It appears the Hiwassee Loop line of the former Louisville & Nashville in Tennessee has been bought by a private firm that intends to renovate and operate it, including excursions. See the link below.

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_1308862,00.html
ryarger@rypn.org

That's good news. I rode it back in '86; chased it the same year by walking in from the nearest road crossing about a mile away. Some guy with a push cart on rail wheels had beaten me there... he had a camp chair, cooler, camera bag, etc. Basically, he loaded it all on the railroad and pushed it up to his photo spot at the Loop bridge. He tossed the cart into the weeds so the CSX guys wouldn't get angry. After the train went by he loaded it all back up and pushed it out!

The day after I rode in fall of 1986, I photographed KRM's L&N 4-6-2 at Lloyal and rode a Corbin, Ky.-Jellico, Tenn., afternoon roundtrip. I couldn't help but think the 152 would be "right at home" on the L&N Loop.

Incidentally, the loop is RIGHT on the North Carolina line. Looking from the hill where the tracks make the loop, everything to the east is NC, so us Tar Heels ALMOST could have claimed it (along with Saluda, CRR and SR loops, longest tanget, etc.)--darn it!

Well, at least this is some good news for a change!

Wrinnbo@aol.com

Drone video of an empty coal train passing under itself on May 1, 2021:
The Amazing Looping Railroad You've Never Heard of Before

The topic title really had me confused until I realized this was a 19 year old thread.

Im curious, has TVRM ever run steam on this line? They have both 4501 and 630 in mainline certified condition at the moment. Is the lack of steam on the line simply due to issues with facilities and outside connections?

The passengers board busses at the Etowah, TN depot along the CSX mainline - which is 55 driving miles from TVRM - before heading 10 minutes south on the busses to the boarding area at the Hiwassee-Ocoee Scenic Rivers State Park, along the line in Delano, TN. Since TVRM is directly connected to Norfolk Southern, in order to get the locomotive there on its' own wheels, it would have to go via NS first, then connect/interchange with CSX for a long move to their line by Etowah, TN. Unless they truck the locomotive there (probably not too feasible), there's major challenges to getting one of their steamers from Chattanooga to the Hiwassee Loop line.

Not quite as spectacular as Georgetown Loop, but impressive nonetheless. I'm sure I don't know all of the legal liability ramifications, but this place cries out for open cars, and selectively opening up the "green tunnel" of trees that blocks a lot of the view. It's a problem that also affects Cass. It might very well be worth trucking-in a moderate-sized steam locomotive to keep there for excursion service. That's another debate thread that has been flogged to death elsewhere here. Again, impressive lesser-known gem of a line.

I've heard there might be one available in Western Maryland.

This is interesting. I had never heard of it. I've been to the Tehachapi Loop and Williams Loop. Both of those are more obviously a loop. This one is more subtle until you see the long train on it. It's cool that a long train parallels itself for a stretch. The crew can get a good look at the back part of their train.

The entire line is inside the Chattahoochee National Forest and is owned by a trust, not TVRM, so tree removal outside of necessary brush cutting may be frowned upon. I've always been under the impression that coal fired steam locomotives may not be popular there, either. As a disclaimer, I have little knowledge as to the inner workings of all of the agreements.

Several years ago a TVRM engineer told me the line is too curvy for the 4501. My understanding is that tvrms attitude is “if you want a steam excursion ride to Summerville, if you want a scenic excursion ride the Hiwassee” (obviously I’m paraphrasing the general attitude that I felt).

I know on my trip on the Hiwassee in the dome car I wasn’t wishing for a steam locomotive. (Although it steam were ever to run on that line I would definitely go out of my way to ride it again!)

I DO wish TVRM could work out a deal to board the train at the depot in Etowah. The school bus isn’t really ideal but... csx and all.

I do recall that the L&N had problems running eight coupled locomotives on the Old Line. The largest passenger locomotives they operated on the Old Line were Pacifics as the Mountains had a tendency to derail due to the sharp curvature on several curves.

I know the idea is essentially hooey, but just out of curiosity, how would a relatively small articulated, like C&O 1309 (or preserved sister 1308) work out, or a logging Mallet?

There are so many issues with using a steamer on this line. First of all the track is not what it was 5 years ago...the speed has been lowered and it is not obvious how long TVRM will even be able to use this line without heavy repairs. Somebody told me "2 years max"...but that is just a rumor. Beyond that the fascilities on the North end of the line are minimal...no place to turn a locomotive...no yard for coaling or watering. Just a short siding and a flat spot next to the tracks. Nothing more. The south end of the track has a little more to work with. TVRM sells out every trip (I have been told) so there is really no business reason to justify the trouble and expense of running a steamer.
It's funny how people who have never even seen the line know exactly what to do with it...cut trees? It's a beautiful line and more people should drop a nickle and ride it. TVRM does a pretty good job operating the train. It's a beautiful area. Jump put of those arm chairs and buy a ticket.
T7

To cross with another current thread, ex-SR/NS open car Lookout Mountain that is going to the RBMNRR is pretty much exactly the kind of car this operation needs.