On October 15, 2005, a model railway exhibit was opened at the Tipton-Haynes Historic Site at 2620 South Roan Street in Johnson City, Tennessee titled "Appalachian Summer." Developed and owned by the Mountain Empire Modular Railroaders, this exhibit represents the first organizational effort toward creating a permanent collection and museum dedicated to the railway history of the Johnson City area.

Note: This is an archived photo collection. This exhibit has been moved to the George L. Carter Railroad Museum on the campus of East Tennessee State University.

Below are photos of the collection and the grand opening events. Your railway conductor and host for this tour is Benjamin, a railroad fan from Johnson City, Tennessee:

Your Conductor and Tour Guide

Johnson City Press News Article

"An Appalachian Summer"
The conductor prepares for departure.	Entering the Tunnel	Exiting the Tunnel
"OK Gentlemen, start the engines... ALL ABOARD!."	"The detail the model railroaders have put into this layout is truly fascinating."	"In the photos and up close it looks exactly like a real railroad."
Conductor Benjamin views the train.	A passenger train is coming through.	Coal mining operation at Elkhorn City.
"A chair is available for smaller folks to view the full layout."	"It looks like a group from Texas passing through the mountains over the old Clinchfield line."	"Here the coal is sorted into rail cars and 3 grades of coal are separated."
Coal Train Loaded on CSX	Church and Cemetery	Railway Spur for CSX
"The CSX operating through Johnson City is still a major shipper of coal 100 years after its founding as the legendary Clinchfield Railroad."	"Near the Elkhorn Mine is a church and cemetery."	"The layout includes space for spur lines and yards where crews can unload shipments for the Town."
Mountainside Home	Vintage Advertising	The Old Mill
"In Appalachia,the shortage of flat land forced many homes and buildings to be placed on steep hillsides."	"Years ago barns were painted with ads such as this one for Mail Pouch Tobacco. The most frequent of all were the See Rock City signs all over the south."	"Long ago mills for making flour were powered by water wheels as shown in this display."
Art Daniels delighted the crowd	Art Daniels	Hoboes Camp near the Tracks
"Mr. Art - I'm looking for a repertoire of traditional folk songs mixed in with some railroad tunes."	"The encore number was called Long Black Rifle and Art's rendition and vocal range brought an immediate stream of folks over from the railway exhibit room across the hall."	"Many songs written about Appalachia featured workers on the trains, hoboes, and other railroad themes."
Authentic Weathering of Buildings	Clinchfield Railway Scene by Ted Laws	Main Street
"The model displays include amazing authenticity including weathering of buildings and you can see a different design feature each time you view a portion of the layout."	" A Ted Laws painting is essential for any Appalachian Railway Exhibit.	"Members of the Mountain Empire Modular Railroaders each customized a four-foot section to an individual theme then integrated them all to form the Appalachian Summer exhibit."
The Vintage Green paint scheme of the Southern Railroad	Great attendance on opening day.	Thanks Benjamin for hosting this tour!
"The exhibit includes sound effects, lighting treatment that can vary from day to night scenes, and remote controllable features of the trains to create a unique experience."	"Several hundred people visited the morning opening of the railway exhibit, toured the extensive grounds of the Tipton-Haynes Historic Site, and heard Art Daniels' great railway and Appalachian heritage tunes."	"I hope you enjoyed the tour and will visit the trains at Tipton-Haynes. As you can see this is something the whole family will not want to miss!"