Doe River Gorge hopes to have Christmas Train running by 2024 holiday season

by: Slater Teague

Posted: Jul 26, 2023 / 06:00 PM EDT

Updated: Jul 26, 2023 / 06:00 PM EDT

HAMPTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — Construction of Doe River Gorge Ministries’ multi-million dollar Christmas Train project is now underway.

The ministry announced Wednesday that excavation of the railroad track had begun.

On the Christmas Train, visitors will embark on a nearly two-mile journey that Doe River Gorge says “will reveal the true meaning of Christmas in a new and innovative way.”

“We’re going to be adding two miles approximately of track to our existing railroad,” Doe River Gorge President Terry Maughon said. “The Christmas Train will go around this two-mile loop and there will be what they call storyboards — they’re actually giant billboards that tell the story from creation to resurrection.”

Doe River Gorge hopes to complete the project in time for the 2024 holiday season. And while it’s called the Christmas Train, it will involve much more.

“Everybody’s looking for something to do during the holidays, and this entire campus here will be lit up with all kinds of Christmas decorations,” Maughon said. “Christmas trees, stores, good food places, you can purchase Christmas gifts, Christmas, Christmas ornaments.”

It’s a project that has been years in the making. In 2018, Doe River Gorge purchased the Dry Gulch Christmas Train from a ministry in Oklahoma that wanted to see it still operate to tell the story of Jesus. The purchase included:

It took 57 tractor-trailer loads to haul the items to Doe River Gorge. The two steam trains are currently being renovated.

The project also involved the purchase of 15 acres, making it the largest single expansion in the ministry’s nearly 30-year history.

Doe River Gorge has received a lot of help along the way. Construction equipment was donated by Meade Tractor, and the project has also been supported by Mitch Cox Companies and Mullican Flooring.

“We’ve had a lot of people supporting this project that are in love with trains,” Mullican Flooring owner Neil Poland said. “And, you know, the fact that on top of that, you’re going to hear the story of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection during a short train ride — it just makes the whole project come together.”

Of the project’s expected $5.85 million cost, all but around $2 million has been raised with fundraising continuing.

In addition to sharing the story of Christ, the project will allow Doe River Gorge to achieve two other goals: expanding the ministry to the non-summer season and generating revenue to support year-round operations.

Local leaders and supporters also hope the Christmas Train will have a significant economic impact on the region.

“I want to say what a great economic impact this will have on Carter County, and we desperately need that,” Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby said during Wednesday’s announcement.

Poland pointed to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky, a theme park based around a full-sized replica of Noah’s Ark.

“If you look at other Christian projects around the country, such as Noah’s Ark, this has the potential to rival that which will have an incredible impact on the community,” Poland said.

More information about the Christmas Train project is available on Doe River Gorge’s website.

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