Three Rivers Rambler
 The train parked by the Knoxville waterfront in 2025 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Tourist train |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| First service | 2000 |
| Current operator | KXHR |
| Route | |
| Termini | University Commons, Knoxville Marbledale |
| Average journey time | 90 minutes |
| Technical | |
| Rolling stock | 5 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Operating speed | 10-13 MPH |
| Track owner | Gulf and Ohio Railways |
The Three Rivers Rambler is an excursion train in Knoxville, Tennessee along the Tennessee River. The train is operated by the Knoxville and Holston River Railroad, a subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways.[1]
Course
The ride starts at a depot located at 2560 University Commons Way.[2] The train heads out towards the river, going past the County Building, and under the Henley Street and Gay Street Bridges.[2]
The train passes the Star of Knoxville riverboat and the locomotive's watertower and shed at the end of Volunteer Landing, where it parallels the Knox County Greenways down the river to the Governor Ned McWherter Riverside Landing Park.[2] Beyond McWherter Park the train goes through the General Shale Brick Company and the Knoxville Utilities Board water treatment plant.[2]
The train then follows the river for a ways past Knoxville Downtown Island Airport, before turning away from the river and going towards McNutt Farm. It then proceeds under the Riverside Drive overpass and past the Hines Compost Company.[2] The train then reaches the Three Rivers Trestle (also known as the Forks of the River Bridge and built in 1913),[3] where the French Broad River and the Holston River come together to form the Tennessee River.[2] After the trestle is crossed, the Rambler heads back into town along the same tracks.[2] The trip takes an average of 90 minutes.[1]
Equipment
| Number / Nickname | Image | Type | Model | Built | Builder | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 203 (Lindy) | 
|
Steam | 2-8-0 | 1925 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Operational |
| 60 | 
|
Steam | 4-4-0 | 1923 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Stored, awaiting restoration |
| 154 | Steam | 2-8-0 | 1890 | Schenectady Locomotive Works | Undergoing 1,472-day inspection and overhaul | |
| 150 (John Henry) | Diesel | 25-ton switcher | 1943 | General Electric | Display | |
| 2391 | 
|
Diesel | GP9u | 1953 | Electro-Motive Diesel | Operational |
References
- ^ a b "Three Rivers Rambler profile". Trains.com. June 27, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g "3RR Virtual Trip Guide - Your Online Conductor". threeriversrambler.com. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ KXHR - Forks Of The River Bridge
- ^ "Lindy - No. 203 - 1925 Baldwin Steam Engine". threeriversrambler.com. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ "Southern 154 - 1890 Schenectady Locomotive Works". threeriversrambler.com. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ "No. 150 - John Henry". threeriversrambler.com. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ "2391: G&O's First Locomotive". threeriversrambler.com. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ "Restoration Projects: Engine No. 60". threeriversrambler.com. May 1, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
