Our July 2011 travels took us on a pleasant driving
tour of the southeast and included a number of railroad related
activities. Our trip took us to Atlanta; Boone, NC; and Eastern
Tennessee. Reports on some other activities may be found in other
feature stories by the author and available on TrainWeb.
Along the way we passed through numerous locations
served by Amtrak which would make this an easy journey to duplicate
over the course of a few days. These sights can be visited just
as easily in reverse order and a few other worthwhile sights have been
included for the reader's convenience. It is important to check
days and hours of operation before visiting many of these attractions.
A great place to start a tour of the Deep South is
Atlanta. Amtrak's daily Crescent links the Northeast and New
Orleans via Georgia's capitol city, serving Atlanta at convenient hours
in both directions. The former Southern Railway Peachtree Station
is located on the city's near north side and visitors can easily rent a
car from the Avis location on Courtland Street which offers courtesy
transportation between the station and their office. Hotels are
plentiful in this city with the suburbs typically offering the lowest
rates.
There are many sights in Atlanta that will interest
both rail fans and non-rail fans thus it is worth spending a couple of
nights to enjoy Atlanta's diverse offerings. Sports fans will
enjoy professional baseball, basketball, football, and hockey while
college sports fans can feast upon a variety of sporting events
featuring local universities. During our visit in July we enjoyed
an Atlanta Braves baseball game at sparkling Turner Field which hosted
the 1996 Summer Olympics. The stadium is located just south of
downtown Atlanta and has excellent sightlines, a variety of dining
options, and activities such as batting cages and a Cartoon Network
attraction to suit about any age.
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The entrance to Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves
Warren Spahn statue in front of Turner Field
A pregame tribute to the Baltimore Orioles history
The Orioles bat
The Atlanta Braves celebrate a home run
Chipper Jones bats for the Braves
The Georgia Aquarium has deservedly earned a
reputation as a premier aquarium with its impressive collection of
whale sharks, manta rays, sea otters, sea lions, penguins and a variety
of marine life in a beautiful habitat. Visitors are amazed by the
glass tunnel that carries them right through the largest marine tank
and the huge glass wall that gives the impression of being right in the
tank with the sharks, rays, and colorful fish. Adjacent to the
aquarium one will find The World of Coca-Cola which spotlights the
history and worldwide popularity of the many varieties of that soft
drink.
The Georgia Aquarium
This tunnel takes visitors through a giant marine tank at the Georgia Aquarium
A close up of a shark passing the tunnel
Visitors get a close up view of sea life from a giant glass wall on the side of the tank
One of several whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium
A penguin in the polar habitat
Colorful fish in a small tank
A coke ad used in Japan
Olympic torches displayed at The World of Coca-Cola
The Chick-Fil-A Bowl is one of Atlanta's many popular sports events.
Shown here are the Florida State Seminoles taking the field before
their 26-17 win over South Carolina on December 31, 2010.
The Southeastern Railway Museum and the Stone
Mountain Railroad are rail related attractions on the eastern side of
the city that will require an automobile to access. Another activity
sure to interest rail fans and bound to be of practical use to visitors
is the MARTA light rail system. MARTA trains on one line link the
airport with the city's north and northeastern suburbs while the
intersecting route connects Atlanta's eastern perimeter with its
western perimeter. The airport line parallels rail lines used by
Norfolk Southern and CSX and interconnects with a modern people mover
system that connects the airport with nearby convention
facilities. The MARTA station serving the airport is right inside
the terminal rather than requiring users to navigate around parking
garages, and other obstacles as in many cities.
A MARTA rapid transit train prepares to depart the Atlanta airport
A new people mover train links the Atlanta airport and a convention center
Approaching downtown Atlanta on MARTA
The Georgia capitol building. Georgia Railroad passenger trains once departed from close to this building
Riding The Hiwassee Loop Line
About three hours north of Atlanta one will find the
Hiwassee River Rail Adventure excursion train operating between Etowah,
TN and Copperhill, TN which stands at the border with Georgia.
This rail line was chartered in 1887 and was
originally planned to link Knoxville with Murphy, NC. Land
acquisition issues eventually nixed that plan and the railway was built
southward to Blue Ridge, GA. From there the railroad continued on
to Marietta and Atlanta. A separate line would connect Blue Ridge
with Murphy from which a Southern Railway rail line continued on to
Asheville, NC.
The steep grade at Bald Mountain required the use of
switchbacks which posed an operational nightmare for trains. In
1898 the railroad opened a new loop around Bald Mountain to simplify
operations by looping the mountain and running the rail line above
itself via a timber trestle. This loop came to be known as the
"Eye" in what was referred to as the "Hook and Eye" line.
The route was purchased by the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad in 1902 but its winding mountain route was not
conducive to efficient movement of freight trains. Thus, two
years later the L&N began construction on a faster route from
Etowah to Marietta via Carterville, GA. Upon completion of that
line, the route via Hiwassee Loop became known as "The Old Line" and
its primary traffic consisted of local freight trains. Products
shipped from Copperhill and vicinity kept the line in service until
2001 when L&N successor CSX abandoned the route.
The railway fell into disrepair until part of the
route was rebuilt a couple of years later by the Tennessee Valley
Authority to assist in construction of a hydroelectric dam on the
Hiwassee River. Short passenger excursions were operated over the
northern part of the line once the rails had been rehabbed. Plans
to haul iron ore over the rail line led to further rebuilding of the
line in 2004 but by 2006 that service ended. Thanks to a
partnership with the non-profit Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum,
excursion train service soon returned to the line, this time operating
from Etowah as far south as Copperhill.
My ride over the Hiwassee River line begins on a
sultry Saturday morning as I board a bus that transports passengers
from the beautifully restored L&N depot in Etowah to the train's
boarding location a few miles south of town. A CSX intermodal
freight train rumbles past the station as passengers wait for the bus
to depart. My wife will drive to Copperhill to prevent the need
for doubling back to Etowah on our way home to Florida.
L&N station in Etowah, TN
After the short bus ride, passengers are discharged
at Gee Creek just inside Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State
Park. The excursion train pulls up a couple of minutes later and
about 60 passengers climb aboard for a relaxing and scenic ride.
The train is pulled by GP7 engine # 710 which wears the paint scheme of
its original owner, the NC&SL Nashville, Chattanooga & St.
Louis). A Tennessee Valley snack bar coach, a Southern Railway
coach, and a Central of Georgia coach make up today's train. The
air conditioning is excellent in all three cars, the broad windows are
clean, and the reclining seats are inviting. Vestibules are open
for passenger enjoyment as is the rear vestibule platform.
We ease forward at 9:35am and pass through the
park's rich forests then break from the trees as we cross the Hiwassee
River 15 minutes later at Reliance. The view from the rear
platform offers a vista of mountains, fields, and the cool river waters
as we cross the open deck bridge. The rail line soon enters the
Hiwassee River Gorge and views of the rock strewn river come into
view. The normal track speed for the excursion train is
approximately 20 mph but soon we slow to a crawl and stop. Word
soon spreads that a large tree has fallen across the tracks. On a
regular modern day passenger train this would likely necessitate a
lengthy delay while a track gang is called out to remove the
tree. But this is not mainline railroading. Soon the
engineer climbs down from the engine with a chainsaw then slips on a
pair of coveralls. The conductor and the fireman join him and ten
minutes after our impromptu stop, we are underway again with the
offending tree left in pieces out of harms way.
Crossing the Hiwassee River at Reliance, TN
View from the rear vestibule platform crossing the Hiwassee River at Reliance
The three car train crosses a small creek along the wooded route.
A fallen tree blocks the railroad
The train crew clears the tree from the rails
Remnants of the tree after the crew's chain saw work
Shortly after 10:20am the train slips through the
Appalachia Powerhouse which uses the river to generate hydroelectric
power. Wilderness again envelops the railway as it continues to
trace the river through deep woodlands. The engine's horn sounds
as we approach a couple of trails used by fisherman to access the
river. Soon we pass some fly fishermen standing knee deep in the
river a couple hundred feet from the end of that trail.
The rocky Hiwassee River near a favorite spot for fly fishermen
The rail line cuts between the rocky mountainside and the river
The only remaining siding on the line comes into
view at 10:50 and in two minutes we cross Highway 68 on an
overpass. This siding is where the ore trains that arrived in
sections after climbing over the loop were combined on their trip to
Etowah. At the end of the siding we begin our two mile climb to
Hiwassee Loop. At 11:05am we pass under the railroad trestle that
stands at the top of the loop. The elevation at this point is
1220 feet. Two minutes later the tracks we had just traversed
come into view about 100 feet below on our left as the train loops
around Bald Mountain. The top of the loop is reached at 11:09am
as we cross the trestle we passed beneath 4 minutes earlier. The
track elevation now is 1400 feet and we have circled the mountain
almost twice.
Appalachia siding where ore trains used to reassemble after doubling the mountain
Passing above Highway 68
Looking back at the bridge over Hwy 68
The trestle at Hiwassee Loop
Track that we traveled over just two minutes earlier as the train spirals up Bald Mountain
Crossing the trestle at the top of Hiwassee Loop
View of the track below. The train traveled over this stretch two minutes earlier.
Looking back after crossing the trestle
The impressive Appalachia Dam appears through the
trees on our left at 11:13 and a few minutes later we roll through
Farner where a rail yard was used for unloading freight cars for dam
and pipeline construction in the 1940s. The train pauses briefly
at Ducktown to detrain passengers who will enjoy rafting on the Ocoee
River. Twenty minutes later we stop in a rail yard on the north
side of Copperhill to allow our engine to uncouple and run around the
train so it is situated on the proper end to lead the return trip to
Etowah in a couple of hours. With switching completed, the train
backs down a mile into Copperhill where passengers will detrain to
enjoy shopping at various antique and retail stores or dine at one of
the restaurants located in the community. As we ease to a stop,
we are just a hundred or so feet from another excursion train run by
the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad which runs from Blue Ridge, GA to
Copperhill.
A rock cut near Farner
The vestibule provides a great view for these young boys
Another little boy enjoys watching the view from the rear platform
Inside one of the classic coaches
The GP7 engine runs around the train north of Copperhill
An interesting track arrangement where the engine crosses over to couple onto the rear of the train
The
Hiwassee River Railroad excursion train has arrived in Copperhill,
TN. A Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad train from Blue Ridge, GA stands
just behind our train.
The Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad excursion train at Copperhill.
More information about Hiwassee River Railroad
excursions is available at the link below. Trips to Copperhill
operate only on certain dates as most trains operate only as far as the
loop. It is worth noting that Etowah has only limited lodging
though nearby Athens, TN, located along I-75 about 15 minutes northwest
of Etowah, has a broader selection of hotels, restaurants, and
shopping.
Other Rail Attractions in the Region
Numerous other railroad related attractions dot the
Georgia/North Carolina/Tennessee region. These can easily be
combined into a circle trip that includes as many or as few of these as
desired. It is important to check the web sites provided below as
most have varying days of operation.
In western North Carolina Tweetsie Railroad features
working steam locomotives on a three mile trek around a mountain
outside Boone. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad offers a
variety of trips along rivers and the Nantahala Gorge operating out of
Dillsboro and Bryson City. The Biltmore House in Asheville was
the magnificent home of rail baron Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt
and the estate remains one of America's grandest mansions.
Eastern Tennessee features a number of railroad
related sights including the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in
Chattanooga, the Three Rivers Rambler in Knoxville, the Doe River
Ministries camp and narrow gauge line near Hampton, and the Hiwassee
River excursions.
Northern Georgia features the Blue Ridge Scenic
Railroad, the Southeastern Railway Museum outside Atlanta, and light
rail lines on Atlanta's MARTA system.
For a Slide Show of all photos from this report in Large Format, Click Here.
