ROBERTA NEE ADAMSStaff Writer

The Sparta Branch rail line runs from Tullahoma to Sparta. Once owned by Seaboard System Railroad, Inc., the company decided to discontinue use of that line in 1981. The Tennessee legislature the created the Tri-County Railroad Authority (TCRA) to oversee use of the branch.

Creating the TCRA was “intended to secure economic benefits to the three counties (Coffee, Warren, and White) and six cities (Manchester, Doyle, McMinnville, Morrison, Tullahoma, and Sparta). The TCRA is authorized to acquire, construct, operate, maintain, and dispose of railroad facilities, property, and equipment and may provide other rail services within the region of authority,” per the legislation.

The Tri-County Railroad Authority owns the rails and roadbeds and associated real estate. In 1983 they contracted with Caney Fork and Western Railroad (CFWR) for use of the rails. The contract was for fifty years, expiring in 2033. CFWR owned the rolling stock (railcars) used. Currently Ironhorse Resources owns CFWR, and owns and operates the rolling stock on the railroad. Ironhorse Resources picks up and delivers shipments from businesses on the rail line.

Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt says that it has long been a pipe dream of his to have an excursion train on the line for passengers to ride. Hunt brought this idea up at the summer TCRA meeting. He was presented with a number of obstacles. Chief among them was that Ironhorse Resources will absolutely not participate or allow their locomotives to be used as their contract specifically prohibits them from transporting passengers. That would leave the cost of railcars up to the company that would run the service, which would be prohibitive. There were also objections regarding liability insurance and rail crossings without stop gates.

Mayor Hunt, a self-described optimist, got to work on coming up with a solution to those objections. And, indeed, he did. At the October meeting of the TCRA he presented his solution. Instead of using locomotives and rail cars, trolley cars equipped with hy-line gear could be used instead. Hy-line gear enables a vehicle to use rails as well as being able to retract the gear and travel on regular roadways.

Trolleys would be a fraction of the cost of rail cars while still having a historical look. They would negate the need for parking lots close to the railways, as the trolley could pick up passengers at an existing lot before going on to the rails. They could also leave the rails to deliver passengers to restaurants, shops, and sights in the area. As for the crossings, a flagman could ride the trolley to ensure that there was no traffic before the trolley would cross.

A 501(c) company could be formed to oversee and operate the system. There would be multiple trolleys, as traveling from Tullahoma to Sparta would not be feasible at 10 to 15 miles per hour. The trolleys would operate on weekends, when there is usually less train traffic. (The trains run at 10 mph.) As the trains are sometimes left at different locations on the track even on weekends, the trolley could leave the track and go around the train, returning to the track after passing it, another advantage of using trolleys.

At Mayor Hunt’s invitation, Ryan French, Director and CEO of South Central Tennessee Tourist Association, spoke to the Authority. He reminded the group that no one was re-inventing the wheel here. There are already several excursion trains in the state as well as all over the country. As it would be considered a tourist attraction, there would be monies and even grants available through Tennessee Tourism that could be used to help finance the system. French offered to do some research for the Authority as to exactly what assistance could be obtained, and how the project could move forward.

All three county executives are in favor of the idea, seeing it as another tourist draw and financial boost for the area. It would also be something fun for locals to do. With the former objections being addressed, the Authority is open to considering further information on the idea. It seems quite possible that Mayor Hunt’s pipe dream could become a reality in the future.