I had read on the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's website that the first excursion train to run all the way to Copperhill, TN was scheduled for December 2, 2006.  The weather looked good so my dad and I got an early start at 6:30am and headed east to Etowah, TN.  We arrived at the Hiwassee River Gorge two hours before the train was scheduled to depart.  This was because we wanted to explore the route prior to chasing the train.  After driving up the gorge all the way to the Hiwassee loop we had just enough time to make a quick trip back to Etowah, TN for the 9:30am departure time.  When we arrived at the depot we found passengers boarding a bus and heading south towards the gorge.  We followed in the car and soon arrived at the location of the train.  They were boarding the last group of passengers as I took several shots of the NC&StL locomotive in the lead.  This was a GP9 rebuilt from a GP7. 

     Next we headed across the river to the road that followed the tracks up the gorge.  We stopped for one shot from across the river before driving to Reliance, TN.  Here the tracks cross the Hiwassee River on a bridge.  After taking several pictures of the train we hit the road hard.  After about 45 minutes of speeding along little forest roads we reached the area of the loop.   There is no easy access to the loop, but we started searching for a way.   After a couple minutes we found a few rocks and a log to cross the river on.   On the other side we made a mad dash up the hill as we could hear the train coming.   We reached the tracks with just enough time to get in position before the lead engine rounded the corner.  After a couple pictures we ran up the hill another couple hundred feet to where the next loop was.  The Hiwassee loop is actually a helix as the tracks circle around Bald Mountain almost twice before crossing over itself on a high wooden trestle.

     We were able to grab another couple shots as the train came by again.  Next we ran around the corner to where the next loop crossed over the tracks on a bridge.  I got several more shots as the ran slowly rumbled by.   Next we sat down to rest for a few minutes and let our heart rates get back to normal.  After hiking back out to the car we drove down to Copperhill, TN.  The train had just arrived, and the passengers were disembarking.  We parked the car and walked up to the engine for some shots.  We talked to several of the crew members and watched as they discussed the loading position.  Next the train backed up towards the small CSX yard.  On the way, however, it stopped so the crew could do a little maintenance.  Someone got a chainsaw out and went to work on the low branches near the tracks.  At first they worked from the walkway around the engine but then they climbed up on the top to get easier access.  After they finished they came down and the train backed up again until they encountered another tree.  After a few minutes they finished all the trees and backed the rest of the way into the yard.

     Here they cut off from the train and ran around the cars.  On the other end they had a little bit of trouble connecting back up to the cars.  But after some discussion and several attempts the couples connected properly and they were done.  At that point we decided to head back to the loop for the return trip.  This time we walked in from the other direction.  It was a much easier hike although quite a bit longer.  I took some random shots of tracks, spikes and ties while waiting for the train.  After a little while we heard the whistle in the distance.  I set up for the shot and took several pictures as it rolled over the bridge.  Unfortunately the sun was hidden behind some afternoon clouds.  Then the train rolled around and on the lower track now.  I took several more shots as it rounded the corner under the bridge.  This time the Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway 102 lead the train.  After it had disappeared we decided to walk the loop around instead of scrambling up the sides of the hill.   After reaching the car we headed home.  It was a fun trip and I hope to spend several more days chasing this neat excursion train next year.