Or, from This site
"After 1916 the railroad from Bristol to Appalachia was advertised as the "Natural Tunnel Route," to promote that great natural wonder through which the trains of the Southern Railway passed.

President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Natural Tunnel and pronounced it the eighth wonder of the world.

At one time there were four daily passenger trains on the Appalachia Division. As other means of transportation came into being the trains were cut to two per day, and later to one train per day. This one train had the name "The Lonesome Pine Special," which was probably taken from the title of the book by John Fox Jr. It ran between Bristol and St. Charles until 1939.

A tornado hit Rye Cove School on May 2, 1929 and one teacher and twelve students were killed and many were injured. The injured were rushed to the hospitals in Bristol and Kingsport. Those taken to the Bristol hospital were transported on the Lonesome Pine Special.

The Southern Railroad from Moccasin Gap to Bristol was abandoned several years ago due to rock and mud slides. The iron rails are now being removed for use elsewhere."