# Best way to Pigeon Forge?



## hippyman

I'm planning a trip to Dollywood, for their 25th anniversary. Had to postpone my round trip excursion, after some home expenses, so now, I'm thinking this might be a less expensive way to go. Anyway, what would be the best way to get to Pigeon Forge, from the Fort Worth area?


----------



## caravanman

Best way to Pigeon Forge? Get hold of a dove and some spray paint, perhaps?

Ed


----------



## MikefromCrete

You can't get there from here.


----------



## MrFSS

If you are thinking of a train, there aren't any that go anywhere near the place. Best bet is fly to Knoxville and rent a car and drive three hours.


----------



## supergrandmother

hippyman said:


> I'm planning a trip to Dollywood, for their 25th anniversary. Had to postpone my round trip excursion, after some home expenses, so now, I'm thinking this might be a less expensive way to go. Anyway, what would be the best way to get to Pigeon Forge, from the Fort Worth area?



To Pigeon Forge by train???? Are you serious? I live about one hour west of PF and the closest place for me to catch the train is in Atlanta....a good 3-4 hour drive south. There might be a stop in North Carolina on the eastern side of PF that would be a little closer but I don't think so. The Crescent or maybe one of the Silvers would be the only trains even remotely close to this area.


----------



## Notelvis

If you drive three hours from Knoxville, you'll overshoot Pigeon Forge by a couple of hours! It's maybe 45 miles tops from the Knoxville airport.

But yes, from Ft. Worth I'd recommend flying..... you could probably get a decent fare on Southwest to Nashville and rent a car there..... and it is about a three and a half hour drive from the Nashville airport.

If you really want to take the train, the easiest 'close' Amtrak station is Atlanta where you would need to catch a city bus, transfer to the MARTA subway train, ride to the airport, rent a car, and then drive four hours...... By the time you've just gotten from the train station to the airport in Atlanta you could have flown from Dallas.


----------



## MrFSS

Notelvis said:


> If you drive three hours from Knoxville, you'll overshoot Pigeon Forge by a couple of hours! It's maybe 45 miles tops from the Knoxville airport.


You're right - I was thinking Nashville.


----------



## Ctim2

hippyman said:


> I'm planning a trip to Dollywood, for their 25th anniversary. Had to postpone my round trip excursion, after some home expenses, so now, I'm thinking this might be a less expensive way to go. Anyway, what would be the best way to get to Pigeon Forge, from the Fort Worth area?



the closest you get to by rail to Pigeon Forge is from Charlotte, NC or Atlanta, GA both appx 4 hours. But first you have to get to the Crescent.... from Fort Worth, TX; hmmmm I don't think so


----------



## hippyman

OK, I think I have it!!! The City of New Orleans stops in Memphis, and its only like a 6 hour drive from there, right? Where is the nearest Hertz, to the memphis station?


----------



## Devil's Advocate

I'm having a hard time understanding why you would go out of your way to take a not-so-scenic train that still leaves you roughly seven hours short of your destination. Not to mention that Pigeon Forge is an ugly, tacky little town that makes me want to gag. The one and only thing I can recommend there is the Old Mill. They seem to have figured out a way to make a whole meal out of corn, which was a bit of a curiosity for me. Just beware of the various anti-social processes that may develop sometime after a visit. :unsure: :giggle:

http://www.old-mill.com/


----------



## Guest

hippyman said:


> OK, I think I have it!!! The City of New Orleans stops in Memphis, and its only like a 6 hour drive from there, right? Where is the nearest Hertz, to the memphis station?


Let me second/third/fourth etc. the above posters that you probably dont want to try to get there via train! Flying SWA is an excellent idea/then rent a car and drive! Actually there are lots more interesting places to go in this area of the country, even Knoxville and Chattanoga are more interesting places! Nashville also has lots to see and do and they could use the money/visitors too after the Big Flood earlier this year! Mem phis is a looooong way from Eastern Tenn, you dont want to go there and then drive IMO! :help:


----------



## John

As a train lover and someone who lives in Western NC, lived in Atlanta and has been to Dollywood/Pigeon Forge many times, here is my take:

1) You'll need a car unless you plan to take tours. Even then traffic can be a real pain in that area unless you go off-season.

2) Train requires you to do some real inconvenient exertions and high expense. Like others have suggested, Atlanta is your best bet. It has the Crescent arriving/leaving during daytime. If you can find away to get to the Southwest Limited, you can get to New Orleans, stay overnight then take an all-day (but not late night ride to Atlanta. It is foolish to go to ATL airport as someone has suggested. Better to rent a car there and drive.

3) Some places are just plain not convenient by train. PF and Dollywood are such places. Fly to Knoxville (best) or Chattanooga and rent a car.


----------



## Long Train Runnin'

I went last summer and we took the train to Charlotte then drove from there. I don't remember the drive being to bad.


----------



## hippyman

I've been looking at the stops in north carolina actually, and if I rented a car at gastonia, the drive from there is only 190 miles. According to mapquest, its 236 miles from atlanta. Is there anything bad about this route?


----------



## MikefromCrete

hippyman said:


> I've been looking at the stops in north carolina actually, and if I rented a car at gastonia, the drive from there is only 190 miles. According to mapquest, its 236 miles from atlanta. Is there anything bad about this route?


Well, you would get in at 12:56 a.m. (assuming you're traveling northbound on the Crescent or 3 a.m. if you're southbound). It's an unmanned flag stop and your chances are probably not good that you would (1) find a car rental agency in the town at all, and (2), if there is one, it would probably wouldn't be open in the middle of the night.

You could take the Texas Eagle to San Antonio, then Sunset to New Orleans, Crescent to Gastonia. Or going the other way, Texas Eagle to Chicago, Capitol Limited to Washington, Crescent to Gastonia. A long way around no matter how you do it. Some places just can't be reached by train easily.


----------



## Devil's Advocate

hippyman said:


> I've been looking at the stops in north carolina actually, and if I rented a car at gastonia, the drive from there is only 190 miles. According to mapquest, its 236 miles from atlanta. Is there anything bad about this route?


I did a quick check and it looks like you could walk less than a mile to the _Knights Inn_ in Gastonia and spend the night there. Then walk less than a mile further down to the _Enterprise_ car rental location the following day. But are you sure you're up to this? Forgive me for saying so, but I'm not really getting the resourceful self-reliant vibe from your posts. This is also the kind of route where you'd want to be sure everything is going to be open and ready for you when you think it is. Don't just rely on mapquest or google maps or whatever, be sure to verify everything is up-to-date and make sure you have a Plan B _and_ C for when things go wrong. Flying to Atlanta and renting a car is almost foolproof simply because there are so many options to consider if anything goes haywire. On the other hand, taking a train to a tiny town's unstaffed flag stop in the middle of the night requires a bit more planning to make sure everything goes smoothly. This isn't the 1970's and hippies no longer get a free ride from freight trains and stationwagons.

Map Link...


----------



## haolerider

daxomni said:


> hippyman said:
> 
> 
> 
> I've been looking at the stops in north carolina actually, and if I rented a car at gastonia, the drive from there is only 190 miles. According to mapquest, its 236 miles from atlanta. Is there anything bad about this route?
> 
> 
> 
> I did a quick check and it looks like you could walk less than a mile to the _Knights Inn_ in Gastonia and spend the night there. Then walk less than a mile further down to the _Enterprise_ car rental location the following day. But are you sure you're up to this? Forgive me for saying so, but I'm not really getting the resourceful self-reliant vibe from your posts. This is also the kind of route where you'd want to be sure everything is going to be open and ready for you when you think it is. Don't just rely on mapquest or google maps or whatever, be sure to verify everything is up-to-date and make sure you have a Plan B _and_ C for when things go wrong. Flying to Atlanta and renting a car is almost foolproof simply because there are so many options to consider if anything goes haywire. On the other hand, taking a train to a tiny town's unstaffed flag stop in the middle of the night requires a bit more planning to make sure everything goes smoothly. This isn't the 1970's and hippies no longer get a free ride from freight trains and stationwagons.
> 
> Map Link...
Click to expand...

Not a good idea at all. Gastonia in the middle of the night at that station is not a safe thing to consider. Also, the Knights Inn is not a great property. Fly and enjoy your time - don't complicate it with these kinds of arrangements.


----------



## hippyman

daxomni said:


> hippyman said:
> 
> 
> 
> I've been looking at the stops in north carolina actually, and if I rented a car at gastonia, the drive from there is only 190 miles. According to mapquest, its 236 miles from atlanta. Is there anything bad about this route?
> 
> 
> 
> I did a quick check and it looks like you could walk less than a mile to the _Knights Inn_ in Gastonia and spend the night there. Then walk less than a mile further down to the _Enterprise_ car rental location the following day. But are you sure you're up to this? Forgive me for saying so, but I'm not really getting the resourceful self-reliant vibe from your posts. This is also the kind of route where you'd want to be sure everything is going to be open and ready for you when you think it is. Don't just rely on mapquest or google maps or whatever, be sure to verify everything is up-to-date and make sure you have a Plan B _and_ C for when things go wrong. Flying to Atlanta and renting a car is almost foolproof simply because there are so many options to consider if anything goes haywire. On the other hand, taking a train to a tiny town's unstaffed flag stop in the middle of the night requires a bit more planning to make sure everything goes smoothly. This isn't the 1970's and hippies no longer get a free ride from freight trains and stationwagons.
> 
> Map Link...
Click to expand...

Its normal for me to walk a mile daily, so the walk wouldnt be a problem, but is there any way that I could get there at some other hour?


----------



## Devil's Advocate

hippyman said:


> Its normal for me to walk a mile daily, so the walk wouldnt be a problem, but is there any way that I could get there at some other hour?


As I understand it your choices are 1AM and 3AM. Unless you let go of the train or pick another station. I'm a huge rail advocate, but that doesn't mean it's always the best way to travel, especially in a country that has let most of its passenger rail network die off long ago. I'm all for making your own path but you might want to reconsider this routing.


----------



## Guest

Please heed the advice you are getting here! You do NOT want to be walking the dark in the middle of the night in a small Southern City to a dubious motel! (Bates Motel?  )There is no bigger advocates for passenger rail than the posters here, believe it when we tell you to fly/drive from convient/daytime cities that have been mentioned already!


----------



## TVRM610

I'm not sure what the goal of your trip is but Birmingham AL is a great choice as far as time frame. There is a rental company that will pick you up/drop you off at the train station in Birmingham (I'll have to get the name, my family has used it before), and the train runs in and out of Birmingham at a decent time frame during the day. Birmingham is not much further than Atlanta, and is much more manageable traffic wise.

If however... your wanting extra time on the train.. Atlanta works too.

As for Dollywood... I've been many times since I live close by and it is a lovely park. They have most likely have the most legitimate train ride of any theme park in the country, with real, hand fired, coal burning, Baldwin Locomotives running up some nice grades (3.4 % i think.. maybe 4.1%? can't remember). The park attempts to be more of a "Disney" style park then a six flags. If you have any specific questions about Dollywood.. feel free to ask me either on here, or a PM. I know the park very well... oh and you'll have to stop by and say hello to Miss Lillian the Chicken Lady! ha. Have fun!


----------



## tp49

TVRM610 said:


> I'm not sure what the goal of your trip is but Birmingham AL is a great choice as far as time frame. There is a rental company that will pick you up/drop you off at the train station in Birmingham (I'll have to get the name, my family has used it before), and the train runs in and out of Birmingham at a decent time frame during the day. Birmingham is not much further than Atlanta, and is much more manageable traffic wise.
> 
> If however... your wanting extra time on the train.. Atlanta works too.
> 
> As for Dollywood... I've been many times since I live close by and it is a lovely park. They have most likely have the most legitimate train ride of any theme park in the country, with real, hand fired, coal burning, Baldwin Locomotives running up some nice grades (3.4 % i think.. maybe 4.1%? can't remember). The park attempts to be more of a "Disney" style park then a six flags. If you have any specific questions about Dollywood.. feel free to ask me either on here, or a PM. I know the park very well... oh and you'll have to stop by and say hello to Miss Lillian the Chicken Lady! ha. Have fun!


From Birmingham to Knoxville is just about 4 hours. Used to do that drive several times a year either going to the Alabama/Tennessee game or driving between TCL and NY. Pigeon Forge is at least 35-40 minutes from Knoxville. I too would be in the fly there camp on this one.


----------



## Tennessee Traveler

Welcome to Amtrak-less Tennessee! And sliding along the Western border at night to Memphis is not really Tennessee. Memphis is more Mississippi or Arkansas. As a life long resident of Nashville I alway fly from Nashville to catch a train. Unfortunately, Tennessee is a motor vehicle type State. Without a car in Pigeon Forge would be absolutely no fun. You even need a car to get to Dollywood -- which is a very good place to visit especially if you like "American" music of the fifties to the eighties -- no hard rock or rap. There is also a lot of craft exhibits and "way of life" in the mountains experiences. I enjoy my occasional visits but be sure to experience Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede shore and many other shows. If you have been to Branson, MO, you have experienced Pigeon Forge. From an attractions and entertainment point of vies both cities are identical copies of each other. And you gotta have a car to visit Branson also.

With the poorly maintained freight rail tracks, insufficient Amtrak funds, and total lack of interest by Tennessee State legislatures, I doubt Amtrak or any other passenger rail service will be restored to Middle and East Tennessee ever. Our federal congressmen have for decades promoted and "begged" for a Florida train from Chicago to Florida via Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. The discontinued Chicago to Florida train came through Nashville but then took a doomed to failure route through Birmingham and Montgomery in Alabama. The interstates and population available to ride the trains are in Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Macon and the I-75 corridor to Orlando, Tampa and on to Miami.


----------



## Bill Haithcoat

This question reminds us of the lack of service in the southeast as noted last post.

Just for the heck of it I looked into my old timetables from the 50's and 60's to see what I could come up with.

First, there is no station listed at Pigeon Forge. This makes it all about Knoxville.

About the best I could come up with is leave Fort Worth about 7 am. on the Texas and Pacific and Missouri Pacific train to Memphis. A tight 7 pm-ish transfer to Southern RR Tennessean. Then Knoxville the next morning at 6.35.From there perhaps either the Greyhound bus, Trailways bus or Cherokee bus might have taken you. Of course keep in mind Dollywood probably did not even exist in this time frame.

There were routes via New Orleans and via Chicago and maybe others but I think via Memphis would have been the closest so many years ago.


----------



## Devil's Advocate

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the 50's and 60's were already hitting the heavily destructive years for passenger rail travel in the US?

Edited to add that I found this with a quick search...



> In the early 1900s, Pigeon Forge was an isolated mountain hamlet with no major roads. The nearest railroad station was in Sevierville.


Link...


----------



## Bill Haithcoat

daxomni said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the 50's and 60's were already hitting the heavily destructive years for passenger rail travel in the US?



Well, it was a process, not all happening at the same time. Some lines gave up much earlier than others. Company attitudes were hard to guage sometimes but what I go by is how fat the timetables were. They continued to be "fat" into the late 50's in most cases. Some lines were still trying. For example, slumbercoaches were not invented until then. A brand new Denver Zephyr was put into service about 1956. But other lines, like Southern Pacific, gave up much earlier.

By the 60's it was getting bad. The loss of the the mail contract happened during that era.

In response to the question I had it mind when some service of some sort was still available, even if of declining quality.

Keep in mind that passenger train modernization was delayed during WW 2. So the late 40's and early 50's were largely positive.


----------



## Ispolkom

In 1936 there was a daily-except-Sunday train on the Tennessee and North Carolina Railway (a very small railroad). It left Knoxville at 5:30 a.m. and ran the 30 miles to Sevierville in a blistering 2-1/2 hours, arriving at 8 a.m. Returning, it left Sevierville at 12:05 p.m., arriving in Knoxville at 3:15 p.m. I imagine actual operations rarely kept to this timetable, and that this was a mixed train (though the Official Railway Guide doesn't say that).

So we can rest assured that this was one location that was never well-served by railroads.


----------



## mercedeslove

I agree on the flying into Knox part and driving into PF.

I use to live in Gatlinburg so I now there are no trains near by, Amtrak wise. Which always made me sad. =(

However you do not need a car to get to Dollywood, they have buses which take you there and to Gatlinburg with a transfer. Same thing for sevierville.

When would you be going. This time of year traffic on the Parkway is a [email protected]! Unless you know the back roads. But thanks to GPS no tourons are using them as well making it pain to get anywhere. Your best bet would to go after Labor Day.


----------



## mercedeslove

Tennessee Traveler said:


> Welcome to Amtrak-less Tennessee! And sliding along the Western border at night to Memphis is not really Tennessee. Memphis is more Mississippi or Arkansas. As a life long resident of Nashville I alway fly from Nashville to catch a train. Unfortunately, Tennessee is a motor vehicle type State. Without a car in Pigeon Forge would be absolutely no fun. You even need a car to get to Dollywood -- which is a very good place to visit especially if you like "American" music of the fifties to the eighties -- no hard rock or rap. There is also a lot of craft exhibits and "way of life" in the mountains experiences. I enjoy my occasional visits but be sure to experience Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede shore and many other shows. If you have been to Branson, MO, you have experienced Pigeon Forge. From an attractions and entertainment point of vies both cities are identical copies of each other. And you gotta have a car to visit Branson also.
> 
> With the poorly maintained freight rail tracks, insufficient Amtrak funds, and total lack of interest by Tennessee State legislatures, I doubt Amtrak or any other passenger rail service will be restored to Middle and East Tennessee ever. Our federal congressmen have for decades promoted and "begged" for a Florida train from Chicago to Florida via Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. The discontinued Chicago to Florida train came through Nashville but then took a doomed to failure route through Birmingham and Montgomery in Alabama. The interstates and population available to ride the trains are in Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Macon and the I-75 corridor to Orlando, Tampa and on to Miami.



The buses AKA trolley's can take you to and from the park. You can actually go from the corner of Winnfield Dunn and 441 all the way to downtown Gatlinburg via trolley.

Lasttime I rode them they most they cost was like 75 cents each way, with some being as low as 25 cents.

I also was a local and had a pass for the Gatlinburg bus and they were all 25 cents


----------



## greatcats

Guest said:


> Please heed the advice you are getting here! You do NOT want to be walking the dark in the middle of the night in a small Southern City to a dubious motel! (Bates Motel?  )There is no bigger advocates for passenger rail than the posters here, believe it when we tell you to fly/drive from convient/daytime cities that have been mentioned already!


Some years ago I drove into Gastonia when I lived in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Bare bones station in a desolate area - not necessarily terrible in terms of safety, but this is not like being in New York City where a mile walk on city streets is something normal. Such areas like Gastonia are in areas that are simply not pedestrian friendly - face it, the country runs on cars. I would not travel to a place like Gastonia arriving in the middle of the night unless I arranged for a friend to pick me up or had arranged a reliable taxi in advance. But I agree with the others - don't bother trying to take the train to Tenn. in this case. ( Charlotte station is an OK place. )


----------



## Devil's Advocate

greatcats said:


> face it, the country runs on cars.


Only because someone once refused to face it that the country ran on trains.  Say what you will about the practicality of this plan of action, but I like the guy's moxie. Who wants just another boring old trip report full of queues and cars. Sometimes it's fun to go against conventional wisdom. And besides, it's not like it will impact any of us.


----------



## kentuckian1977

daxomni said:


> greatcats said:
> 
> 
> 
> face it, the country runs on cars.
> 
> 
> 
> Only because someone once refused to face it that the country ran on trains.  Say what you will about the practicality of this plan of action, but I like the guy's moxie. Who wants just another boring old trip report full of queues and cars. Sometimes it's fun to go against conventional wisdom. And besides, it's not like it will impact any of us.
Click to expand...

Great points, daxomni.

This is a great case-in-point example of why restoring Chicago - Florida service via Chicago-Louisville-Nashville-Chattanooga-Atlanta-Jacksonville would be a great idea, as much discussed on here. I think one way to achieve this would be to build several individual corridors that would interconnect to form a long distance route between these cities. The amount of "snowbird" traffic this could pull of I-65 and I-75 would be potentially great, especially as more boomers hit retirement age all the time, as would other passenger traffic between each of the individual metro areas mentioned above. It would also be good to have an Ohio 3C Corridor to Cincinnati-Lexington-Knoxville-Chattanooga route as well to compliment this. Unfortunately, it'll probably never happen, simply because Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia are all sadly mired in outdated, right-wing, and thoroughly anti-rail thinking...and the next time you're stuck in traffic for hours on I-75, remember that.

As for Pigeon Forge, there was talk a few years back about doing light rail from somewhere in the Knoxville area (maybe from both the airport and downtown, I think) to Sevierville, and then down the "strip" in Pigeon Forge, but I don't think the idea went anywhere.

Finally, in the here-and-now, if our OP is mainly looking for an epic Amtrak journey, and is willing to end it with a fairly lengthy rental car trip to Dollywood, he could also do Texas Eagle to Chicago and then Cardinal through the gorge to Staunton, VA, then a straight shot down I-81 in a rental car to Pigeon Forge.


----------



## railiner

Another alternative is the Eagle to Chicago and then a same day transfer to the Cardinal to some station like Prince (Beckley), or Clifton Forge if there is car rental service available.

Oh, I just now saw the second page of replys. Actually the post above has probably a better idea in going on to Staunton.


----------



## caravanman

Oh, I see... Pigeon Forge is a place? I thought it was a way of making a pretend pigeon... So please ignore my earlier post on that subject!

Ed


----------



## KYRR

I agree with the Cardinal to Staunton and rental car, then down the Blue

ridge Parkway to Cherokee NC. Cross over the Smoky Mountains to Gatlinburg and into Pigeon Forge. Lots of beautiful mountain scenery but don't know how much time you have allotted for the trip. Maybe leave the rental car in Knoxville and fly back home.


----------



## domefoamer

caravanman said:


> Best way to Pigeon Forge? Get hold of a dove and some spray paint, perhaps?
> 
> Ed


Bravo, C-man! That's the best laugh I've gotten out of this forum in forever, probably.

To the H-man: If you're determined to go to PF and ride a train along the way, why not fly to Chattanooga and ride one of the fine excursion rides from the Tennessee Valley Railroad museum down there. Spend a night in a luxury "sleeping car" at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo terminal hotel. Then rent a car and drive a few scenic hours to the forge. That's what I do, but I'm not afraid to fly. Are you?


----------



## hippyman

domefoamer said:


> caravanman said:
> 
> 
> 
> Best way to Pigeon Forge? Get hold of a dove and some spray paint, perhaps?
> 
> Ed
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bravo, C-man! That's the best laugh I've gotten out of this forum in forever, probably.
> 
> To the H-man: If you're determined to go to PF and ride a train along the way, why not fly to Chattanooga and ride one of the fine excursion rides from the Tennessee Valley Railroad museum down there. Spend a night in a luxury "sleeping car" at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo terminal hotel. Then rent a car and drive a few scenic hours to the forge. That's what I do, but I'm not afraid to fly. Are you?
Click to expand...


Hey, its been awhile since I've posted on this forum, and I think I've finally figured it out. I think I can take the TE, from FTW-SAS, then SL, from SAS-NOL, then the Crescent, from NOL-TCL. From there, I'm gonna rent a car to get to my condo. My main problem is, when I try to book the trip, I keep getting the SAS-NOL section, arriving, after the final leg is supposed to leave. Anyone know what I might be doing wrong, and how I might could fix it? This seems to be my only problem, so once I solve this, I'm home free. Please help.


----------



## p&sr

hippyman said:


> I keep getting the SAS-NOL section, arriving, after the final leg is supposed to leave. Anyone know what I might be doing wrong, and how I might could fix it?


You just have to tell Amtrak to hold the Crescent for you, so it no longer leaves NOL at 7:05 in the Morning. Tell them to hold it until the arrival of your Sunset Limited (ideally at 2:55 PM but don't count on it).

Of course this might throw off the timing for your arrival in Tuscaloosa.

If they're not willing to acknowledge your request, then you have two choices:

a) spend the night and catch the train in the morning along with everybody else, or

b) go another way. (eg Fly like everybody else has already advised.)


----------



## guest

hippyman said:


> Hey, its been awhile since I've posted on this forum, and I think I've finally figured it out. I think I can take the TE, from FTW-SAS, then SL, from SAS-NOL, then the Crescent, from NOL-TCL. From there, I'm gonna rent a car to get to my condo. My main problem is, when I try to book the trip, I keep getting the SAS-NOL section, arriving, after the final leg is supposed to leave. Anyone know what I might be doing wrong, and how I might could fix it? This seems to be my only problem, so once I solve this, I'm home free. Please help.


If you are really determined to go by rail, and have an unlimited enough budget in both time and money, there is only one good option for this trip. Take the TE to CHI, the Cardinal to CVS, rent a car and drive from there to Pigeon Forge. Would be a nice trip, you'd get to see the New River Gorge from the Cardinal, plus if you want to you could take the Blue Ridge Parkway from Charlottesville to Western North Carolina and then cross the mountains from Cherokee to Gatlinburg. Or just take I-81 if you want to for that part. Either way, driving from CVS (or Staunton, if you prefer to get off the Cardinal there instead) would not be a lot farther than driving from TCL I don't believe. And TCL is out unless you want to spend a night in NOL to connect to the Crescent, as has already been pointed out.


----------

