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The Smoky Mountain Train Wrecks
I was going to write a blog about hiking up to the old Marks Creek train wreck site and decided to use some old photos to tell about the logging and wrecks in the Smokies. Using some photos I've collected over the years and adding those found from the Dept. of Conservation, Great Smokies National Park, along with photos from the Little River Railroad Museum. Special thanks to all these organizations and you should stop and visit the museum in Townsend. The Smokies had several small train accidents, but seven major wrecks where death was a sad part to the endings. But, first a little history on logging in the Smokies.
Some places in the Smokies like Big Greenbrier and Cades Cove had clear cut the big timber out by the 1840's. But, other areas didn't start big logging until the 1890's like Elkmont and Tremont. When several logging buisness folks from the PA mountains (where the best cuts were all but gone for the next 30 years) came to visit the Smokies. Soon, these timber folks built the Tannery in Walland and talked Townsend into logging the Smokies. A train line was built from Knoxville to Maryville and on to the Tannery. First logging took place close to Townsend and began up West Prong.
The Tannery and you can see the old wooden covered train bridge in the back. Here's a closer look at it.
About 5 miles from Walland was a place use to be called "Sunshine" and this was a stop along the way for visitors to the Wonderland Hotel in the years ahead.
A section of land that was being logged near here was called the "Davis Cut" and it had a small train wreck where the train was repaired and continued to be used. I have no photos from it. But, here is the Walland depot train stop.
In 1903 one of the Shay engines wheels fell through the tracks at the old bridge up West Prong.
No one was hurt and repairs made which put the train back to work. The train lines were final cut along the river where they reached into Elkmont. One of the worst train wrecks happen on Jakes Creek above the old bridge. Story goes that the crew over loaded the trains number of lumber cars so that they could leave earlier for a dance. It had been raining and the tracks were wet when it slide off the tracks in the curve. Gordon Bryson and brakeman Charles Jenkins were killed on June 30, 1909.
Tourtist visiting Wonderland could see the wreckage over the next several months. The tourtist railroad line opened up just weeks after this wreck. The weekends was a busy time for this train when Knoxvillians came to picnic. Two trains were used for this traffic and one had an observation open car for viewing the mountains. Here's a pic of it.
Of course the old train line was into day's road entering Elkmont. And as it came up the River Road it would stop and let folks check out the river. See photo below left.
Then, they would arrive at the Wonderland Hotel Depot. 
Here is the train at the Sinks location (photo below right).
Soon, the logging was being done in the higher mountains above Elkmont and Tremont where the steep grades made it very tough on these trains. This is where bigger Shay engines were used to haul out the wood. Here is Shay in use a way up in the mountains. This is the one at today's museum location. I like the outhouse up in the woods here.
Another train wreck where the boiler exploded killing Sam McClanham in 1914 was on Rough Creek.
But, for the most part the engines were kept in very good condition and for time they were used in this rough and steep areas had a very good record.
My uncle Garfield worked with the Shay Nine and here is a photo of it at Fish Camp.
The trains worked through the worst of conditions in the mountain winters and of course they had there share of rock slides and mud slides under the tracks. On of my fav photos of a Shay in winter. 
Here's another photo of the wreck in Elkmont from the river.
Trains were a big part of the timber business and a big part of incomes for these poor mountain folks. All my older uncles and grandfather on my Mother's side worked for Townsend for several years. My Grandfather and Father worked on the line from the Wye to Elkmont building the road after the train tracks were removed. It was hard work, but that what mountain folks were used too anyways. Visit the train museum and for more history on East Tennesee trains and the train lines....you can find many good books on those subjects.
Mike
Some places in the Smokies like Big Greenbrier and Cades Cove had clear cut the big timber out by the 1840's. But, other areas didn't start big logging until the 1890's like Elkmont and Tremont. When several logging buisness folks from the PA mountains (where the best cuts were all but gone for the next 30 years) came to visit the Smokies. Soon, these timber folks built the Tannery in Walland and talked Townsend into logging the Smokies. A train line was built from Knoxville to Maryville and on to the Tannery. First logging took place close to Townsend and began up West Prong.
The Tannery and you can see the old wooden covered train bridge in the back. Here's a closer look at it.
About 5 miles from Walland was a place use to be called "Sunshine" and this was a stop along the way for visitors to the Wonderland Hotel in the years ahead.
A section of land that was being logged near here was called the "Davis Cut" and it had a small train wreck where the train was repaired and continued to be used. I have no photos from it. But, here is the Walland depot train stop.
In 1903 one of the Shay engines wheels fell through the tracks at the old bridge up West Prong.
No one was hurt and repairs made which put the train back to work. The train lines were final cut along the river where they reached into Elkmont. One of the worst train wrecks happen on Jakes Creek above the old bridge. Story goes that the crew over loaded the trains number of lumber cars so that they could leave earlier for a dance. It had been raining and the tracks were wet when it slide off the tracks in the curve. Gordon Bryson and brakeman Charles Jenkins were killed on June 30, 1909.
Tourtist visiting Wonderland could see the wreckage over the next several months. The tourtist railroad line opened up just weeks after this wreck. The weekends was a busy time for this train when Knoxvillians came to picnic. Two trains were used for this traffic and one had an observation open car for viewing the mountains. Here's a pic of it.Of course the old train line was into day's road entering Elkmont. And as it came up the River Road it would stop and let folks check out the river. See photo below left.
Then, they would arrive at the Wonderland Hotel Depot. Here is the train at the Sinks location (photo below right).
Soon, the logging was being done in the higher mountains above Elkmont and Tremont where the steep grades made it very tough on these trains. This is where bigger Shay engines were used to haul out the wood. Here is Shay in use a way up in the mountains. This is the one at today's museum location. I like the outhouse up in the woods here.
Another train wreck where the boiler exploded killing Sam McClanham in 1914 was on Rough Creek.
But, for the most part the engines were kept in very good condition and for time they were used in this rough and steep areas had a very good record.My uncle Garfield worked with the Shay Nine and here is a photo of it at Fish Camp.
The trains worked through the worst of conditions in the mountain winters and of course they had there share of rock slides and mud slides under the tracks. On of my fav photos of a Shay in winter. Here's another photo of the wreck in Elkmont from the river.
Trains were a big part of the timber business and a big part of incomes for these poor mountain folks. All my older uncles and grandfather on my Mother's side worked for Townsend for several years. My Grandfather and Father worked on the line from the Wye to Elkmont building the road after the train tracks were removed. It was hard work, but that what mountain folks were used too anyways. Visit the train museum and for more history on East Tennesee trains and the train lines....you can find many good books on those subjects.
Mike
Comment
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Comment by Amy Lewis on November 15, 2009 at 2:28pm - Those were some awesome stories, though tragic for the trains.
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Comment by frank umbdenstock on November 14, 2009 at 12:12am - thanx loads mike for the wonderful pix. it is great seeing things as they once were. liked the stories also.
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Comment by Mike Maples on November 11, 2009 at 12:01pm - Thanks everyone....oh here's some trivia for ya. At the old Townsend High School (today the elementary I believe) in the old coal plant building next to it is where one of the old train boiler's is used to heat the school in the previous years before central heat and air. It came from one of the wrecks as a gift from Col. Townsend.
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Comment by kevinumberger on November 10, 2009 at 11:15pm - >>.I did a research paper on Elkmont a few semesters ago, really had to dig for some info....can we read this paper?
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Comment by Gordon on November 10, 2009 at 7:05pm - Great info, Mike. Thanks!
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Comment by Debbie Whitaker on November 10, 2009 at 6:24pm - Loved your blog..I did a research paper on Elkmont a few semesters ago, really had to dig for some info.... Loved your pictures too! It's too bad visitors don't realize the real history of these places!
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Comment by Jerry B. Hegwood on November 10, 2009 at 4:19pm -
Mike: Thank you for posting. We spent 2 weeks in Elkmont last month, the first week it rained a lot so
we got to catch up on our reading. "Last Train to Elkmont" was very inspiring, a story that inspired me
was about a fellow called "Rooster" trying to fly a plane out of Elkmont and hit a boulder and crashed.
We located the boulder, at site D13, it was great just to look and feel that big rock, if it could talk
I bet it could tell some hair raising stories. Again thanks for the pics and stories, well done.
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Comment by KathyB on November 10, 2009 at 2:44pm - Thank you Mike for yet another excellent Smoky Mountain history lesson. You always make "mountain schooling" fun and interesting. I sure am glad you are on this site!
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Comment by Ron Raymond on November 10, 2009 at 2:09pm - Great post, Mike...as for those "many good books" you mentioned, my favorites are "Whistle Over The Mountain" and "Last Train to Elkmont".
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