The Cy Crumley Scrapbook
ET&WNC Railroad

Tour 17: Dick Conger's Garden Railroad


     
 

Your hosts and narrators for this tour are Dick Conger and Jim Pahris.

 


Click on each photo to see a larger view.
 

No. 12
Date: 2006

ET&WNC Historical Society member Dick Conger has created a scenic Garden Railroad that incorporates features from the original Tweetsie line from Johnson City to Boone. Below the real Number 12 is shown at Tweetsie Railroad at the Historical Society Convention in June 2006. Several modern day photos are included to reflect the accuracy of Dick's work and just to admire a few scenes today reminiscent of the heyday of the ET&WNC.

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The Actual
No. 12
Date: 2006

 

 

 

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Johnson City Depot
Date: 2006
ET&WNC Depot Historical Marker - Johnson City, TN
Above Dick's model of the Johnson City Depot recaptures the original look of the building shown below. The Depot was constructed in 1891 and served both the ET&WNC and Southern Railroad as a joint depot. After Southern built a new depot in 1912, the building exclusively served the ET&WNC and still exists today (former Free Service Tire Store). The ET&WNC Historical Society obtained a historic marker from the Tennessee Historical Commssion recognizing the significance of this historic depot.
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The Depot
Date: 1890s
FormerFree Service Tire Late 1950s:
Former Tweetsie Depot
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Leaving Johnson City
Date: 2006

 

 

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"For Trainmen Only"
Date: 2006
Above is a view showing many of the themed buildings in the layout all of which are either replicas or were inspired by a building along the original ET&WNC route. Below is a side view of the Johnson City Depot.
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Signs
Date: 2006

 

 

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Pineola Depot
Date: 2006
Above is the Pineola, North Carolina Depot while below is the Shull's Mills Depot.
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Shull's Mills
Date: 2006

 

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Trestle
Date: 2006
Several views of the incredibly detailed trestle work.
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Trestle
Date: 2006
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"Giant" Day Lily
Date: 2006

 

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Cranberry Mines
Date: 2006
Replica buildings along the line.
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Boone Fork Lumber Company
Date: 2006



 

Roan Mountain
Date: 2006
Painting of
S. B. Wood Store
Above is the famed S. B. Wood store at Roan Mountain, Tennessee that was directly on the original ET&WNC route. Below are views of Dick's model of the same building.
 

S.B. Wood




 

Elk Park Depot
Date: 2006
Modern Elk Park
Above is a replica of the small Elk Park, North Carolina depot. Elk Park, along with Roan Mountain, Cranberry and other points along the Tweetsie route retain their vintage unspoiled looks today and offer a "time-warp" view that fascinate modelers and historians.

Brinkley's Hardware Store
, the 1910 building adorned with the American flag in the small Elk Park photo on the right, was demolished in November 2006. Here is a close-up view of the building in its final state prior to being dismantled. Julia Williams Kodak recalls a humorous story from the Brinkley family:

"Did you know that these Brinkley's were nephews of Samuel Brinkley who is in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest beard? He was from over toward Bakersville, NC. Anyway one time he came for a visit and Brooks Brinkley was a boy and had to sleep with him. His mother kept boarders and they were full that night. Uncle Sam had rolled the beard up when going to bed but sometime during the night Brooks woke up scared out of his gourd! The beard had come unwrapped and he was now caught up in it. Can you imagine? Uncle Sam was even with the circus for a while and met the Queen of England, among other things."
 

Elk River Falls
Date: 2006
Safer to Watch
than Attempt
Four miles from the Town of Elk Park is the 50-foot Elk River Falls. The trail to the falls is relatively easy to navigate, but after a rain beware of slippery sections of the path. The Falls is reminder of the scenic beauty of Tweetsie Country and the unspoiled nature of the native area.

 

 

Cranberry Depot
Date: 2006
The detailed replica of the Cranberry Depot is shown above from the exhibit at the June 2006 ET&WNC Historical Society Annual Convention at Banner Elk.
 

Cranberry, NC
Date: 2006
Company houses from the days of the Cranberry Mines are shown above. Below is the Cranberry Baptist Church built with assistance from the George Hardin family.
 

Cranberry, NC
Date: 2006
Dick's Town Buildings


 

 

Pocket Watch
Date: 2006
Cy Crumley is checking his pocket watch so it must mean that Tweetsie No. 12 is approaching the Johnson City station. In the distance we hear that distinctive sound and the train is on time.
 

 

On Time
Date: 2006
 

 

Trainmen
Date: 2006
Another Conger Project
Veteran Trainmen - Dick Conger, Jim Pahris, and Mike Tilley pose after giving a tour of the Conger-Tweetsie Garden Railroad. Mike is President of the Watauga Valley National Railway Historical Society that is restoring the legendary Crescent Harbor passenger car of the Southern Railway.


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