Elizabeth and I arose in Gainesville and after our Internet duties, went to International House Of Pancakes before finding the steam engine on display.
Seaboard Air Line caboose, number unknown, built by Newport News Shipping & Dry Dock Company in 1926.
Engine 209 Park display board.
Gainesville Midland 2-10-0 209, ex. Durham & Southern Railway 209, nee Seaboard Air Line 533, built by Baldwin in 1930. With 208, it used to double-head the GM freight runs and 206 and 209 double-headed the last freight train into Gainesville in July 1959 after the Seaboard Air Line took over the last remaining forty mile stretch of Gainesville Midland track, from Gainesville to Athens. It is on display at the corner of West Academy Street and Jesse Jewell Parkway.
Southern Railway baggage car 507 built by St. Louis Car Companyin 1930.
Stop, Look and Listen railroad crossing sign. We went back to the station to photograph it in better weather, since five days ago when we stopped there during the first day of the Railroad Station Historical Society convention, it was raining.
Norfolk Southern 4069 West.
Norfolk Southern AC44C6M 4069 built by General Electric in 2016.
Norfolk Southern SD70ACe 1180 built by Electro-Motive Division in 2012.
Norfolk Southern ES44DC 7549 built by General Electric in 2005.
Norfolk Southern B30-7A 3613 built by General Electric in 1982.
BNSF ES44AC 5636 built by General Electric in 2005.
Southern Railway Gainesville station built in 1910. As we were leaving and getting on the correct road to Duluth, Elizabeth spotted something of interest.
Cargill Incorporated SD20 610, ex. Illinois Midland 81, exx. Illinois Central 2022, exxx. Illinois Central Gulf 6316, nee Southern SD24 6316, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1960.
Cargill Incorporated GP9 405, ex. Utah Central 102, nee Cheasepeake and Ohio 6158, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1958. We then drove to the Southeastern Railway Museum and had about twenty minutes to wait until the museum opened at noon.
Southeastern Railway MuseumThe Southeastern Railway Museum occupies a 35-acre site in Duluth, Georgia, in northeast suburban Atlanta. In operation since 1970, the Southeastern Railway Museum features about 90 items of rolling stock including historic Pullman cars and classic steam locomotives. Museum hours vary seasonally, and more information is available on the plan your visit page.
Ride in restored cabooses behind antique diesel locomotives, stand next to the massive driving wheels of the locomotive that pulled passenger trains to Key West on the “railroad that went to sea,” tour the business car that helped bring the Olympics to Atlanta, pose on the platform of the private car once used by President Warren G. Harding, and see just how green Southern Railway green can be as you walk the length of the diesel-electric locomotive that powered the last Crescent before Amtrak assumed control of the famous train.
The Museum is owned by the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and operated by a community-based board as a separate 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The Museum does not receive operating funds from any government agency and operates based on donations, the support of sponsors, and gate receipts.
During the 2000 state legislative session, the museum was recognized as Georgia’s Official Transportation History Museum in recognition of the broad array of transportation history that the museum preserves, exhibits, and interprets. Today you can explore antique rail, transit, fire, and automotive exhibits at the museum.
Our Visit
Southern Railway baggage car 4529, nee New Orleans and North Eastern Railway 12-1 Sleeper 4529 "Dorado", built by Pullman in 1918 and rebuilt into a baggage car.
CSX SD45-2 8954, nee Seaboard Coast Line Railroad 2049, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1974. CSX donated the locomotive in August 2018.
On Norfolk Southern rails that pass in front of the museum was Norfolk Southern ES44DC 7658 bult by General Electric in 2005.
Norfolk Southern GP33ECO 4722 built by Norfolk Southern and Electro-Motive Division in 2015.
Back to the museum's collection, Chattahoochee Valley box car 9012, built by an unknown company in 1967.
Family Lines center cupola caboose 01077 built by an unknown company in 1952. This steel class M6 caboose was rebuilt in 1970 and donated in 1997.
Savannah and Atlanta 4-6-2 750, nee Florida East Coast 80, built by American Locomotive Company in 1910. When the Key West route was abandoned following the 1935 hurricane, FEC had a surplus of power and S&A purchased this unit. It was featured in the films "Biloxi Blues" and "Seabiscuit" and was donated to the museum collection in 1962. 750 hauled its first excursion in 1964 and ran many double headers with Southern 722 from 1970 to 1975. It then started a complete overhaul but did not return to steam until 1983, working for five more years before retiring for good in 1988.
Norfolk Southern business car NS30 "Marco Polo" built by Pullman in 1927. It was used on many occasions by Franklin Delano Roosevelt while he was Governor of New York and the President of the United States travelling to Warm Springs, Georgia. "Marco Polo" was sold to the Central of Georgia Railway and became their Office Car "Savannah". After the Central of Georgia merged into the Southern Railway, the "Savannah" became an entertainment venue for their corporate office in Washington. DC The Norfolk Southern Corporation upgraded the car in 1989 in Roanoke and returned it to its original name.
Pullman observation car "Superb" built by the company in 1911 and is the second-oldest steel private car in existence. "Superb" was used by President Warren Harding for his 1923 cross-country tour; later it carried his casket in a funeral train from San Francisco to Washington, DC, and to Marion, Ohio. This is a heavyweight car bearing the original floor plan which is a 3 Compartment/2 Staterooms. In addition to being used by President Harding, the car also served in several other capacities. It was renamed "Pope Pius XI" and painted red in 1926 for the "Cardinal's Train" between New York City and Chicago. It also carried the name "Los Angeles" during its ownership by Pullman. The Superb was sold to the Charleston and West Carolina Railroad which was merged into the Seaboard Coastline Railroad and became their office car 301. "Superb"/301 was donated by SCL in 1967 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. It is on exhibit and open for self-led tours.
Campbell Limestone 2 truck Heisler 9, ex. Campbell Limestone and Vulcan Materials 9, exx. Carolina Tie & Lumber 9, exxx. Santee River Hardwood Company 9, nee Kentucky Lumber Company 9, built by Heisler in 1923, before being donated to the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1979.
Information board about Campbell Limestone 9.
Fruit Growers Express 40 foot refrigerator car 55558 built by the company in 1928.
Western Union Telegraph Company wooden tool car 3558 built circa 1930 as part of special Western Union work trains to maintain extensive networks of trackside poles and lines. It was donated in 1966.
Central of Georgia caboose X92 built by the railroad in 1942 from a 1916 ventilated box car. It was donated in 1970.
Seaboard Air Line bunk car 70413 built by the railroad in 1930 and donated in 1960.
Model of Sope Creek and Pacific Railroad 1/12 regular scale live steam locomotive designed and scratch-built by Tom Clinton in his basement shop. The locomotive was built in four years {1974 -1978} and the caboose was built in 2005. The locomotive was orginally designed to burn oil but later converted to burn propane. Engine 2345 operated many years o the Sope Creek and Pacific Railroad in the Clinton backyard in east Cobb County Georgia. Its final run under steam was December 27, 2015.
Dispatcher board. Next I walked through the Pullman observation car "Superb".
The observation area.
The bathroom.
One of the porter's room.
The President's room.
The kitchen, which was at the other end of the car.
CSX Transportation "Through these doors pass the safest, best trained and most professional locomotive engineers in the world".
Brio children's toy sets.
Georgia Railroad GP7 1026, ex. Wiregrass Central Railroad 1026, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1950. It was acquired from the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum in 2004.
Southern Railway E8A 6901 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1951. It routinely powered the Atlanta-to-Washington D.C. portion of the Crescent passenger train. One of four existing Southern E8A units, it was selected to be donated by Southern Railway in 1979 due to being the last Southern Railway locomotive to lead the Southern Crescent before the train was moved to being a part of the Amtrak nationwide passenger train network.
Amtrak slumbercoach 2092 "Loch Arkaig", ex. Amtrak 2092, exx. Amtrak 2033, exxx. Northern Pacific 335 "Loch Arkaig", nee New York Central 10802, built by Budd Company in 1959.
Norfolk Southern 10-6 Sleeper 17 "Tugalo River", nee Southern Railway 2019 built by Pullman Standard in 1949 and is one of 46 10-roomette, 6-bedroom sleeper cars built for the Crescent passenger train. It was purchased in 1997.
United States Army kitcken car 200 built by American Car and Foundry in 1944 and used to prepare and serve food on troop trains. It was donated in 1966.
Central of Georgia 60-seat coach 527 built by Pullman in 1924. It operated on interline name trains Flamingo, Dixie Limited and Seminole and was donated to the Museum in 1966.
Southern Railway dining car 3168 built by Pullman in 1926 with original seating for 36. It was rebuilt in 1948 to accommodate 48-seat cafe-style service. The original kitchen is intact and was donated in 1971.
Pullman sleeper/solarium lounge "Washington Club" built by Pullman in 1930. This premier-class sleeper offered eight sections and has a lounge, kitchen and sunroom. It was originally assigned to Union Pacific's Portland Rose; purchased in 1948 by Atlantic Coast Line. It was donated in 1961.
Southern Railway heavyweight coach 1104, ex. New Georgia 1104, nee Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific coach 3700, built by Pullman in 1922. It was donated in 1959.
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority transit car 503 built by Société Franco-Belge in 1981 and retired in 2011. The 75-foot, aluminium-bodied car weighs 81,000 pounds and has seats for 46 passengers.
Southern coach 812 "Charlottesville", built by Pullman-Standard in 1941.
Southern Railway post office car 1701 "Grand Junction", built by Pullman-Standard in 1941.
General Motors "Old Look" bus 253, built by General Motors in 1953. Yellow Coach, an early bus builder partially owned by General Motors, introduced this bus design in 1940 and built approximately 38,000 of the buses during a 29-year production.
Chattahoochee Valley Railroad 2-8-0 21, nee Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway 201 built by Baldwin in 1924 to haul passenger trains. The CHV ran from West Point, where it connected with the Atlanta & West Point, to Bleaker, Alabama, connecting there to the Central of Georgia. Owned by the West Point Manufacturing Company, the CHV served several cotton mills along the west bank of the Chattahoochee River. 21 operated on the CHV until 1946, when it was placed on standby service. It remained there until 1961, by which time its boiler licence had expired. The locomotive was then donated to the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
Norfolk Southern gondola 900097MW built by the railroad in 1938. This hopper was built in Norfolk and Western's Roanoke shops and was donated to the Museum by Norfolk Southern.
Georgia Railway steel bay window caboose 2866 built by the railroad in 1945 from a boxcar was used to carry passengers in mixed train service on the Georgia Railroad. It was donated in 1982.
Wabash dome-parlour-observation car 1601, ex. Amtrak 9310, nee Norfolk and Western 1601, built by Budd Company in 1950.
Atlantic Coast Line business car 307 "Indian River", ex. New Georgia Railroad 1000 "Georgia On My Mind", exx. Seaboard Coast Line 307, nee baggage-buffet smoker "Indian River", built by Pullman in 1964.
Southern Railway baggage car 582, nee Southern 12-1 Sleeper 582 "Benburb", built by Pullman in 1920, rebuilt into baggage car.
Red River and Gulf 4-4-0 "General II", ex. Stone Mountain Railroad 1 1961, exx. Comite Southern 1, nee Gulf Sand & Gravel Company 2 built by Baldwin in 1919. It became known as "General II" when it was rebuilt and cosmetically altered to resemble the "General", the locomotive made famous by the Andrews Raid and locomotive chase through northwest Georgia during the Civil War. It was donated by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association in 2007 and moved to the museum in 2008.
Louisville and Nashville 4-6-2 279, tender only.
Pullman sleeper/solarium eight section-observation lounge "Washington Club" built by Pullman in 1930 and sold to Atlantic Coast Line.
Southern Railway messenger baggage car 116 built by Pullman in 1923.
The museum's other rail crane donated by the L.B. Foster Steel Company.
Southern Railway 10-2 sleeper "Thomas Ruffin" built by Pullman in 1929 for the Crescent Limited. Originally built with 10 sections (upper and lower berths) and two drawing rooms, it was modified in 1935 to its current configuration of 10 sections, two bedrooms and one drawing room. This is a heavyweight car that was donated in 1965.
Louisville and Nashville baggage-express 1416, ex. Chinchfield Tavern/Lounge 112, builder and year unknown. It was donated in 1993 and serves as our meeting and party car.
Chattahoochee Valley Railroad flat car 522 flat car with burro crane built by Industrial Brownhoist and used in light maintenance service.
Southern Railway three-bay hopper car 74745, built in 1966 by an unknown company.
Norfolk and Western "Northeastern" caboose 500837, nee Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway 837 built by the railroad in 1940. The P&WV was acquired by the Norfolk & Western through a merger in 1964, 500837 is painted with blue sides and roof consistent with Norfolk and Western painting requirements beginning in 1966.
Southern Railway transfer caboose XC7871 built in the 1950's and was used to transfer railcars between railyards that were only a short distance apart, hence the name "transfer caboose". It was donated in 1980.
Chattahoochee Valley 50 foot box car 98708 builder and year unknown.
Jordon Spreader JX635 built by O.F. Jordon, year unknown.
hattahoochee Valley 50 foot box car 98705 builder and year unknown.
Wabash end cupola caboose 2854 built by the railroad in 1955.
Louisville and Nashville (H.P. Hood and Sons) milk tank car 40605 built by General American, year unknown.
Southern Railway four-bay covered hopper 8717 "Big John", built by Magor Car in 1965.
United States hospital car 895XX, later Amtrak sleeper 4006 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1953.
Amtrak material handing car 1463, built by Thrall in 1986.
Amtrak material handing car 1468, built by Thrall in 1986.
Norfolk and Western combine maintenance-of-way 3231, nee Wabash, builder and year unknown.
Department of Defense heavy duty flat car 31516, with a turntable, builder and year unknown.
This steam-powered pile driver was built by Industrial Brownhoist of Bay City, Michigan in 1929. It ended its operational life as Western Railway of Alabama 20. Piles were used in building bridges, shoring up embankments or as foundations for large buildings, so 20 would have had a varied career. It would have been hauled to work sites by another locomotive, but could also move under its own power.
New Georgia coach 1111, nee Central of Georgia 551, built by Bethlehem Steel in 1937. With seating for 66, it ran in joint service with Illinois Central on Chicago-Florida trains. This is a lightweight car and is the sole survivor of its type. It was donated in 1968.
Southern Railway box car 9690, builder and year unknown.
Southern Railway SW7 8202, nee Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad 1100, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1950. It was used by the Southern until 1982, when it was donated to the Southeastern Railway Museum.
Museum scene.
Outside the museum was Norfolk Southern AC44C6M 4069 and RP-M4C slug 820. We walked back inside the museum building.
Signal display.
Timetable boards.
Stephenson Rocket and train.
Part of the large model railroad diorama.
Southern Railway porter's jacket.
Lanterns and marker lights from a variety of railroads.
Passenger train tonductor uniform and items used by Howard Mowers in his Pennsylvania Railroad and Amtrak career.
John Rogers, freight train conductor uniform and items used by Pennsylvania Railroad and Rutland Railroad.
Public timetables.
Uncommon Locomotion.
Dining car china.
Conductor hats and dining car china.
Timetable board.
Ppotographs and artifacts from Georgia's streetcar era.
Railroad collectibles and models of locomotives.
Waiting bench.
Railroad office machines and other typewriters.
Conductors' letter case, conductor books and empolyee timetables.
Railroad post office letter case.
Historic railroad genealogy.
Shop ledgers, oil cans and shop equipment.
Atlanta's Railroads.
Pullman displays.
Caboose display.
Railroad Modeling.
Steam railroad ardifacts.
Porter uniforms.
Model train car display.
Steam engine pictures and railroad stock certificates.
Railway advertisements of the mid-20th century.
Railroad workers display board.
Railroad stock certificates.
Railroad workers display board.
Atlanta Terminal Station painting by Jamie Reid depicting Atlanta and West Point 290 preparing to pull the Crescent on the Atlanta to Montgomery segment of its journey to New Orleans.
Southern Railway map and railroad emblems of Georgia.
Historic Roswell Railroad display board.
Two model rail cars.
Museum awards board.
Special trains display board.
Atlanta Chapter National Railway Historical Society Special Drumhead.
Elizabeth on the platform of the "Superb".
Station benches.
Atlanta Terminal Station sign.
Two paintings that caught my eye. We then walked over to the far corner of the property to photograph the station.
Southern Railway Duluth station built in 1871.
Baggage cart.
Although this train was not operating as the engineer had not yet arrived, the Park Train dates to 1957, when it started service at the Birmingham, Alabama, Zoo. Long dormant, two locomotives and four cars were donated to the Museum in 2000. The train we operate, in Atlantic Coast Line colors, was carefully restored and returned to service in 2012. We are currently seeking funding to restore and operate the second train set, likely in Southern Railway paint.
The minature train display board.
The Southeastern Railway Museum emblem.
Drumheads from special excursion.
We visited the gift shop and purchased some souvenirs then after an excellent experience here, Elizabeth drove back to Georgia Highway 141 to Interstate 285 to Interstate 75 to Interstate 24 to Interstate 840 to Lebanon, Tennessee. We went to Jersey Mike's for dinner before checking into the La Quita Inn for the night.
6/10/2024 We checked our e-mail before going to Cracker Barrel for breakfast then I drove Interstate 40 to Interstate 24 to Interstate 57 to Interstate 24, where Elizabeth drove from a rest area home via Interstate 24 to Interstate 70 to Columbia, ending another fantastic adventure, during which several excursion trains were ridden and we attended our second Railroad Station Historical Society convention.
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