Photo courtesy of Western Carolina University Southern Appalachian Digital Collections
To see an enlarged version visit this page and click on photo.
Arrival of Peavine Railroad to Tusquittee railway station in Hayesville, NC
Gideon Thomas Laney (1889-1976), also known as Gid, was the prominent photographer for the Brasstown and Sweetwater areas of Clay County, North Carolina in the first part of the 20th century. Trained as a portrait photographer and motivated by the need for flexible work after the death of his wife Martha Creech Ison in 1929 left him a single parent, Gideon borrowed his sister’s bellows camera and began to photograph the people and events of his community. He sent his film off to be developed by Weaver Studio in Copperhill, Tennessee and later by Crisp’s Studio in Murphy, North Carolina. From the negatives, he made 6 cent postcard prints using his in-home darkroom. The Peavine Railroad ran from 1920 to 1951.
Southern Appalachian Digital Collections
I’ve never ridden a train but I’ve always wanted to. When I look at the photo above I can just feel the excitement of the people milling about.
I love that most of the folks seem to be dressed up with hats and jackets—even the ones in overalls. I like the way the boy closest to the front of the photo is standing and wonder who he was and how his life turned out. Also interesting is the team of horses on the right side of the tracks and the vehicle you can see on the far left of the photo almost out of frame. Especially pretty to me are the mountains that can be seen in the distance.
Even though I’ve never been on a train, they’ve shown up in blog posts here over the years. For the last several years Paul has been featuring train songs during the month of November so be sure to be on the lookout for this year’s songs.
To see some of the past train posts go here.
Last night’s video: Giving my Family an Appalachian Vocabulary Test.
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One day I hope we’ll be able to ride that old steam train that’s still running out of Bryson City. https://www.gsmr.com
It’s so fun to read about everyone’s train rides and memories. I have taken rides on excursion trains that go to mountain tops or between small towns. The one that was most fun was the year we took our grandchildren on the “Polar Express” ride from Elkins to the “North Pole” about 20 miles away. There were cookies and cups of hot chocolate for everyone and lots of ‘singing chefs’ to entertain us. When we arrived at the North Pole, there was snow and Christmas lights and lots of elves waving to us, as Santa boarded the train for the ride back. All the kiddos got to visit with him and he gave each one a tiny Christmas bell. Such fun. I would love to take a long train ride someday.
I really enjoyed your vocabulary test last night I laughed at the girls and Matt and at myself too. I only got 4 right. I also enjoyed the girls video. They are so sweet. Still sending up those prayers for you all. Take care.
Trains are my way of travel, from Sacramento, Ca. on the California Zephyr to Chicago, then south on the Cardinal to Charleston or Hinton, W.Va. when “coming home”. There is nothing like seeing America from the windows of the viewing cars and the ride along the river into Hinton is wonderful at any time of the year. I can only imagine what travel would have been like at the time of the picture!.. Those of us fortunate enough to take the time to ‘ride the rails” are lucky indeed !!
Something I noticed in the photo. The ties are round, for the most part. That’s different from modern railroad ties which are rectangular. Those in the photo look like they took a log of the right diameter and notched it for the rail to lay on it. The ties don’t seem to be the same length even, which isn’t important to the function of the railroad.
As kids in Walhalla in the early 1940s, we would put pennies on the rail and let the Blue Ridge train flatten them. I don’t know how long that line operated. The only other train of my youth was the P & N (Piedmont and Northwestern) which, as I recall, ran through Anderson County but I don’t know where else it served. Back to the Blue Ridge line, I touched my tongue to a frosty rail on the way to school one morning. Duh! Bled like the dickens when I pulled free. Never did that again!
On second thought, the P & N line was the Piedmont & Northern (not Northwestern).
I love this old picture. The folks look as if they are waiting for someone very important to arrive being most all of them are dressed up. I too have never ridden on a train but sure do enjoy watching them.
Enjoyed the vocabulary test last night. The girls and Matt are a hoot!! So funny!! I also watched the girl’s video and I have to say, you and Matt have two beautiful, special and such caring daughters. I know you are so proud of them. And Olive, she’s just a mess for sure!!! Prayers going your way today as always.
There is a plan in the works to establish an Amtrac route from Asheville to Salisbury along the same tracks that the old steam trains ran many years ago. That would be an interesting ride!
Trains in the mountains are quite different than those in the flatlands. “The curves, the fills, the tunnels” would take on an entirely different meaning if you could experience them with all your senses.
When I saw the title of today’s post, I thought of our second grade train ride. It was 15 cents to ride from Ridge Spring to Johnston. Probably 10 miles. The year was 1955 and passenger service may have ended in 1960. That was a big deal to an 8 year old.
As an adult I have ridden trains in other countries. One in Korea would stop to let on and off passengers but only stopped for 30 seconds and that included slowing down to stop. I think there were 6 of us getting off so luggage was tossed from the door to the others on the ground. Also if you fell asleep, you could find yourself at the end of the line.
I used to live on the other side of the tracks. No negative connotation should be taken other than the train often blocked our entry and egress. Sometimes we waited for what seemed like forever when there were kids in the car who were hungry or needed to pee. If I was alone it was an enjoyable experience as I have had a lifelong fascination with those mechanical monstrosities.
We weren’t entirely blockaded by a waiting train or a passing one. There were two crossings that were connected to each other on either side of the track so sometimes, if one crossing was blocked, we could drive a few hundred feet and cross at the other. Trains don’t really care though, so most times they blocked both. Not to be deterred though we had a third option. We could drive another half mile to a narrow underpass where we could drive under the track.
The underpass (or tunnel as it is sometimes called) is a very narrow passage dug into the subgrade under the track. It is on a hillside so you are going up or down when you use it. To complicate matters, all this is in a curve so you can’t see approaching vehicles on the other side. So, you lay down on the horn, say a little prayer and go for it. There is room for two cars to pass under there provided they are both small and don’t have mirrors that extend out past the door handles.
Those were the happy days!
I love trains. Where we live I can once a day hear the train whistle. Riding a train is so relaxing and fun. Pray for all! Take care and God bless ❣️
There are several train ride options close to you. I was looking recently because our pastor’s wife wanted to ride a train. There are the half-day and a full-day Etowah (actually Delano), TN to Copperhill, TN runs following the Hiawassee River. And there is the McCaysville, GA to Blue Ridge, GA run already mentioned here by Glenda Page. And there is the run through the Nantahala Gorge. They are pricey of course. I have wondered if it were possible to get half-trip tickets but the web sites do not address that. Anyhow, there is a romance about trains which the many train songs demonstrate. In comparison, pickups are a distant second and so on down a country-living list; jeeps, boats, etc
I love riding on a train, because you get to see so much. In the fifth and sixth grades, we rode the train from Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. for our spring field trip.
During the Panic of 1901, many people in the mountains of North Georgia left to go to work in the fertile farmlands of Colorado I have letters from my great-grandfather Theodore Saxon dated 1902-1904 from Colorado to his wife Sarah describing his journey. He borrowed the money for a train ticket ($39.45), left his wife and eight small children behind, and caught the westbound train. He boarded the train in Gainesville, Georgia to Eaton, Colorado. According to his letter, it was 2200 miles, but he said it didn’t seem far for they traveled during the night. How I would love to have been a little fly on the wall on that train, or even a photo, but feel fortunate just to have his letters. So, as you can imagine, that’s my favorite train story. 🙂
I’ve only rode on small park trains, like the one in Dollywood. I’ve always wanted to take a train trip somewhere, even if it was just a day trip. As fascinating as I think trains are, I also have a respectful fear of them too. I’m one of these that when I have to cross a railroad track, I fully stop to make sure I see none coming on either side and I turn off radio, roll down window so I can listen for any train sounds before crossing over. I’ve seen way to many news reports where people foolishly cross over tracks without looking or listening, or go around the crossing gate, only to have a train crash right into them. A minute of caution crossing railroad tracks can make a difference between life and death.
My first train ride went from Miami, FL to Chicago when I was 18 and expecting my first child in 1965. What I recall most was the smell which permeated the cars. There was one person I ended up talking with and I shared that I wanted to parachute jump one day. Guess I never will follow thru though as I fear landing wrong might damage my foot and lead to a second surgery.
A second train ride occurred in the 70s when with a group, we took an historical train ride from Miami to a state park north. Enjoyed a hard bench ride and plenty of fresh air.
I only rode on a train twice, both times as a child going to a Christian girls camp in Asheville, North Carolina. The train rides were thrilling experiences, which I remember to this day, and the views weaving through the Appalachian Mountains. The rustic camp still exists, though not as it was 60+ years ago, and is run by the same family. I treasure the memories of the sounds of the train rocking, the whistle, and the Asheville train station, which at that time was also old and rustic. Precious memories, indeed.
My first train ride was from Philadelphia, PA to LaFollette, TN many many years ago. We were trying to get home for Christmas and we did!! Very long but enjoyable! Second train ride was in Alaska which was beautiful. I love trains
Praying everything is going well with Granny. Love and blessings to you, Paul and Steve.
I can only imagine the excitement of the train in the photo. I’ve ridden a few trains in my lifetime. What a coincidence that you would post this today. My son just sent a video of his 3-yr-old in Australia beside their car at a crossing watching a steam excursion train they sometimes ride. He’s protected from the rain with an umbrella, raincoat and his favorite “gum boots”. His excitement is evident as he talks about how big the train is. This video was taken at the second of three crossings where they stopped to watch the Puffing Billy. I expect these are sweet memories for this little boy as he grows up as they were for the people in your photo.
I am reminded of being told as a small child that some of my family were run over by a train only to later learn they had driven under an overpass where a train was crossing.
I am enjoying your mountains and the colors are beautiful in places.
Have ridden trains all over Japan, Scotland, England, Wales, & Ireland. Only once in the US….rode the GSMR steam engine train from Bryson City to Nantahala and back…such a great nostalgic ride!!….I’ve got a thing about trains!!
It looks like a big occasion there at the train station. I too have always loved trains, but never rode on one. I’ve took and picked up a few passengers at the AMTRAK station in Hinton, WV where three rivers converge. It’s just a lovely place and I’ve always thought about looking out the windows of the train passing from place to place as you travel. I’ve seen a train show on tv where you ride and have supper and maybe a WHO DUNNIT mystery show for the passengers to get in on…not so long ago, there were tramps, hobos and drifters who travelled the rails with no particular place to be. It sounds delightful in a way… Prayers for you all at this time and especially Granny and Katie. (We should all be so lucky as to hop a train and ride on!!!)
good morning friends of Appalachia, God bless Granny with healing and health in Jesus name
Tipper a train ride is so relaxing. You should ride the Great Smokey Mountain train ride from Bryson City to Nantahala or from Bryson City to Dillsboro. Not a long ride but interesting and the ride to Nantahala crosses over water which is exciting. My first train ride was in 1957. My kindergarten went on a field trip from Lakeland, Florida to Weeki Wachee, Florida to see the Mermaid show. I remember my mom packed my lunch in a little brown bag. I had a bologna sandwich wrapped in aluminum foil. I vividly remember that sandwich cause it kinda tasted like the foil smelled. We went down into the viewing area and it was kinda dark. There they were, the very pretty ladies with their mermaid tails swimming under the water and putting on a show for us. I was so amazed and excited. After we had toured the park, we went back and boarded our train to go back home. I do remember how pretty everything looked as I looked out the window of the train. Pretty exciting adventure for a five year old little girl. You have a blessed day. Prayers for Granny. My hubby has just been told he’s in remission, Praise The Lord!!!
Donna-wonderful news!! I’m so happy for him and you too!!
Donna, don’t know you personally but I’m happy that your husband is in remission. Remission is a word cancer patients love to hear.
I love this post. My Daddy, (who is 80 FYI) is still jumping on the train to downtown Chicago everyday. Still working! He’s been doing that since I was 4. He’s never tired of it. (Can you tell he’s my hero?) Trains are exciting! We used to catch the train downtown for special occasions like Christmas or shopping. There is something about the rumble as the train approaches. It’s just cool!
I’ll keep praying for Granny. God bless!
Cool photo! Be great someone could photo this spot today
I guess I have some hobo blood in me, every time I see a train I feel an urge to hop on and ride just to see where it is going. When my Daddy was in the Army at the end of WWII he rode a train across the United States on his way to Alaska. He liked to tell about this and the different things he saw. At that time Alaska was not a state and his time there was considered his over seas duty. He always wanted to go back to Alaska.
I love old pictures! Momma talked of riding this type of train to her great aunt’s house once. She was kind of afraid of trains.
Papaw wore a suit coat over his bibs when he dressed up. He was buried the same way. I have a pair of his bibs, his hat and a pipe. Ever time I see them it takes me back. I miss him and Mamaw so much.
Continuing to pray for Granny! Praying she has tolerated treatment.
The vocabulary test video was such a funny one. To see Matt “Daddy’ play with such vigor was so endearing. Wish other dads would do that….such fun. As far as riding a train, there is a diesel locomotive that pulls a 7 car almost daily to McCaysville from Blue Ridge. I volunteered for 7 years when we lived there. Some are open cars and some are enclosed. All of the cars are old, but that is some of what makes it fun. The trip takes 1 hour each way with a 1 or 2 hour stop for shopping and eating lunch at one of the good restaurants there. God Bless you guys and give Granny my hugs.
My first tide on strain was when I vacationed in Alaska 12 years ago. Alaska is so beautiful and wild. It was great fun to ride a train. I love the picture and loved the mountains. Thank you for sharing.