comfort. Open gondola cars provide a panoramic view of the mountains. Concessions are available on every train. The Durango & Silverton is owned and operated by American Heritage Railways.

Reservations: 970-247-2733 General Information: 970-247-2733 Toll Free: 877-872-4607 http://www.durangotrain.com

Colorado Tourism photos by Matt Inden/Weaver Multimedia Group.

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Passing through the Coconino Canyon on the trip to the Grand Canyon. t wasn’t the cowboys and it wasn’t the cavalry, but the locomotive that finally conquered this great wilderness.

And there’s no better example of hidden treasures revealed by the locomotive's journey west than the Grand Canyon.

While the canyon’s potential was realized as early as the 1880s, the journey at the time was difficult to say the least. The remoteness of the area would have sealed its fate as merely a very deep hole in the earth marked on a map, had it not been for William Owen “Buckey” O’Neill and his grand visions of a railroad to the canyon.

O'Neill, who was mayor of Prescott at the time, owned several mineral claims and had built a substantial cabin on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. But while he’d found his wealth, he wasn’t able to unlock it from the canyon due to the high cost of transporting the ore. A 38 • Byways

man of action, he lobbied for nearly five years before securing the funding for the Grand Canyon Railway.

On Sept. 17, 1901, O’Neill’s vision became a reality when the first steam train took passengers and supplies from Williams, Ariz., to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. And while O’Neill wasn’t there to see it for himself, having been killed while serving as a Rough Rider in the Spanish American War, his spirit was smiling as the steam rose through the forest en route to the Grand Canyon.

The Railway revolutionized the canyon, sharing its natural wonder with the general public. In its heyday, Grand Canyon Railway -- then a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company -- had two scheduled arrivals per day at the South Rim, but as many as six special trains might also arrive at the Grand Canyon in one day.

The Story of the Grand Canyon Railway

Notable passengers included President Theodore Canyon Depot with just three people aboard. Beginning Roosevelt, President William Howard Taft, John Muir, the 65-mile trek to Williams, the engineer gave the horn President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, King Paul and two short blasts heard only by those aboard and canyon Queen Fredericka of Greece, President Dwight David wildlife. No one was present to send the train off, or to Eisenhower, Clark Gable, Candice Bergen, Jimmy Durante, Doris Day, Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater and Arizona Governor Rose Mofford.

It was the preferred method of travel until the advent of the automobile. And as America fell in love with the automobile, the locomotive’s romantic wail faded like an Arizona sunset.

The final rays of golden sunlight disappeared June 30, 1968 as Train No. 14, a diesel locomotive pulling only one baggage car and one coach car, left Grand In the 1950s, visitors came to the Grand Canyon by rail.

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Parlor car seating

celebrate the contributions the Railway had made. As the steam locomotive back to Grand Canyon National Park. last passenger train traveled out of sight, the tracks grew More than 10,000 people and dignitaries arrived in quiet and stayed that way for nearly 20 years.

Williams to celebrate the return of the Railway, with The tracks began experiencing minor rumblings again more gathered to greet the passengers arriving at Grand in the late 1980s. Investors came and went, promising Canyon Depot. It seemed as though the whole world recrestoration then fleeing when financing went awry. The ognized the importance of returning train service to the town of Williams was struggling, but still daring to canyon. dream that the Railway would return one day and with it, rebuild a small town celebrated as the Gateway to the Grand Canyon.

It wasn’t until a determined crop duster and his wife entered the scene that the Railway had a chance of coming back to life. Reaching deep into their pockets and tapping all the resources available to them, Max and Thelma Biegert dedicated everything, including an initial $15 million, to reinstate train service to the Grand Canyon.

Pulling together a talented team of people including steam locomotive Dome-Class Service, photos courtesy experts, Max and Thelma went to work Xanterra Parks & Resorts restoring the dilapidated Williams and Grand Canyon Depots as well as the 65 miles of weather-beaten railroad track. The team rebuilt Grand Canyon Railway gained momentum with each washout areas and bridges, replacing 30,000 railroad ties passing trip to the canyon, growing into the operation it and countless more rails, beams and spikes. is today. Providing daily service and transporting more Their hard work paid off, and on Sept. 17, 1989 -- 88 than 225,000 passengers to the Grand Canyon each year years to the day from the first train to the canyon -- Max (more than 2.5 million since 1989), the Railway is much and Thelma Biegert brought the powerful pull of the more than an alternative mode of transportation.

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The simple act of returning train service restored an integral part of the Grand Canyon’s history. The wail of the historic locomotives traveling the rails today, shares the story of how the Canyon came to be.

No, the West was not won by cowboys or cavalry, but by the train and the people whose vision of grandeur was matched only by the Grand Canyon itself.

Grand Canyon Railway is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. For more information, visit www.thetrain.com or call 1-800-THE-TRAIN (1-800-8438724).

Grand Canyon Railway is operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts.

Xanterra also operates lodges, restaurants and accommodations at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. For reservations inside the park and for more information go to: www.grandcanyonlodges.com.

Byways • 41

Knoxville’s Three Rivers Rambler

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noxville, located in eastern Tennessee, is the state’s second largest city and home to the main campus of the University of Tennessee.

Knoxville is also the starting point of the Three Rivers Rambler, an excursion train operated by the Knoxville & Holston River Railroad.

This shortline, created in 1998 from former Norfolk Southern trackage, is owned by Knoxville-based Gulf and Ohio Railways, a family-owned company which operates railroads in three states.

The locomotives are either steam or diesel. No. 203, former Washington & Lincolnton #203, known as Lindy, was built in 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works.

Oil fired, she is a Consolidation-type locomotive with two pilot wheels and eight drivers (2-8-0). A coal-fired sister locomotive, No. 154, is a former Southern Railway 2-8-0 built by the Schenectady Locomotive Works way back in 1890. Donated to the city of Knoxville in 1953, she was lovingly restored and returned to service in 2010.

The 90-minute ride starts at the boarding area in Volunteer Landing in the downtown riverfront area, near the UT’s Neyland Stadium. The train then follows the 42 • Byways

landing down Neyland Drive, going past the County Building, and under the Henley Street and Gay Street Bridges.

The train passes the Star of Knoxville riverboat and the locomotive’s watertower and shed at the end of Volunteer Landing, where it parallels the Knox County Greenways down the river to Governor Ned McWherter Riverside Landing Park. Beyond McWherter Park the train goes through the General Shale Brick Company and the Knoxville Utilities Board water treatment plant. The train then follows the river for a

ways past Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, before turning away from the river and going under Riverside Drive and past the Hines Compost Company. The train then reaches Three Rivers Trestle, where the French Broad River and the Holston River come together to form the Tennessee River. The train slows on the bridge to allow passengers to take pictures of the osprey nest built above the tracks.

Once on the other side of the river the train reaches the quarry at Marbledale, where the locomotive uncouples and runs around the train and then pulls it back along the same route in reverse.

One of the nice things about the Three Rivers Rambler is that it is a fairly a short ride and at modest cost, which makes it a perfect outing for group tours or for families on a busy schedule. The train includes closed coaches, a snack-bar/gift shop car, and an open car. Weekend-only service is seasonal, from Spring through Fall, but in late November and December the Christmas Express pro-

vides a fun-filled holiday experience. Check with the railroad for more details, reservations, and to find out which locomotives are in use.

Three Rivers Rambler, PO Box 2408, Knoxville, TN 37901. Phone: 865-524-9411 Fax: 865-546-3717 http://www.threeriversrambler.com

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Riding the Rails in West Virginia

by Bonnie Branciaroli

New River Train, along the “Grand Cayon” of the East.

Courtesy Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society Cheat Mountain Salamander at Elkins Depot. Photo by Mark Branciaroli.

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here’s no better way to experience the diversity of railroad history in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States than a trip to West Virginia. Known for its dense forests and beautiful mountains, the Mountain State offers a different perspective to railroad and transportation history.

The turn-of-the-century steam locomotives used here were invented to do the impossible... to climb steep, mountain grades, swing around hairpin curves, and negotiate temporary tracks laid to bring virgin timber from the mountains to the valley mills.

Other excursion trains found in West Virginia are artfully refurbished locomotives that mirror the age of popular rail travel – the streamline diesels produced in the first half of the 20th century that featured comfortable quarters, gracious dining, and a convenient mode of public transportation that suited a young, industrial nation well.

A ride on any or all of West Virginia’s excursion trains is definitely a trip into the history of our nation.

Groups coming to West Virginia will find refined and well-organized itineraries that feature excursion train options that, combined with the area’s natural scenic attractions, cultural, and entertainment venues, create a well-rounded journey into the heritage of our nation and state.

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

The Cass Scenic Railroad, located in Pocahontas County near Snowshoe Resort, is the same line built in 1901 to haul lumber to the mill in Cass. The locomotives are the same Shay locomotives used in Cass and in the rainforests of British Columbia for more than a half century. Unlike standard steam locomotives, Shays and the similarly designed Climax (Durbin Rocket) are driven by direct gearing to each and every wheel. The smooth, even flow of power enables the engines to negotiate twisting mountain grades – which is the trademark of the Cass excursion.

In 1911, West Virginia led the nation with more than 3,000 miles of logging railroad line. Only 11 miles of restored line remains now at Cass, known as one of America’s authentic operating museums of lumber railroading lines. The Cass collection includes 3 Shay locomotives, including Shay #5, the second oldest still in operation, Shay #2, an example of a “Pacific Coast” Shay, the only one ever to be used east of the Mississippi, and the Big 6, the last Shay ever built and the largest still in existence, weighing in at 162 tons.

Groups traveling to Cass can experience not only the ride up the mountain in authentic restored logging cars, but can shop at the Cass Country Store, dine at the Last

Cass Scenic Railroad Courtesy Cass Scenic Railroad State Park Byways • 45

New Tygart Flyer Photo by Scott Lothes

Run Restaurant, visit the Cass museum, and take a guided tour of the Cass locomotive shops where cars and locomotives are repaired and restored.

Group Information: Cass Scenic Railroad 304-456-4300 geraldine.e.bartels@wv.gov www.cassrailroad.com

scenic Greenbrier River. This rare steam locomotive is Old #3, one of only three operating Climax geared logging locomotives on earth.

Groups can ride in an authentic 1920-era coach and/or in an open-air car on this two-hour trip into the Monongahela National Forest. Lunch can be served as an option, and a visit to the Rail & Trail Store on Main Street across from depot is a must!

The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad also operates two diesel locomotives in nearby Elkins, located in Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Randolph County. The New Tygart Flyer excursion feaRailroad tures a four-hour journey into the “Wild Heart of West The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad operates Virginia”. This smooth climate-controlled passenger several trains in two adjacent counties. Just down the train has gained a reputation among groups of all sizes road from Cass in the century-old town of Durbin, the for its wonderful mountain wilderness excursion over Durbin Rocket offers excursions along the banks of the canyons and rivers, two mountain grades, an “S” curve, 46 • Byways

Byways • 47

Potomac Eagle Courtesy Potomac Eagle

and its final destination, the inspirational High Falls of Cheat.

The Cheat Mountain Salamander is the most grouputilized diesel locomotive, offering a 6.5-hour Southbound and Northbound option, plus an all-day, two-train outing with meals provided. The six-hour excursion is similar to the New Tygart Flyer journey, but extends past the High Falls of Cheat, terminating (or beginning) at Cheat Bridge.

In addition to the trips suggested here, the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad offers a wide array of special event trains, plus dinner served buffet-style in the RailYard Restaurant, located adjacent to the Elkins Depot, and nearby live music and entertainment venues for groups larger than 25 passengers.

Group Information: Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Ralroad 1-877-MTN-RAIL (686-7245) Naida Vonne Simpson, Ext. 100 www.mountainrail.com

Potomac Eagle

The historic Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad traverses the tracks of the South Branch Valley far to the north of Cass, Durbin, and Elkins in the counties of Hampshire and Hardy. This three-hour narrated excursion runs from 48 • Byways

Romney to Moorefield, through the South Branch Valley, between two forested mountain chains, and along the South Branch of the Potomac River. This area is known as “The Trough,” the home of the Mid-Atlantic’s population of the American Bald Eagle. It is not unusual to be able to watch these magnificent creatures in their native habitat.

Like the New Tygart Flyer, the Potomac Eagle is a diesel locomotive that offers comfort, convenience, and options to groups. The Potomac Eagle cars include firstclass cars that feature climate-controlled lounge and dining cars with classic, 1940s-1950s stylish interiors.

These cars offer table-style seating for catered meals on period railroad china for groups.

An open-air car and open-top gondola car is also part of this train and allows for easy viewing in good weather. A car containing a snack bar area is also part of every run.

Group Information: Potomac Eagle 304-424-0736 www.potomaceagle.info

New River Train

In the southern part of the state, the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society operates the New River Train excursions through the renowned New River Gorge. This excursion, available on October 20, 21, 27, and 28, 2012 only, traverses the former Chesapeake & Ohio mainline from Huntington to Hinton, WV, and through one of the nation’s newest national parklands, the “Grand Canyon of the East,” along the New River.

Other excursions include the 65-mile Greenbrier Day Trip and the three-day, two-night Greenbrier Overnight excursions that periodically run throughout the year through the New River Gorge to the world-renowned Greenbrier Resort in Greenbrier County.

This diesel locomotive offers both Parlor car and tabletop seating for small groups (42 and under). The Society also operates two railroad history museums in Huntington.

Group Information New River Train 1-866-NEW-RIVR (866-639-7487) newrivertrain@aol.com www.newrivertrain.com

About the author: Bonnie Branciaroli is a free-lance writer who resides on the beautiful Pegasus Farm in Elkins, West Virginia.

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Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad

enry Flagler’s Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad to get the train and go all the way to Key West -- we put ceased operating in 1935, but two Keys women on our best clothes,” said Dameron, 86, who now lives in vividly remember childhood experiences riding Key West.

“My sister and I used to love to ride the train and look the “railroad that went to sea.” out the window,” she recalled. “But when we’d come to Completed in 1912, it was called the Over-Sea Railroad because its track stretched more than 100 miles the Seven Mile Bridge, it looked like you were riding on the water, so we’d get scared and hold one another’s out into open water. For 23 years it carried passenhand.” gers from mainland Florida to and through the For Dameron, arriving at Key West was the Keys, affording them a breathtaking sense of trip’s highlight. On special occasions, she steaming across the ocean. remembered, Cuban bands and dancers This year the Florida Keys are celebratgreeted arriving passengers. ing the 100th anniversary of the OverGasser, 95, recalled her family boardSea Railroad. ing the train in Miami when she was 5 Minnie Dameron, who spent much of and walking back to the last seat, her childhood on Plantation Key in the which resembled a church pew. Her Upper Keys, remembers trips to visit mother sat by the window and her family in Key West -- and taking the father on the aisle, while she rode train’s final journey just before portions between them. of its track were irreparably damaged in “Everybody was excited -- take a train a 1935 hurricane. Marie Gasser, who down to Key West,” said Gasser, now an spent childhood summers in Ohio and winIslamorada resident. ters in Miami, recalls her family’s one-way During the journey, they walked to the dintrain trip from Miami to Key West. ing car.

Dameron remembered her father flagging down “It seemed like a long ways to get to something to eat,” the train at the Plantation Key freight station with a white said Gasser, who remembered a waiter in a white shirt handkerchief, and a lantern signaling the family had and black pants helping her. “He brought a highchair for boarded. me, lifted me up and put me in the highchair.”

“We’d get so excited when we knew we were comingThe journey was pleasant, she said, until her mother 50 • Byways

looked out the open window as the train crossed a bridge so narrow it seemed she was sitting over water. After arriving in Key West, her mother refused to take the train back to Miami and insisted they return by boat.

“She said boats were made to go on water and trains were not!” Gasser chuckled.

Dameron and her family’s last ride was the train’s final journey to Key West just before the Labor Day 1935 hurricane that slammed into the Upper Keys, damaging that area’s railroad line. The trip wasn’t inspired by foreknowledge of the storm, but instead to get treatment for her sick sister.

“She had a temperature and my mother tried everything to get it down and couldn’t, so we got the train to Key West,” Dameron said. “We would have been in it (the hurricane), but I was on the last train in here (Key West) because of my sister Henry Flagler being ill.”

Three years after the hurricane, the Overseas Highway debuted, built on a foundation that incorporated most of the original railway spans. Today, it contains 127 miles of roadway and 42 bridges over water connecting the Keys. The original train bridges were retired in 1982, but many became fishing piers.

“It changed the Keys forever, and what a blessing it was,” said Dameron. “I just wish it was still there -- that’s how much we loved it.”

(Content contributed by Jerry Wilkinson, Florida Keys historian).

Artists from the Art Guild of the Purple Isles and Island Christian School finalize a 60-foot-wide outdoor mural in Key Largo. The mural at mile marker 95 depicts Henry Flagler’s Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad. Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau.

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Streetcar arrives at Pier 39 in San Francisco.

Photo by John Smatlak.

A Tale of Two “Streetcar” Cities: New Orleans and San Francisco.

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By Dr. John A. Kirchner

Two U.S. streetcar cities have a very special story to tell. New Orleans and San Francisco never gave up on their trolley lines, and today both exploit the public’s love affair with the old vehicles.

New Orleans’ tree-lined St. Charles streetcar line, which still operates dark green Perley Thomas cars built in the 1920s, connects Canal Street with the beautiful “Garden” and “Uptown” districts. It is the world’s old-

treetcars, or Trolley Cars as they were also called, were once the primary mode of transport in America’s larger cities. By the 1960s, however, only a half- dozen cities still had street railways and their future was in question.

But surprise! With the energy crunch of the 1970’s, a newer, more modern version of the Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco Photo by John Smatlak streetcar, known as “Light Rail,” began to appear across the U.S. and today we have over twenty systems in operation, plus others under construction.

The rebirth of rail transit in our cities had yet another dimension -- the creation of tourist friendly “Heritage” streetcars, either rebuilt vintage cars or modern cars built to look like the cars our grandparents or great grandparents once rode. In some cases these vintage trolleys operate over the modern “Light Rail” lines, while in other places they have their own tracks, often in city streets shared with automobiles.

52 • Byways

est continuously operating street railway, dating back to 1835! It was operated by steam power and animal power prior to being electrified in 1893.

New Orleans once had other streetcar lines, but by the 1960s all had been replaced by buses. The first hint of a streetcar renaissance came in 1988 with the new Riverfront Line, providing an eco-friendly link paralleling the Mississippi River.

With its tourist-based economy, it was no surprise that when New Orleans decided to resurrect the Canal Street car line. Reopened in 2004, its trolleys are designed to look like vintage cars, but with modern perks like air conditioning and disabled access.

Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, badly damaged the city’s streetcars, and forced the new Canal cars to be rebuilt, but today, happily, the cheerful red streetcars once again trundle by every few minutes, connecting the Mississippi with the famed above ground Cemeteries to the north.

With streetcars so much a part of its tourist venue, it comes as no surprise that New Orleans is planning further streetcar extensions, including turning back the clock to the era of Tennessee Williams’ 1947 classic A Streetcar Named Desire. Yes, there really was a French Quarter streetcar line named “Desire,” and if New Orleans has its way, it will run again.

San Francisco has long been famous for its cable cars.

These classic non-electric streetcars are hauled up and down the city’s hills by a wire rope located beneath the street. These simple conveyances, celebrated in film and song, are, however, not the only street railway show in San Francisco.

When San Francisco in 1980 opened a Light Rail subway under Market Street to accommodate the cities five remaining conventional streetcar lines, it left the surface tracks unused. Backed by public advocacy organizations New Orleans’ tree-lined St. Charles streetcar line

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Streetcars serve San Francisco’s famous Ferry Building.

like the Market Street Railway preservation group, the Municipal Railway of San Francisco operated occasional historic streetcar festivals, using vintage trolley cars from San Francisco and other cities.

Popular with both locals and tourists alike, the festivals coalesced into a greatly expanded regular service -- leading to today’s F-Market & Wharves heritage trolley line.

Starting in the Castro neighborhood, the F-Line rolls east along Market Street to the Ferry Building, and then turns north to Fisherman’s Wharf, one of San Francisco’s best known tourist spots. The waterfront Embarcadero tracks follow the route of the former Embarcadero Freeway, which was torn down after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake rendered it useless.

The hugely successful F-Line, today crowded with riders, is operated entirely with vintage streetcars, most of them acquired from elsewhere in the U.S. and overseas. The largest group are PCC cars, a “modern” lightweight streetcar developed 54 • Byways

in the 1930s. They have been painted in the colors of the North American cities that once operated them, so each car has a distinctive legacy. There are many foreign cars as well, including ten “Peter Witt” cars built in 1928 for Milan, Italy.

So when you hop aboard the F-Line, look closely. It might be a PCC car from your hometown -- Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis, or Washington DC, just New Orleans streetcar decorated for the holidays. Photo by John Smatlak.

Cable cars and streetcars in San Francisco

to name a few. http://www.railwaypreservation.com/vintagetrolley/v Or you might find yourself on a “tram” from Melbourne, Australia, an open air “Boat Car,” from intagetrolley.htm Blackpool, England, or maybe even on one of San http://www.streetcar.org Francisco’s original “Iron Monsters,” built prior to World War I. http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfleet/histcars.php Like the movie “Back to the Future,” we really have gone back in time, returning the once neglected streetcar About the Author: Dr. John A. Kirchner is a professor to a recognized place in both modern urban transportaemeritus of Geography and Transportation at Cal State tion and tourism. Welcome aboard!

Learn more about streetcars in North America at the University Los Angeles. following websites:

Byways • 55

Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park Celebrates 40 Years

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The park is the world’s only diamond-producing site open to the public.

By Zoie Clift, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

orth America’s largest diamond and more than 75,000 other diamonds have been found in a field southeast of Murfreesboro since farmer John Huddleston discovered the first gems in the field in 1906.

Since 1972, the site has been preserved as Crater of Diamonds State Park.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the park.

Park Superintendent Justin Dorsey says special programs will be held on March 15th, the anniversary date of the park’s creation. “We’ll be doing programs on the history of the park and how it has changed over the past 40 years,” he said. “Because the anniversary falls on a Thursday, we’ll continue the special programming over the weekend and through the next week, which is Spring Break.”

Many are surprised to learn there is a place in Arkansas where one can go and dig for diamonds. The park, the world’s only diamond-producing site open to the public, is located above an eroded volcanic pipe. For a small fee, visitors can dig for diamonds and other gemstones and keep what they find.

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The search area at the park is a 37 1/2 acre plowed field on the eroded surface of the eighth largest diamond-bearing deposit in the world (in surface area). More than 500 diamonds were found at the park last year.

“It was a record year for large diamonds,” said Dorsey. “We registered 30 diamonds over one carat.” He added that two of them, the 8.66 ct Illusion Diamond (3rd) and the 6.67 ct T e a m w o r k Diamond (9th), are among the ten top diamond finds at the park in the past 40 years. “I hope to see

this trend continue into 2012,” he said.

“We are also nearing the milestone 30,000th diamond mark (as of January 20, the mark was at 29,933). I expect it to be found this year.”

What sets Crater diamonds apart are color (the vast majority of diamonds found here are white, brown and yellow), luster (many look like small pieces of metal) and shape (if not broken they are usually very smooth and well rounded). The largest diamond discovered by visitors since the site became an Arkansas state park was the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight found in 1975.

It is stories like these that park interpreters enjoy sharing. “Every day we meet people who have just learned Dorsey. “They have a chance to about our park,” said Waymon Cox, who has worked as interact and a park interpreter at Crater of Diamonds for four years. “They don’t realize the s t a t e

g n i n e p p a H s ’ t Wha

park has been here for 40 years now, and they haven’t heard of the many fascinating discoveries folks just like them have made over the years. It’s always a lot of fun to share some of the park’s best stories with someone new.”

March also marks the start of a new program series at the park called Visit with an Expert Miner. The program (scheduled for March, June, and October) offers visitors a chance to meet the park’s regular d i a m o n d prospectors.

The idea started after a similar scenario was filmed as part of a reality show demo this past summer. “People really enjoyed the opportunity to hear from some of the ‘regulars’ that search here almost every day,” said

ask questions that only they can answer.

The miners are equally excited to share their story with hopeful visitors.”

More than 106,000 visitors came through the park last year. “My favorite aspect of this job is the visitors,” said Cox. “Every time I do a demonstration, I ask where people are visiting from. It’s fascinating to hear all the different states people name off. I also love pointing out the social aspect of this park. While searching for diamonds, visitors will often talk to each other and make connections with people from all over the country. Not only might someone from Michigan be working right next to someone from California, but as they talk they often find they either know the same person or once lived in the same area. It’s a visitor experience not often found at other parks.”

Dorsey said he is honored to be a part of the park staff that will be celebrating this landmark year. “Over the past 40 years we have had a number of special people work here, and the current staff and I continue that legacy,” he said. “We realize this park will be here for visitors to enjoy for many more years after we are all gone.

And as we celebrate how far we’ve come, we remember that we are charged with ensuring future generations the same experience.”

Crater of Diamonds State Park is located two miles southeast of downtown Murfreesboro. For more information contact Justin Dorsey, park superintendent, Crater of Diamonds State Park, at 870-285-3113, or email him at justin.dorsey@arkansas.gov.

Byways • 57

Every Four Years: Presidential Campaigns and the Press at The Newseum

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very four years, Americans elect a president. And every four years, battle lines are drawn as presidential candidates and reporters face off in the conflict zone known as the campaign trail. From William McKinley’s front-porch campaign to Obama’s Internet campaign, this exhibit examines the strategies and tactics used by politicians -- and illuminated by the press -- to put democracy to the test and a candidate in the White House.

The Newseum in Washington, DC has opened an exhibit to honor the Presidential campaigns.

A lighter side of the exhibit features costumes and props from “Saturday Night Live,” “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report,” comedy shows that have become almost mandatory stops on the campaign trail as politicians try to show a sense of humor and court new audiences.

Among the 120 artifacts on display include items used by campaign press and candidates, as well as items related to political parody: •A microphone used by Franklin D. Roosevelt to deliver his famous “fireside chats”.

• Handwritten notes taken by John F. Kennedy during a 1960 presidential debate with Richard Nixon.

• The jacket worn by Hillary Rodham Clinton when she became the first person to use her own website to declare her candidacy for the presidency.

• “Florida, Florida, Florida” white board used by 58 • Byways

NBC’s Tim Russert on election night 2000 to predict the key role the state would play in the outcome.

• Guitar -- labeled “The Prez” -- played by George H.W. Bush at a 1988 inaugural ball.

• Dallas Cowboys football jersey, with “Reagan 84” on the back, presented to Ronald Reagan at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas.

• Suit, flag lapel pin and eyeglasses worn by Tina Fey as Sarah Palin in a 2008 “Saturday Night Live” sketch, and the blue suit with a Barack Obama pin worn by Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton.

An interactive area allows Newseum visitors to create their own campaign photo ops by mixing various backgrounds and previous candidates including Hillary Clinton, John F. Kennedy, Sarah Palin and Ronald Reagan. Visitors also can choose their candidate for president in a special Newseum voting booth. The exhibit will be updated throughout the 2012 campaign to highlight the latest news and photos from the campaign trail.

The Newseum -- a 250,000-square-foot museum of news and history -- offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. Within its seven levels of galleries and theaters, the Newseum offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made. Follow the Newseum on Facebook and Twitter.

The Newseum is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm daily and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. For additional information, call 888/NEWSEUM (888/639-7386) or visit http://www. newseum.org Group information: groupsales@newseum.org

Byways is published bi-monthly by Byways, Inc. and distributed electronically throughout North America.

Byways is emailed to more than 4000 tour operators and 20,000 travel agencies through the internet. Subscriptions are complimentary.

Byways’ distribution includes motorcoach companies, tour operators, travel agents, bank travel managers, school band and athletic planners, and meeting planners. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine, 42 Cabin Hill Lane, Mount Jackson, VA 22842. Telephone 540-477-3202.

Fax 540-477-3858. Toll-free 800-469-0062. ©Copyright 2012 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher.

Editor and Publisher Stephen M. Kirchner

Advertising Director 1.800.469.0062 • 540.477.3202 • Fax 540.477.3858

Internet: bywaysmagazine.com byways@motorcoach.com

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American Mountain Theater, West Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bedford Tourism, Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Byways Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Clarion Inn, Strasburg, Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Comfort Inn Charleston, West Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Durbin & Greenbrier Valley RR, West Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Franklin Hotel, Silverado Casino, Deadwood, South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Harrisonburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Galax Visitors Center, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Heritage Farm, Museum & Village, West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Louisville MEGA Cavern, Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Medina Railroad Museum, New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New River Railroad, West Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Niagara Country Byways, New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

North Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . motorcoach.com - National Reservation Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PA Dutch Hotels, Clarion Inn, Strasburg, Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Redding Convention & Visitors Bureau, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Richmond Convention & Visitors Bureau, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ross-Chillicothe Tourism, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shenandoah County Tourism, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shenandoah Caverns Family of Attractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shipshewana Flea Market, Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Southern Kitchen Restaurant, New Market, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Staunton Convention & Visitors Bureau, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sumner County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Valley Forge Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Virginia Tourism Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Byways • 59

T

John Deere Pavilion Reopens

he John Deere Pavilion in downtown Moline, the company, now on display for the first time at the Illinois, has reopened to the public following a Pavilion. These machines were produced to test and near total transformation of the visitor experience. evaluate new technologies and designs, elements of The renovation coincides with the 15th anniversary of which are now used in current products. the Pavilion and the year-long celebration of the founding of John Deere’s company 175 years ago.

The new experience offers an up-close look at the company’s global businesses and products, rich history and heritage, and solutions for the challenges of providing food and infrastructure to the world’s growing population. Interactive displays, original artifacts, and a variety of media engage visitors in a fun and exciting learning environment for the whole family.

“We reopen the doors to the John Deere Pavilion and offer the public a fresh, exciting, and entertaining experience where guests can learn more about how we are all linked to the land,” said Sam Allen, chairman and chief executive officer of Deere & Company. “The Pavilion provides a superb destination for customers, employees, and fans to celebrate their personal connection to John Deere.”

See, Hear, and Feel the New Experience Although the Pavilion building remains the same, the look and feel inside the facility has changed dramatically. Several machines are displayed in their working environments so visitors unfamiliar with the products can see how they operate on farmsites and worksites around the world.

Through videos guests hear owners and operators of these machines describe a typical workday and how John Deere equipment helps them work and shape the land.

The interior of the John Deere Pavilion Visitors also see previous concept machines explored by 60 • Byways

Machine simulators give visitors a chance to try their skills at operating an excavator or crawler dozer in a fun learning environment that looks, sounds, and feels very much like the actual machines when they are in operation. The simulators are the same ones used to train professional operators.

Other New Exhibit Details •The Legacy of John Deere – profiles company decision makers from the past 175-years, examines the company’s corporate culture, and tracks Deere & Company highlights in relation to significant events in American history.

•Our Growing Planet – examines big challenges facing a growing global population and showcases ways John Deere is working to help address these challenges.

•Innovative Solutions – highlights breakthrough designs and innovative technologies that John Deere has introduced to help customers make their businesses more productive, efficient, and profitable.

•John Deere Discovery Zone - provides educational, interactive, and hands-on educational opportunities for kids of all ages to explore where food comes from, the need

for roads and bridges, and taking care of the environment.

•Cotton to Blue Jeans – weaves the story of cotton from seed to shelf where the end product is the ever-popular blue jean. It is the first in a series of rotating exhibits.

One carry-over from the previous Pavilion’s offerings is the film, “Anthem: A Song of the Land.” This aweinspiring film, presented in high-definition, salutes the dedicated work of farm families worldwide.

The John Deere Pavilion is a free attraction and is open year-round. The John Deere Store, located adjacent to the Pavilion, stocks a large selection of the latest officially-licensed John Deere products including clothing, toys, books and collectibles. For more information visit www.JohnDeereAttractions.com.

Byways • 61

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