203

It is interesting to note that the Tweetsie Railroad label is taller than the standard

―

Flash

‖

label (2 1/8

‖

vs 1 13/16

‖

) ruling out any

―

foul play

‖

with the corkscrew. The

Tweetsie Railroad corkscrew is marked

―

Made in Japan

‖

.

From the Tweetsie website:

―

Tweetsie's history dates back to 1866, when the Tennessee legislature granted the East

Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad Company permission for the

construction of a railroad. At the outset, the ET&WNC line (which mountain humorists

dubbed the

―

Eat Taters & Wear No Clothes

‖

Railroad) was to operate from Johnson

City, Tennessee to the iron mines just over the state line at Cranberry, North Carolina.

The narrow-gauge railroad began operations in 1882 after 32 miles of track was laid

through the rugged Blue Ridge chain of the

Appalachian Mountains that divide the two

southern states. Later, additional tracks were laid

to Boone, North Carolina and in 1919 rail service

was extended to that mountain community. The

new line added passenger service to the formerly

isolated area, and brought lumber out of the

mountains.

The name

―

Tweetsie

‖

was given to the railroad by

local folks who became accustomed to the shrill