You may, or you may not have heard of the story of a small lad of about twelve years old in the middle 1940's that bummed a ride on the Smoky Mountain Railroad of Tennessee.
As the story was told the lad was living in Seymour, Tennessee, just off the Old Sevierville Pike and near the railroad.
He was attending Vacation Bible School at the white weather boarded Chilhowee Baptist Church, that was located just across the road from the Administration Building of Harrison Chilhowee Baptist Academy (now known as The King's Academy).
The boys in his age group were instructed to make a napkin holder. They were to cut two pieces of wood shaped like an apple with a stem from a wooden board of which the would nail them to each side of approximately a 3 X 5 inch board. They would need a coping saw to accomplish this. After they cut out the apple shapes they were to paint the apple red and the stem green. They were asked to bring a coping saw with them to church and the church would furnish the wooden board.
A coping saw.
The lad, nor his father had a coping saw. He told his mother the situation and she gave him enough money to buy bus tickets and a coping saw and sent him to Sevierville to get him one.
After purchasing the saw he walked back to the Trailways bus station and then he discovered that he did not have enough money to buy the ticket back to Seymour. At this point the lad became nervous and scared and didn't know what he was going to do. He walked out of the bus station and looked north toward home and seen smoke coming from the train depot and a thought came to him that he might hitch a ride back home on it. He walked to the depot, just a few blocks away, and discovered some men standing around the train and he asked one of them if he was the engineer. The gentleman told the lad that he was the conductor and he asked the lad if he could help him. The lad told him the full story, and the conductor could sense the lad was scared and nervous. He assured the lad that he could be his companion back to his home. The lad and the conductor was the only ones riding in the passenger car and the both of them seem to enjoy the ride. The conductor had the train stop at where the lad requested, at Conner's Road.
The lad's likely ride - SMRR combine car #102, abandoned at Sevierville in September 1960 (John C. Hawkins photo.)
I know this story is true, because I was that lad. My older brothers and my sister will never let me forget this adventure, of which I am grateful.
Knoxville, Sevierville & Eastern Ry. • Knoxville & Carolina R.R. • Tennessee & North Carolina Ry.
