chugga-chugga chattanooga train ride

Another highlight of our little getaway was the Tennessee Valley Train ride, We boarded at the Chattanooga Grand Junction station. It was like stepping back in time inside the station. The benches, ticket booths and memorabilia was fascinating to see. I'm not sure who was more excited about this little outing, Papa or Miller?

All aboard! The conductor was all dressed up and summoned the passengers with the all call to board the train. Miller set his sites on just where he'd like to ride on the trip down the tracks.

He searched high and low for the perfect seat and ended up sitting high up in the cupola. Papa taught us something new about the caboose. The cupola is the raised observation post in the roof of the caboose car.
Before navigation, the crew would man the caboose with hand signals. What a thrill to ride up top!

As evidenced by the photos, Papa was just as thrilled with the seats!

Our route was along one of the original railroad lines in Chattanooga. We crossed four bridges and passed through  the pre-Civil War Missionary Ridge Tunnel dating back to 1858.  When we passed through the tunnel the whole train went pitch black for about a minute. I was shocked that Eliza Kate wasn't scared out of her socks. It was so dark that we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces. She was a little traveling trooper sitting in Omi's lap. The only thing that was alarming was the toot of the engine's horn. It caught us all off guard a few times.

The train rolled to a stop in East Chattanooga, allowing us to get out to see our engine rotating on a turntable. Miller made the connection to a Thomas and Friends episode. We also toured the railroad restoration shop where they were restoring a few cars before re-boarding for our return trip. 

We all had a great time. The hour trip was just the right amount of time for our girly. This trip was all about Miller's little passion. I'm sure he'll have to sit through Disney Princess' in the future to share in something Eliza Kate would love.  Thankful for family time.