There’s something about trains …
Carson Dailey asked for a tour of Knoxville Locomotive Works. Word spread and several other Knox County commissioners self-invited. This writer saw the sunshine notice and opted in. KLW owner Pete Claussen said he’ll probably have to feed the City Council next.
He was a good sport, though, and I joined Commissioners Bob Thomas and John Schoonmaker for lunch on The Tennessee, a 101-year-old rail car, and a tour of Claussen’s factory, built inside a repurposed warehouse off Central Avenue Pike that was initially home for the Dempster Dumpster company.
We were joined by the general counsel for Gulf & Ohio Railways Inc., Wm. Gregory Hall Jr., a direct descendant of Thomas Augustus Hall, founder of the community North of Knoxville many of us call home. (Some call it other things.)
Claussen didn’t wait for the first question (or the salad). “Most people want to know …” he said and proceeded to skip through 100 years of railroad history. Then we went outside where employees were building and restoring locomotives. Schoonmaker was like a kid.
“Oh, wow!” he said several times.
We touched a wheel setup including an enormous brake and brake pad. “Look at all that iron,” said John. “Oh, wow!”
Claussen uses The Tennessee for private meetings, especially with potential customers. He said Knoxville Locomotive Works has “repowered, refurbished, remanufactured and/or upgraded” over 400 locomotives since its founding in 1998.
Pete is an attorney who came to Knoxville to work for TVA. During the 1982 World’s Fair, he negotiated with Norfolk Southern to reduce train traffic through the fair site. “We got them to agree to (use the tracks only at) night,” he says, and even then a late patron from one of the bars wandered into the path of a train and lost a leg.
The big railroads were divesting both rail lines and equipment. Claussen saw a business opportunity. He bought cheap, restored and sold for more – sometimes a lot more. He now owns KLW, five rail lines and employs over 100.
We had a great meal, an “Oh, wow!” tour and met a great guy. Not bad for an hour’s investment of time. Info: www.goklw.com