The G-Whiz layout represents the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) affectionately known by locals as Tweetsie. The name “Tweetsie” was given to the original ET&WNC by area residents as a verbal acronym of its initials, but also referring to the shrill “tweet, tweet” of the locomotive whistles that echoed through the mountains. The nickname stuck with the railroad and its trains and became more identifiable than the railroad’s official name. A greatly truncated Tweetsie railroad survives today as a tourist attraction in North Carolina.
The G-Whiz layout was originally portable and transported to train shows around the country, winning multiple “Best of Show” awards. As G-Whiz membership dwindled, the travelling came to an end, and the layout was donated to Twin City Model Railroad Museum where it was permanently assembled.
The theme of layouts at Twin City Model Railroad Museum is typically all Minnesota. We’ve happily “adopted” Tweetsie because everything about this layout can be found in Minnesota history as well: Logging, mining, farming, and small town Americana. The era represented continues to be steam era. Museum volunteers continue to update the diorama and keep this layout alive and interesting.
See this video below of the G-Scale Christmas Train that made its debut for Night Trains 2024-2025 season!
