Charles Grattan Price Jr. collection on Tweetsie and the Shenandoah Central Railroad

At the suggestion of Don W. Thomas, president of the Chesapeake Western Railway, C. Grattan Price Jr., Harrisonburg insurance agent and railroad enthusiast, wrote to the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina (ET&WNC) Railroad in August 1952 about purchasing a narrow gauge steam locomotive and tender as well as narrow gauge cars. Price, along with fellow railfans Wade W. Menefee Jr. and Dr. Paul S. Hill, intended to build a narrow gauge railroad on Hill's farm in Penn Laird, Virginia as a scenic operating museum line. Narrow gauge railways differ from standard railways in that the distance between rails is 3 feet compared to the standard 4 feet, 3 1/2 inches.

Dr. Paul S. Hill (1907-1986) was a surgeon in Harrisonburg. He attended Washington & Lee University and graduated from the University of Virginia Medical School. Hill served as a major with the Medical Corps during World War II. Wade W. Menefee Jr. (1924-2004) was a graduate of Virginia Tech and a World War II veteran. Upon his return from military service, Menefee managed W. M. Menefee & Son, a local feed, fuel, and general supply company. Charles Grattan Price Jr. (1919-1996) graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was a veteran of World War II during which time he served as a railway shop superintendent and was a member of the U.S. Army's military railway service in France. Price was a partner in the insurance firm C. G. Price & Sons, Inc. until his retirement in 1978. He also authored "The Crooked & Weedy": A History of Virginia's Chesapeake Western Railway (1991). He was a resident of Harrisonburg and lived on Franklin Street until 1958 when he moved to Ott street where he lived the remainder of his life.

In November 1952, Price, Menefee, and Hill entered into a partnership agreement forming the Shenandoah Central Railroad. Hill served as Shenandoah Central's president, Price was vice president and general manager, and Menefee was secretary-treasurer. Soon after its formation, Shenandoah Central purchased Tweetsie (aka Locomotive #12), a historic narrow gauge steam locomotive, and two narrow gauge passenger cars from ET&WNC. Prior to its purchase by Shenandoah Central, Tweetsie was a working engine from 1917 to 1950 in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, plying the area's Great Smoky Mountains. Shenandoah Central purchased a third car from Pennsylvania's East Broad Top Railroad. After several failed attempts to locate and acquire rail, Chesapeake Western Railway loaned Shenandoah Central the necessary rail to build the one-mile scenic track which would be known as the Tweetsie Route. Norfolk & Western provided the ties and ballast.

Shenandoah Central Railroad held its Golden Spike Ceremony on May 29, 1953 to mark the official opening of the Tweetsie Route and the inaugural run of the Stonewall Jackson train. The Stonewall Jackson comprised a coach, a combination car, and a screened observation car with Tweetsie pulling the cars. During the Stonewall Jackson's first run, Dr. Paul Hill was Tweetsie's conductor, C. Grattan Price Jr. was engineer, and Wade W. Menefee Jr. was fireman. The ceremony included remarks by Don W. Thomas, president of the Chesapeake Western Railway; F. S. Baird, vice president of the Norfolk & Western; Sherman Pippin, retired ET&WNC engineer who was the engineer on Tweetsie's last run in 1950; and C. Grattan Price and Wade Menefee Jr. on behalf of the Shenandoah Central Railroad among others. Music was provided by the Harrisonburg High School band and included the songs "Dixie" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad." Major General Carl R. Gray Jr, Administrator of Veterans Affairs, drove the golden spike.

After two operating seasons, which saw more than 15,000 visitors, the partners were forced to place Tweetsie and the cars up for sale due to insufficient patronage and resulting loss of money. Additionally, flooding from Hurricane Hazel which hit Virginia in October 1954 damaged the track and roadbed beyond what was financially feasible for the partners to repair.

Actor and singer-songwriter Gene Autry inquired about purchasing Tweetsie and related equipment in April 1955. He intended to use the locomotive and equipment in his television and movie projects. Autry even planned to come to Harrisonburg in the spring of 1955 to finalize the arrangements, a visit that was eagerly anticipated by community members and local press. However, by the end of August 1955, the Autry Deal was dead due to the cost to transport the locomotive and equipment from Virginia to Autry's Melody Ranch in California as well as the cost to lay the rails.

During the spring of 1955, singer, musical actor, and automobile enthusiast James Melton also expressed interest in Tweetsie for display in his antique automobile museum, James Melton Autorama, in Hypoluxo, Florida.

Grover C. Robbins Jr. of Lenoir, North Carolina ultimately purchased the Tweetsie locomotive and equipment on August 25, 1955 for $17,000. The Tweetsie Railroad is still in operation in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.