Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum — Attraction in Chattanooga

I want to start off by saying I love this museum, its very important for it and places like it to be around for future generations. The train depot was very nice and the staff there were very courteous. We decided to come down from NE TN to do a Dinner Train ride for our 13th anniversary. It was around 110 per person but I felt it was a bucketlist thing and we should do it. The boarding process was well done and we boarded the Silver Lake( I cant remember). This car had the galley and 6 tables. Thats kind of when it went downhill for us. Our waiter, Gage, who seemed to be a nice young man, came up and started talking to us like he was just reading off a script. When I asked him to repeat what he said, he would just recite the whole script over. It was literally three beverages Sweet Tea, Unsweet Tea, and Arnold Palmer. We then managed to give him our drink orders, wife got an unsweet tea and I got a unsweetened arnold palmer. He didnt engage in any small talk either initially or later in the evening. In fact, he barely spoke to us at all except to refill our drinks which was another amusing part of the experience because every time he would come to refill my drink he would have a different pitcher/drink in his hand, first refill he gave me just unsweetened tea, then next time he came around I got sweet tea, then it was just lemonade (I asked him for that one) and this roulette of drinks continued all dinner long. The food was ok, the first course was some tomato bisque which honestly was my favorite part of the meal, the rolls were also good. The dinner itself was very small so I was still hungry afterwards. As we ate we got to see what appeared to be downtown Chattanooga, which isnt terrible but I would have liked to see some nature. Finally, we got dessert, the choices were Cheesecake with mixed berries, apple cobbler with ice cream, and something called "oreo delight with whiskey sauce." Wife got the cheesecake, I got the oreo dessert. When they came out the desserts were fine, they were small but I think most modern restaurant desserts are too much anyways. There was no "whiskey sauce" on my oreo delight which was two brownies with marshmallow fluff in the middle. Our waiter never offered us coffee, in fact he never asked us how our food was or anything. The manager also came through the car and spoke with most everyone except for us, even telling one table about another room they could go to on the way back and we never did find out what that was. Keep in mind, our car was almost empty. I thought our waiter was new but later we overheard him tell another table he had been there 3 years! I then got up and used the restroom. Now this is an old train car, and the restroom has not really been updated so it was interesting to say the least. I just would recommend using the restroom at the depot prior to leaving. When I came out I explored a bit in the car behind us and they had actual old bathroom and bunkrooms, I didnt even know if I was allowed to be in this area as nobody had told me yes or no but I figured I would take the chance. Thats when I met a blonde waitress and Im sorry I didnt catch her name. She "caught" me looking in the rooms and instead of telling me to go sit down or going on about her work she stopped what she was doing and gave me a tour of the cabins and talked to me about the interesting features of the cabin, the weird toilet being the best part. See, now THAT is what its about. I could tell she loved the history of the train and she was just wonderful. Then when I drug my wife back to the room she came back through and did it all for her again without me asking. Thats service and being a part of preserving history and sharing knowledge. She was just wonderful! Score: 1 for our waiter, 3 for Food, and 5 for the one nice...

I've dreamed of visiting this place for years, and it's everything I wanted and them some. Unfortunately, my current job has me working weekends, so the Missionary Ridge Local was my sole option when it came to train rides. It was a wonderful combination of perfect weather, well-restored equipment and trackage, and a few unexpected relics along the way, such as the original 1879 right-of-way. Today, it's little more than an overgrown hill, but the old ties and bridge piers remain in shockingly good condition. The train itself was a neat mix, consisting of a GP7L diesel locomotive, a '20s coach with opening windows but no A/C, and two A/C-equipped '40s coaches, a heavyweight with painted steel sides, and a silver-sided lightweight. Both were cool and comfortable. The seats are like big red marshmallows, and most recline. The ride takes you across a pair of bridges and through a hand-carved tunnel, before stopping at East Chattanooga station for the shop tour. The shop tour was relatively short but full of cool facts and equipment close enough to touch, including the TVRM's trio of steamers, 610, 630, and 4501. They're currently restoring a 50s streamlined observation car and a 1910s heavyweight private car. The East Chattanooga station was period-perfect down to the 1940s music softly playing in the background, and was fully stocked with drinks and snacks. As for the museum, they packed a ton of neat stuff into a relatively small area, including but not limited to moveable signals, a track speeder, dining setups, coach seats, a telegraph office mockup, and displays on Tennessee engines used in the U.S. Military and the story of RPO Marine guards in the Roaring 20s. The best part is most exhibits have no barriers aside from clear cases and "belts", so you can get right up close. All in all, I had a blast and I can't wait to go back for one the steam runs. There's plenty to see, there's no rush and the staff were lovely.

P.S., if you go to the Grand Junction or East Chattanooga gift shop, the "LEGO" trains and R/C steam train set are a great pick. The blocks fit together as well as real LEGOs, and the train set works fantastically. It even puffs steam! You just fill the steam dome with tap water, click the "steam" button, give it a few minutes, and there you go! The train itself is an odd mix of an 1890s 0-8-0, 1920s(?)riveted tender, 1920s(?) open livestock car, and 1940s "streamlined" caboose. The tracks connect like puzzle pieces with the added security of plastic caps that fit over the adjoining ties. However , I have not found them necessary. You also get two trees, a signal, a "road closed" sign, and two modern crossing signals, one with a gate and one without. Everything is solid, and the engine has some impressive...

This was our first Dinner in the Depot experience and it exceeded expectations. The dinner takes place in the second story of the depot which is decorated with nostalgic themed items. This experience included a six course meal.

The meal started with a fig jam on a crostini with feta followed by a salad with heirloom tomatoes and raspberry poppy seed dressing. A fried green tomato with red pepper aioli was served followed by a Tuscan White Bean soup with Andouille Sausage. We chose the Bourbon Pork Chop and Pan Seared Ribeye for our entrees. The pork chop was bone in and was incredibly flavorful and moist. The ribeye was a large steak both flavorful and tender. The only food item that was disappointing was the smoked Gouda with crab macaroni and cheese. It would have been wonderful if the crab had been omitted. All of this was followed by dessert, we chose the Chocolate Mouse Cake and Blueberry Peach Cobbler with Ice Cream. The cake was so moist with a lighter than air chocolate mouse topping. The cobbler was wonderful coming straight from the oven piping hot with a crisp crust and delicious fruit with a scoop of ice cream on the top.

The beverages included iced tea, ice water or lemonade. The railroad had just received a liquor license so wines were available along with select other drink choices for an additional charge.

All of this was accompanied by a live guitarist providing pleasant background music. Once the meal was completed, the group adjourned to board the train board and ride to the round house. It was a delightfully special evening with excellent service proving a nostalgic train experience. For anyone who has experienced the dinner trains, the spacing of the tables is much more generous in this setting. I would highly recommend this experience and I believe it is one of the most underrated experiences offered by the TVR. With the train ride it was. 3-3.5...