Hours:
Thurs - Sat, 10 am - 4 pm
Sundays, 1 - 4 pm
May through October
Other times by
appointment
Leave Message at
931-967-3078
Location:
108 Front Street
P.O. Box 53
Cowan, TN 37318-0053
Cowan Railroad Museum
On the Internet:


Mark's Train-a-Day
Live CSX Feed
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Trainspotting
at Cowan, Tennessee
NEW! CSX Radio Feed
To enhance your trainspotting experience, Cowan Railroad Museum
has installed ATCS to transmit live radio feed from CSX.
http://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/14179/web
Covering the action on the CSX Chattanooga Subdivision.
Pushers are staged in Cowan to assist trains over the Cumberland Mountain.
Or monitor the radio feed from your car radio
or transistor radio
on 87.9 FM frequency.
More Info
Located at the foot of the Cumberland Mountains on the
CSX mainline, Cowan is an ideal place for trainspotting.
With a park-like atmosphere and convenient restaurants,
as well as the Depot, it's the perfect spot to spend hours
watching the trains.
Be advised that this is a working high speed main line
owned by CSX Transportation Co. It is private property.
Remember: Safety First.
Today’s
trains are longer and faster than ever before and the pusher
engines have kept pace. Pusher engines have ranged the entire
scope of locomotives over the years, from the original “Big
Mary”, to today’s three axle high horsepower units. There
is nothing special about the pusher engines used since about
1946. The operation of them is special however, and special
rules govern their use. The pusher engines wait on a side
track in the small yard adjacent to the mainline and crews
(2 persons per shift) are in constant radio contact with
the division’s dispatcher located in Jacksonville, Florida!
This way they know what to plan for and where to spot themselves
for a speedy connection for the push. They may be required
on the Sherwood side of the mountain and therefore can be
seen running light in that direction in Cowan. Trains running
without aid of pushers are allowed forty miles per hour
through town by local ordinance, this is otherwise sixty
MPH railroad.
Pushing a train is a balancing act since the trains going
over the mountain crest within the Cumberland Tunnel. Slack
can “run out”, break a coupling and stop the train. It is
unpleasant and difficult to fix if the break is inside the
tunnel, and therefore, pushers are not allowed in the tunnel
if it is occupied by a train. It is where the “Mountain
Goat” (nickname for the Tracy City Branch) crosses over
the portal of the tunnel on a fine small stone arch deck
bridge. A very scenic and dramatic place, often photographed
since its being built. (This is a relatively inaccessible
spot on the map so various period and recent views are available
inside the depot.) This is the only known place on earth
that such a railroad feature exists (branchline crossing
over a mainline).
Please respect the no trespassing signs of CSX and stay
off the tracks. The train crews are friendly but just doing
a job and it is dangerous to distract them with more than
a friendly greeting. Sometimes they are able to acknowledge
your enthusiasm, sometimes not….
Railroads are dangerous places: Look both ways and "Safety
First" will add to your enjoyment of the drama that
unfolds every day at Cowan.
Further information on the Pusher
District History.
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