The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad or as the locals call it Tweetsie railroad was a smaller than usual rail built in 1886. It ran through the mountains from Johnson City to Hampton via Elizabethton. Residents at one point even called it the “Railway with a Heart” as railroad personnel often performed errands for the locals (and even allowed passengers to ride for free during the Great Depression), its tickets were even validated with a heart-shaped punch. The small gauge lines were abandoned in the 1950s and these crumbling bridges and tunnels are all that’s left of the original line. Car #12 was preserved (originally bought by Gene Autry) and you can take a ride on it at the Tweetsie Railroad theme park.
