Wikipedia

Dollywood Express

The Dollywood Express is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad and amusement park attraction located in the Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.[1]

Dollywood Express
No. 192 at the station, May 10, 2023
Dollywood
AreaVillage
StatusOperating
Opening dateJuly 1961 (1961-07)
Ride statistics
Attraction typeHeritage railway
ManufacturerBaldwin Locomotive Works
WebsiteDollywood Express
Disabled access Wheelchair accessible

Description

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Dollywood Express
Legend
Village
Roundhouse
(not open to public)

The Dollywood Express runs along a 2.5 mile loop-to-loop track from the Village to the top of the mountain Dollywood borders to the north. It is pulled by two ex-White Pass & Yukon Route 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives, each burning five tons of coal each day. It is the oldest attraction in Dollywood, opening at the theme park "Rebel Railroad" in 1961. It is also one of the signature attractions at Dollywood, appearing in almost all advertising.

History

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Rebel Railroad

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In 1957, North Carolina real-estate developer Grover Robbins opened a theme park between Boone and Blowing Rock called Tweetsie Railroad with ex-East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad 4-6-0 #12.[2] The park was an instant success. In 1960, he acquired two USATC S118 Class 2-8-2s from the White Pass and Yukon Route.[3] The success of Tweetsie prompted him to send one of them, #192, to the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee for a second theme park, called Rebel Railroad.[4][3] The other, #190, was sent to Tweetsie and still operates there.[4] The Rebel Railroad was officially opened to the public in July 1961 and was a huge success.[2]

Gold Rush Junction

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In 1966, Robbins renamed the attraction Gold Rush Junction and a western-style "shootout" was added at the midway point in the ride, allowing the locomotive to stop and "cool its heels".[4] In 1970 the Cleveland Browns football team bought the attraction, but the locomotive and cars retained their colors and text.[4]

Silver Dollar City Tennessee

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In 1976, Jack and Pete Herschend bought Gold Rush Junction, renaming it Silver Dollar City Tennessee, making it a sister park to its Branson, Missouri attraction Silver Dollar City.[4] The ride was renamed again. This time, instead of a minor text change, #192 was given a complete new look. It was painted black instead of Tweetsie green. It was also fitted with balloon stacks to give it a more western look. In 1977, the ride acquired two new locomotives from the WP&YR, #70, and #71, along with spare parts from #72.[4][5]

Dollywood

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In 1986, Dolly Parton became part owner of the property, and the park was renamed Dollywood.[4] The train ride itself was renamed to Dollywood Express.[4] After the 2004 operating season, the park removed the balloon stacks, which were proving to be unpopular and gave the locomotives a new coat of paint. Since the removal of the balloon stacks, the locomotive's paint schemes have been constantly changing. On February 24, 2026, Dollywood announced that they converted one of the locomotives from burning coal to oil to enable them to run more in unfavorable conditions.[6][7] The conversion will also reduce maintenance and pollution.[6]

Equipment

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Locomotives

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Locomotive details[8][3][5]
NumberImagesTypeModelBuiltBuilderSerial numberFormerStatusNotes
70Steam2-8-21938Baldwin Locomotive Works62234White Pass and Yukon RouteOperationalNicknamed the "Cinderella". Converted to run on oil around 2026.[6]
71-Steam2-8-21939Baldwin Locomotive Works62257White Pass and Yukon RouteStored, awaiting restoration

Nicknamed the "Beatrice".

192Steam2-8-21943Baldwin Locomotive Works69427White Pass and Yukon RouteUndergoing fuel conversion[6]Nicknamed the "Klondike Katie".

Former locomotives

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Locomotive details[9]
NumberImagesTypeModelBuiltBuilderSerial numberFormerStatusNotes
72-Steam2-8-21947Baldwin Locomotive Works73351White Pass and Yukon RouteScrappedUsed as a spare parts source for engine No. 70.
107Steam2-8-01887Baldwin Locomotive Works8869East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia RailwaySoldLocomotive No. 107 has/was always been a static display, dating back to the park’s earliest days when it was known as "Rebel Railroad". She is a Consolidation-style, standard-gauge locomotive—far too large to operate on the park’s narrow-gauge track system. No. 107 was removed from display and sold to the Knoxville and Holston River Railroad as of January 22, 2025.

Train maintenance

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When the park is closed during part of the winter every year, the Dollywood maintenance crew usually follows a checklist to maintain the trains and keep them in pristine, working condition. According to Dollywood, the trains are sanded down and repainted every year, the running boards are replaced, brake systems are overhauled and other basic repairs are made where necessary. The train repair crew even contours the wheels if needed to ensure that patrons of the attraction can have a smooth, bump free ride.[10]

Along with the regular maintenance performed every year on the locomotives, the train repair crew also overhauls the engine on the locomotives every ten years to ensure the trains operate properly. The locomotives are also winterized at the end of their yearly maintenance to ensure that they are protected from the cold in the park's offseason.[11]

Accidents and incidents

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  • On April 14, 2004, a female passenger fell out of one of the train's carriages while it was in motion. An investigation determined that a drink was spilled on the woman, who then lost her balance and fell out of the train. The attraction was closed after the incident but was re-opened the next day after it was determined to be operating normally. The passenger was taken to UT Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was released a day later.[12]
  • On October 18, 2020, Locomotive No. 70 was being prepped for service when a grease fire started on the side of the engine. There were no injuries that occurred and the fire was quickly put out.[13][14]
  • On October 1, 2023, one of the steam locomotives was hauling a passenger train around the park when one of the passenger cars derailed due to a mechanical issue of a track switch. There were no injuries and the passengers were safety evacuated.[15][16][17][18][19][20]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Steamlocomotive.com - Surviving Steam Locomotives in Tennessee". Archived from the original on 2016-08-29. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
  2. 1 2 Hayden Dunbar (March 13, 2025). "Rebel yells, Old West shootouts, a flooded mine: Attractions that came before Dollywood". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Former White Pass & Yukon Route 2-8-2 No. 192". Railfan & Railroad: 45. 1999.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Theme Park Timelines". Archived from the original on 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2009-12-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. 1 2 "Dollywood Express 2-8-2 No. 70". Railfan & Railroad: 46. 1999.
  6. 1 2 3 4 McAlee, Hope (February 25, 2026). "Dollywood Express trains swap coal for oil-fired steam engines". WATE 6 On Your Side. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  7. ↑ Franz, Justin (March 10, 2026). "Dollywood Converts Steam Locomotives Back to Oil". Railfan & Railroad. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Happy Birthday to Dollywood's Klondike Katie and Cinderella!". dollyparton.com. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  9. ↑ Hope McAlee. "Engine 107 departs Dollywood, exchanged for Hurricane Helene relief". Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  10. ↑ Taylor, George. "Dollywood Express Overhauled in Off-Season". Dollywood Insiders. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  11. ↑ (From Dollywood's Blog Website) "The engines are winterized and readied for any maintenance and overhaul. They get a major overhaul about every ten years. This is an overhaul year."
  12. ↑ Tim Miller (2004-04-14). "Woman released from hospital after fall from Dollywood train". WATE.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  13. ↑ Raucoules, Gegory (October 19, 2023). "Historic Dollywood train engine catches fire, no injuries reported". WATE. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  14. ↑ WLOS Staff (October 19, 2023). "Historic steam engine at Dollywood catches fire". WLOS. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  15. ↑ Taylor, George (October 1, 2023). "Dollywood Express train derails, all passengers evacuated". WALB News 10. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  16. ↑ Moore, Hannah. "'Mechanical issue' that caused Dollywood Express to derail identified". WATE 6. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  17. ↑ Moore, Hannah (October 24, 2023). "Dollywood releases cause of train derailment that forced passenger evacuation". Live 5 News. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  18. ↑ WBIR Staff. "'Switch track' caused derailment issue with Dollywood Express, ride closed until new part can be installed". WBIR. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  19. ↑ Kelly Ann Krueger (October 2, 2023). "Dollywood Express train derails, all passengers evacuated". WVLT 8. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Dollywood Express train derails, all passengers evacuated". WBKO News 13. October 1, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
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