Table of Contents
| Railroad Name | Great Smoky Mountains Railroad |
| Website | https://www.gsmr.com/ |
| Train ride | Steam or Diesel pulled train made up of heritage passenger cars |
| Location | 45 Mitchell St. Bryson City, NC 28713 Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/E7KZrJMZSQSWMamV7 |
| Length of trip | Tuckasegee River Excursion and Sunset Tuckasegee River Train – 32 mile round trip Fall Foliage and Nantahala Gorge Excursion – 44 mile round trip |
| Cost of single ticket | $56.00 |
| Special Trains | Several seasonal and holiday special trains Polar Express Bunny Hopper Express Dinner and Lunch trains |
Information
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (reporting mark GSMR) is a freight and tourist railway based in Bryson City, North Carolina, United States. Since late 1999, the railroad is currently had and also operated by American Heritage Railways, Inc., which also owns as well as operates the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) in Colorado. The railway operates excursion trains on the former Southern Railway Murphy branch line between Dillsboro and also Nantahala, North Carolina.
History
The Great Smoky Mountains Railway (GSMR) possesses 53 miles of the Murphy Branch, a former branch line of the Southern Railway between Dillsboro and also Nantahala, North Carolina.
The GSMR path uses a route which passes via “fertile valleys, a passage as well as throughout river gorges” in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina. The GSMR tourist trips utilize the line between Bryson City and Nantahala (22 miles in length) as well as the line in between Bryson City and Dillsboro (16 miles in size).
In late 1999, the MacNeills offered the GSMR property to the American Heritage Railways, who were the proprietors of the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) in Colorado. Furthermore, the bright and vibrant blue, yellow and also red “circus train” livery was dropped in favor of the new Tuscan red as well as gold red stripe livery. On March 9, 2000, the Great Smoky Mountain Railway was renamed to the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The GSMR would eventually become one of the most preferred visitor railroads in the United States with around 200,000 guests each year. In addition to running travelers trains, the railway has actually moved freight by means of an interchange with Blue Ridge Southern Railroad in Sylva near Jackson Paper Manufacturing.
In 2004, GSMR debuted its “Polar Express” train trip, based upon the freshly launched movie and also accredited via Warner Brothers. This ride has actually every year been a major economic situation boost for the railway as well as the community of Bryson City. In 2019, GSMR broke all attendance documents, with more than 91,000 individuals riding the Polar Express adventure alone.
In 2007, GSMR made the decision to shut their Dillsboro depot as well as relocate their head office from Dillsboro to Bryson City as a result of their disagreement with the Dillsboro Town Council not being fixed. The Tuckasegee River tours between Dillsboro and Bryson City continued with the journeys starting at Bryson City and lay over in Dillsboro.
Notable Roster
| Locomotive | Type | Builder | Note |
| 1702 | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Ex-US Army |
| 722 | 2-8-0 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Ex-Southern Railway |
Getting There
The address of the railroad is:
Great Smokey Mountains Railroad
45 Mitchell St.
Bryson City, NC 28713
By Rail
The nearest Amtrak station is probably Greenville South Carolina. Bryson City is 106 miles from there, so a rental car would need to be used. Greenville has several rental car places available.
By Air
The closest commercial airport is Asheville North Carolina. This is 72 miles away from Bryson City.
By Car
Bryson City is located in the western part of North Carolina. It is approximately 192 miles west of Charlotte, and about 133 miles southeast of Knoxville Tennessee. If you are vacationing in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee, Bryson City is only 46 miles from Gatlinburg.
