| Dollywood Express | |
| Location: | Dollywood |
| Section: | Village |
| Status: | Operating |
| Type: | Heritage railway |
| Manufacturer: | Baldwin Locomotive Works |
| Accessible: | available |
| Custom Label 1: | Website |
The Dollywood Express is a narrow-gauge[1] heritage railroad and amusement park attraction located in the Dollywood amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
It 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.
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. The park was an instant success. In 1961, he acquired two USATC S118 Class 2-8-2s from the White Pass. 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. The other, #190, was sent to Tweetsie and still operates there.
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". In 1970 the Cleveland Browns football team bought the attraction, but the locomotive and cars retained their colors and text.
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. The ride was renamed again. This time, instead of a minor text change, #192 was given a complete new look. She 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 3 new locomotives from the WP&YR, #70, #71 and #72.
In 1986, Dolly Parton became part owner of the property, and the park was renamed Dollywood. The train ride itself was renamed to Dollywood Express. 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.
| 70 | Steam | 1938 | 62234 | Operational | Nicknamed the "Cinderella". | |||||
| 71 | - | Steam | 1939 | 62257 | Stored, awaiting restoration | Nicknamed the “Beatrice”. | ||||
| 72 | - | Steam | 1947 | 73351 | Scrapped | Used as a parts source for engines No. 70 and No. 71. | ||||
| Steam | 1887 | 8869 | Display | No. 107 is standard gauge and is unable to run on the Park's 3ft gauge tracks. On display at the Dollywood Parkway ticket center at the corner of Parkway and Dollywood Lane in Pigeon Forge. | ||||||
| 192 | Steam | 1943 | 69427 | Operational | Nicknamed the "Klondike Katie". |
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.[4]
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.[5]