Copyright (2002) * All rights reserved
J.C. (Jim) Tumblin, OD, DOS
3604 Kesterwood Drive, East
Knoxville, Tennessee 37918-2557
(865) 687-1948
The Fountain Head Railway
Fountain Head Railway Locomotive and Crew (Circa 1900)
Fountain Head Station (Circa 1900)
Dummy Line Locomotive
(Pulling two summer cars)
Courtesy Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection
We went to picnics at Fountain City on the Fountain Head Railroad, known as the Dummy Line. It was called a dummy because it looked like a train, but it wasn't a train. It had a steam engine, powered by wood. It was pulling streetcars. Alice Gibson Heap, Knoxville Girl Scouts, 1984 (1)
The Fountain Head Railway Company was granted a charter in November, 1889. Early in 1890 ground was broken for the five-mile track from Central Market (now Emory Park) to Fountain Head (now Fountain City). The railway, which came to be known locally as the Dummy Line, was ready for business on May 27, 1890, in the record time of five months (2).
One motivation for the Dummy Line was the increasing demand for "rapid transportation" to the Fountain Head campground with its crystal clear spring and the beautiful grove of trees surrounding it. Its construction transformed the farming hamlet into Knoxville’s most popular resort. The "pure and magnificent air," dancing pavilion and picnic area made it a favorite among the city’s residents.
Moreso, the Fountain Head Improvement Company had built a 40-50 room hotel overlooking the park and a real estate company was promoting the sale of residential lots in the suburb. Advertisements in the papers promised pure water, beautiful trees, a pleasant climate and easy transportation. By the spring of 1891 many prominent Knoxvillians were building there; including John W. Hope, the jeweler; Col. J.C. Williams, coal magnate; Sol George, department store owner; W.T. Hall and others.
By 1891 the Fountain Head Railway Company owned three engines, seven passenger cars and four freight cars. The trains ran on regular schedules from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. except on special occasions when they were run until midnight to accommodate late events. There were twenty-three stops between the Central Market and Fountain Head and the round trip took one hour at a speed of 35 miles per hour. The fare was five cents from Knoxville to Arlington, ten cents to Fountain Head and fifteen cents for a round trip. Sometimes 10,000 fares were received in a day (3).
The steam powered dummy line gave way to more economical electric trolley cars in 1905. All that remained of the once popular steam railway was the memory.
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Walter M. Taylor Collection
Free Pass on the Dummy Line
J.C. Tumblin Collection
1. "Streetcar City: Knoxville, 1876-1947," an Exhibit at the East Tennessee Historical Society Museum, October 16-December 14, 1984.
2. Nannie Lee Hicks, A History of Fountain City (with sections on Smithwood and Inskip) (Knoxville, 2000).
3. Elmer G. Sulzer, Ghost Railroads of Tennessee (Indianapolis, 1975).
d-dmln1C (6/18/03)
(Adapted from a poster entitled, "The Fountain Head Railway Dummy Line," available from the author, created by Charles A. Reeves, Jr. If you have additional information or references on the subject please advise the Webmaster--see address on the Homepage.)