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The Railroad at the Georgia Agrirama Living History Museum and the Journey Home 11/22-23/2005

Sleeping in late, I met Chris Parker in the lobby for our last continental breakfast of the trip then we drove down Dawson Road to where it crossed the Norfolk Southern Albany-to-Macon Line and followed it east. The line did some street running before turning north just short of the Albany Union Station.

Terminal Station, a joint Central of Georgia-Seaboard Coast Line-Atlantic Coast Line-Albany Northern-Georgia Northern Railway station, built in 1912 as viewed from track side along the unused tracks.

The Thronateeska Museum housed at the station has a railroad collection outside including Georgia Northern Railway 4-6-2 107 built by American Locomotive Company in 1911 as Florida East Coast Railway 88. In 1929, it was sold to Georgia Northern Railway Company and in 1957, donated to the City of Albany.

Georgia Northern caboose X401, built by Gantt Manufacturing in 1969, painted as X153..

While we were here, a Railnet locomotive working the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad passed through town in the shadows of the trees.

Our attempt to photograph the Norfolk Southern here was in vain but we did photograph the former Central of Georgia yard office built in 1926. We made our way east out of Albany on US 82 towards Tifton.

In Tifton, we found the Chamber of Commerce in the old brick Southern Railway station built in 1916. Inside I found a very friendly staff who gave me directions to the Georgia Agrirama Living History Museum at 8th Street and Interstate 75. We departed, crossing a railroad track where I looked right and spotted a railroad car so we drove over there.

Here we found Southern Railway sleeping car 2005 "Flint River" built by Pullman in 1949.

The Tifton Terminal Railroad has its offices in the former Atlantic Coast Line station built in 1910. From here we drove to the Georgia Agrirama Living History Museum.

The Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village, formerly known as Agrirama, is a 19th-century living museum located in Tifton and opened on July 4, 1976. The grounds consist of five areas: a traditional farm community of the 1870's, an 1890's progressive farmstead, an industrial sites complex, rural town, national peanut complex and the Museum of Agriculture Center. Over 35 structures have been relocated to the 95-acre site and faithfully restored or preserved including the Vulcan steam train running on narrow gauge track. Costumed interpreters explain and demonstrate the lifestyle and activities of this time in Georgia's history.

The museum is a facility of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Like many living museums, this one includes residences, a grist mill, saw mill and stores. More notable demonstrations include a turpentine still and a cotton gin, the latter being a reconstruction designed to demonstrate ginning technologies of the period 1890–1900. During this period, mid-nineteenth century gins were being replaced by the system gin invented by Robert S. Munger. This gin demonstrates all the system ginning technologies, but does not operate as efficiently as a system gin because it only contains one gin stand. Its equipment was made by Lummus of Columbus, Georgia. In 1999, Lummus moved to Savannah, where it continues to make cotton gins. The museum operates the gin for the public annually.

This sign along Interstate 75 tells all travellers about this unique museum. We parked, walked into their main entrance and paid three dollars to ride the train then signed their guest book before walking outside and finding the station. About a minute later, we heard a whistle and the anticipation of riding this railroad grew in each of us. A small crowd of children were also waiting and became really excited when they spotted the train approaching. How do you think I felt?

The Montezuma Railroad Depot was built most likely between 1895 and 1905 and was a "prefab" building- a common means of constructing the depots used by the early railroads to keep up with the rapid pace of railroad expansion. The Depot was donated to the museum by the Seaboard Coast Line and was restored on site and includes artifact-populated freight warehouse space, meeting rooms, ticket office and telegraph office.

Engine 1 arrived at the station. Chris and I met the train crew and I distributed business cards.

We boarded the last open car and after a few minutes, were off for a ride on the 1.3 mile loop around the museum grounds.

Agrirama Lake.

Two extra coaches on one leg of their wye. The train is turned every so often to equalize wear on the rails.

We passed the shop where Hope National Gas Company 3, ex. sold to Wright & Wulfson, Incorporated in 1956, exx. Cranberry Creek Railroad 1957, exxx. sold to Woodland Museum Incorporated in 1960, exxxxx. Raritan River Sand Company 0-4-0 2, nee Hope National Gas Company 3, built by H.K. Porter in 1925, was being restored to service over time.

Looking back as we finished our trip. We thanked our crew and I asked if we could get a picture of the train in the sunshine? Since there were no other passengers waiting, the crew said yes and we were off for a second round trip, this time making a few stops.

The station is unique as it was bought out of a Sears Catalog as a kit. If you could buy a house from Sears, why not a depot also?

Passing a steam tractor on the way to the photo spot the crew and I chose.

Our train posed at the photo spot, led by Hardaway Contracting Company 0-4-0T 5, ex. Georgia Agrirama Park 5 1976, exx. Hall Carmichael 5 1973, exxx. donated to Kings Mountain State Park in 1963, exxxxx. Little Palmetto Railroad 2609 1963, exxxxxx. Winding Gulf Coal Company in 1923, exxxxxx. Rinehart & Dennis, nee Hardaway Contracting Company 5, built by Vulcan Iron Works in 1923.

Our train crew of Leyman Jernigan and Arle Purvis took the time to pose by their engine. They take turns being the engineer and conductor on each trip around the park.

Running along the south shore of the lake.

More passenger cars on another leg of the wye.

A standard gauge ore car off to the side of our narrow gauge loop.

Rolling through the forest.

We paused at the shop for a closer look at Hope National Gas Company 3.

We passed the restored operating lumber mill then returned to the station. once again thanking the crew for two great rides and a fun-filled experience on their railroad. We walked away, two very happy people.

We visited the Agrirama general store for some postcards before I went outside to watch the next departure from the station.

That evening, I received an e-mail from James A Higgans, Director - Agrirama Georgia's Museum of Agriculture, who passed this information on: "We have a short distance, but it is a nice trip around the property for an old logging train. For special events such as Halloween, it is packed all night long. We have another (actually more colorful) locomotive which we hope to have restored in the coming year. Our Foundation is trying to find a group or certain individuals that would be interested in helping the restoration effort. It will probably cost in the range of $100,000." If any of you would like to help, just contact the museum by their e-mail.

After such a fantastic experience and the true surprise of the trip, I drove back on 8th Street to fill the car, paying $1.97, the lowest price I paid in a few years. We drove north along the Norfolk Southern Macon-to-Valdosta main line on US 41 and saw a track gang at Chule working on the main line, which meant no trains any time soon. We arrived at the triple railroad crossing in Cordele just after a southbound Norfolk Southern local passed.

A waiting two-unit CSX power set went through the crossings to their small yard here. We stopped at the Historic SAM Shortline Railroad offices for some brochures and postcards and the very friendly staff then gave us directions to find their train. We returned to Cordele crossing to wait for any train action.

The triple railroad crossings of the CSX, Norfolk Southern and Heart of Georgia Railroad. It was a cold and windy day while we waited.

A CSX northbound freight passed through then we drove west on US 280 to the Georgia Veterans Memorial Park where we found the SAM Shortline passenger train laying over until its next trip.

The front of the trainset.

Heart of Georgia GP40 1540, ex. RMGX (Andersons - Railgroup) 9307, exx. Canadian National 9307, nee Canadian National 4107 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1966.

Historic SAM Shortline power car 891372, nee United States Army hospital kitchen car 891372 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1953. The Army then sold the car into private ownership via public auction and the private owners converted the car into a power car, installing two large diesel generators.

One of the coaches, identity unknown.

The rear of the train. We drove west to Americus then down to Smithville, Dawson and Sasser before returning to Albany and looked for the Walmart as Chris wanted to put his digital camera pictures on a disk. Once we had the correct directions, I dropped Chris at Walmart and returned to the Best Western to print my boarding pass, check e-mail and relax. I picked Chris up and we drove to Applebee's for dinner, after which I filled the car with petrol, made a few telephone calls, checked my e-mail and printed Chris' boarding passes. Later, I walked across the street to the Quick Mart for a pack of powder donuts and a cinnamon roll for a pre-flight snack after the 4:30 AM EST wake-up call then called it a night, knowing I had a very early start.

Up with the wake up call, followed by my morning preparations and a check of e-mail, it was time to check out of the Albany Best Western and I waited for Chris in the lobby then went out to the ice-covered Kia. We drove back to the Albany Airport, dropped the rental car and keys off in the Hertz return box before going nto the airport to wait for our flight to Atlanta. We waited before passing through security and boarding began at 6:20 AM EST.

I was back aboard another CRJ-200 for the flight to Atlanta in Seat 4D. We took off at 6:53 AM EST and flew northwest to Columbus before turning towards Atlanta. A change of connecting flight information was given and I changed from Gate B26 to B21 with this flight now landing at Gate C30 so a good walk would be my order of the morning. We touched down in Atlanta at 7:25 AM EST.

I walked into Terminal C for a picture of our plane before buying a USA Today to read during my layover. I met Chris off the plane and we took the escalator down to the lower level. He had to get to Terminal A so I said my goodbyes to him before he boarded a train and I walked to Terminal B, where I waited for my flight to Orange County at B21 and listened to Yes' "Drama".

I was the first person on the plane and assigned First Class Seat 2D for my flight home to Orange County on this B757. We reversed from the gate at 9:17 AM EST and took off at 9:44 AM EST. The inflight movie was "March of the Penguins". After the movie, Jeff Beck's "Greatest Hits", along with taking a break for a Cheers "Thanksgiving with Carla" episode kept me going west. Cloud cover took over across Arizona below us and on into California. We descended through the clouds near Cabazon and bounced our way to John Wayne Airport, touching down at 10:55 AM PST and taxied to Gate 12. I bid goodbye to my excellent flight crew before exiting the airport, finding my mother at the pre-arranged location at the bottom of the stairs. She drove me home via Main Photo where I dropped off my film and I returned home, a tired Chris, but one who was very satisfied after a fantastic trip to Georgia.

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