In 1961, the Robbins brothers from North Carolina opened a small tourist attraction in the foothills of The Great Smoky Mountains. This new standout attraction was called Rebel Railroad. The centerpiece was a scenic five mile train ride into the foothills of The Great Smoky Mountains offering amazing views, and a chance to ride behind a true piece of American history. As part of the experience, the attraction encompassed a general store, blacksmith shop, and saloon that guest could visit. The success of Rebel Railroad was directly tied to Engine 192. Engine 192 has run the rails of Rebel Railroad since its opening in 1961, but her story goes back another 18 years to 1943 and World War II.
With America in the middle of history’s largest war, resources were invested in ending the war and protecting the homeland. In Alaska the efforts to build an Iron Highway to protect our land were underway. Engine 192 is a narrow-gauge 2-8-2 Mikado built by Baldwin Locomotive for the US Army in World War II. The 2-8-2 refers to the two guide wheels in the front, eight drive wheels in the middle, and two guide wheels in the back. Engine 192 and her sisters of the 190 class would serve America on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad as property of the United States until the end of the war in 1945.
After the war, many of the 190 Class would be stored and sold off, however engines 190, 192, and 196 remained in service on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad through the 1950’s. In 1960, Engine 190 was sold to Tweetsie amusement park, while Engine 192 was sold to Rebel Railroad. There, Engine 192 would be nicknamed Klondike Katie, a name she still goes by today.
(Engine 190, left, and Engine 192, right)
From 1961 to 1970, Rebel Railroad remained under the ownership of the Robbins brothers. A staged train robbery would take place as part of Rebel Railroad. Visitors would be taken up the mountain, their journey would be halted half way up and the train would be under simulated attack by either Indians or train robbers. However, in 1970 the park was sold to the Cleveland Browns owner Mr. Art Modell. The name of the park was changed to Goldrush Junction to reflect that it was not just a railroad. The new name also brought several new attractions including a wood shop, saw mill, outdoor theater, log cabins, campground, and several children's rides. In 1977 a second change of ownership and name came. Jack and Pete Herschend bought the park and began to convert it into a theme park. As the owners of Silver Dollar City in Branson Missouri, the brothers looked to expand the brand, and Goldrush Junction officially became known as Silver Dollar City, Tennessee. The Herschends invested largely in the infrastructure of the park. Reinventing the entrance, expanding the park, and adding Engine 70.
Looking back to the spring of 1938, the White Pass and Yukon Railroad was in need of a new freight locomotive. Instead of using a 2-8-0 like they had been, the White Pass and Yukon Railroad contacted Baldwin and asked for a 2-8-2 Mikado. In May of 1938, Engine 70 rolled out of the shop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “The locomotive had 44-inch driving wheels, a 205 psi boiler, 17" x 22" inch cylinders, a tractive effort of 25,179 lbs., Walschaerts Valve Gear, and weighed in at 72 tons (115.25 tons with tender). The tender held up to 8 tons of coal and 4,000 gallons of water” (Locomotive Fandom). Engine 70 proved an immediate success, so in 1939, Engine 71 arrived in the Yukon. Both engines helped build the Alcan highway during World War II. At the end of the war, both trains received new tenders which could hold 9 tons of coal and 5,000 gallons of water. In 1947, the final two engines of the 70 class, Engines 72 and 73, arrived in the Yukon. While the engines of the 70 class did have major assets, there were several critical errors. One of these was the trains turning radius. The engines of the 70 class had a much wider turning radius than the tracks of the White Pass and Yukon Railway. As a result of this, in 1940 Engine 70 derailed when its snow plow caught a guardrail, resulting in the train falling on its side. This occurred again in 1951 and 1955. Another error was Engine 70’s modifications. Engine 70 had been modified for use clearing ditches next to tracks. The engine was given another set of smaller drive wheels for one side, while keeping her original wheels on the other, causing her too lean to one side. A strong gust of wind was all it took for the engine to tip.
Moving into the 1960s, diesel engines began to work on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. This saw the retirement of Engine 70 in 1963. The retirement of engines 72 and 73 came in 1964, and with that the end of the steam era on the White Pass &Yukon Railroad. Engines 72 and 73 would be put to other uses, while Engines 70 and 71 sat to rust in a side yard. That was, until 1977. Both Engines 70 and 71 were purchased by Silver Dollar City, Tennessee, and shipped from Alaska to Tennessee. Upon arrival in the Smoky Mountains, Engine 70 was restored and began work on the Silver Dollar Railway, while Engine 71 was set aside for restoration later down the line. Engine 71 is still awaiting restoration in 2019. As with Engine 192, Engine 70 was also given a nickname. Today she is known all around the world as Cinderella.
Since 1977, Klondike Katie (Engine 192) and Cinderella (Engine 70) have run the rails together. While the park is still partly owned by the Herschend family, in 1986 Silver Dollar City, Tennessee underwent a major rebrand. Born and raised in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Dolly Parton took interest in the small theme park. Beginning with the 1986 season, the park officially became known as Dollywood. This resulted in Dollywood being co-owned by Herschend Family Entertainment and the Dollywood Entertainment Company. Since then, Klondike Katie and Cinderella have taken millions of visitors on a 20 minute train ride into foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Visitors ride behind the pieces of rolling history that are the Engines of the Dollywood Express.
(Klondike Katie in August of 2018.) (Cinderella in May of 2019.)
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