Chattanooga Choo Choo Model Museum
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N 35° 02.208 W 085° 18.358
16S E 654521 N 3878435
Model railroad at the Choo Choo, Chattanooga, Tn.
Waymark Code: WM36VG
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 02/19/2008
Views: 127
A little history about The Chattanooga Choo Choo.http://www.choochoo.com Originally it was the "Chattanooga Gateway" Terminal Station. Dedicated in 1909 it saw many trains till the last train stopped in 1970. It sat empty for years and was slated to be torn down. A group of investors stepped in though and managed to save it from demolition. In 1973 the station reopened as a vacation complex. Today it is a Holiday Inn. Several buildings of rooms are located here. What really makes it unique is you can actually stay in remodeled Victorian sleeper cars.
The Model Railroad Museum. In 1973 the Chattanooga Area Model Railroad Club and the Choo Choo teamed up and started the museum. This HO display is one of the largest in the world. It took over 50,000 man hours to construct and has an estimated value of nearly $1,000,000. It is 174 feet long and 33 feet at its widest point. With over 3000ft of track, 320 structures, 150 switches, 120 locomotives, 1000 freight cars and 80 passenger cars! It features several major and small yards and four passenger stations, as well as a trolley line. These figures were taken from the 2007 edition of the Depot Dispatch the Choo Choo's newspaper. The cords given are off. A train platform shed is over the entrance to the museum plus it was a rainy day. I'll try to get more accurate readings the next visit.