Nestled in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) is far more than a collection of locomotives and railcars. It’s a living museum—a working preservation railroad where history breathes, whistles, and clatters over steel rails.
Founded by rail enthusiasts dedicated to saving the vanishing sights and sounds of the golden age of railroading, TVRM operates vintage equipment on historic trackage, letting today’s visitors experience travel the way generations before us did.
About The TVRM
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) is a nonprofit living history railroad based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, founded in 1961 to preserve and operate the region’s rail heritage. Rather than static displays, TVRM restores and runs historic equipment on its own trackage, inviting visitors to experience railroading as it was.
From its Grand Junction campus, the museum’s signature Missionary Ridge Local offers a short journey through the 1858 Missionary Ridge Tunnel to the East Chattanooga shops, where riders see active restoration work and a vintage turntable in operation. Longer seasonal excursions include steam‑powered trips into North Georgia, including the popular Summerville excursions, showcasing the Chattanooga Valley…