Located in Bryson City, NC just behind the Smoky Mountain Railroad station and depot this museum houses the largest collection of Lionel trains with over 7,000 pieces of locomotives, rolling stock, trackside details and accessories. Some pieces dating back to 1918 and are displayed in enclosed floor to ceiling wall length cases.
We toured the museum just prior to riding on the GSMRR excursion trip from Bryson City to the Nantahala Outdoor Center for the 4.5 to 5 hour round trip.
Enjoy!
For those who missed it here are a few photos that I’ve added from the Smoky Mountain Trains Museum:
Click the YouTube link in the original post to view my video short with more of the layout.
Ryan,
Although I didn’t get to ride the GSMRR, I did visit the train museum a few years ago and enjoyed it very much. Not only is it a large collection of Lionel but also American Flyer and Tinplate.
The layout is fun to watch, too…but not as much fun as the faces of the little AND big kids who walk through the door and see the layout for the first time. I was told by the gentlemen operating the trains that the layout was originally built by a pastor in the area. They had to saw it up up into 12 pieces in order to transport it to the museum.
Whether your into 3-rail or not, it’s definitely worth the visit…
Tom
I went there a few times when I lived in NC. I always had to get the trains when it was the steam train. Its a great train ride. I really liked the white water rafting right beside the train. Its a good day event.