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[Junior]

I stumbled across some great footage showing Goldrush Junction in the mid-60's! For those of you who don't know, before Dollywood was Dollywood, it was Silver Dollar City, Tennessee, and before it was SDC, Tennessee, it was Goldrush Junction. The same train used at Goldrush is in service now at Dollywood. Some of the old buildings you will see in this video are repainted and rethemed, but are still in place today. You got to check out this video!  I don't know how to link the old home movie here, so someone else will have to do it, but if you go to YouTube and type in "Goldrush Juction about 1965" or look under videos by dllawson68, it should pop right up. It lasts about a minute and a half, and is worth viewing if you are a Dollywood or SDC, TN fan!

[sanddunerider]

this should do it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFyAcsFleZw

[Junior]

Thanks! And you will see related Goldrush Junction pieces titled "Old Home Videos," "Trip back to Goldrush Junction," "East Tennessee and West North Carolina Railroad Company," and "On the Road with Charles Kuralt" sorghum making. These all show what Goldrush Junction and the old Steam Engine looked like in the 60s and early 70s.

[U Smell Smoke]

My family and I had a great time at Dollywood over T'giving weekend.  While we were at the park Friday one of their large locomotives started malfunctioning and had to be taken out of service.  Luckily they have two others and thus were able to make the switch rather easily and quickly.  Their train roundhouse is easily viewable from the Country Fair area of the park so I had great time watching them get the replacement engine ready and then make the switch.  I wasn't the only interested party as several others also watched them make the change.  Nothing against the Frisco Silver Dollar Line, but the SDC trains in my mind can't compare at all to the large engines that Dollywood owns.  They are so majestic and it truly is a sight to watch and hear them leave the depot and start chugging up the hill on their run. Their steam whistles play a haunting melody that echo through the hills and they truly add energy and excitement to the park.

[betamike]

And here is a few brochure photos from FLickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelwender/2761692594/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelwender/2760846935/

[DollarCityBoy]

^ Great find

[U Smell Smoke]

Great brochures betamike.  I really enjoyed looking at them.  Couple of thoughts on the first one--the train now runs the opposite direction and I sure wish Dollywood still had the saloon type show.  That would be great fun.  In the second brochure, I loved the shot of the train on the bridge.  I wonder where that picture was taken?  If they used the same track route back then that they do now I would guess it is near the entrance to Thunderhead Gap right by the Thunderhead wooden roller coaster.  What can you say about the indians robbing the train--not politically correct anymore but I bet it was an entertaining show. 

[betamike]

Yeah, I'm not sure based on the age of the publicity shots.  You are probably right about the location of the bridge.   I think it's great knowing their actual coal powered locomotive is the same one they are using today.