Images of Rail

The State of Georgia chartered the Western & Atlantic Railroad in 1836. The railroad aided in the development and growth of many communities between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In constructing the railroad, workers created a winding route that cut its way across the North Georgia landscape. During the Civil War, both armies used this vital artery, and it was the setting for one of the war's most iconic events, the Great Locomotive Chase. The state still owns the Western & Atlantic and has leased it since 1870. The line remains an essential part of North Georgia and is a backbone of the region's industry. As Atlanta ponders its transportation future, it is important to remember that without the Western & Atlantic, Atlanta would not be the city it is today.

Macon is certainly not the largest railroad hub in the country--not even in Georgia. Yet in the early 1900s, with nearly 100 daily passenger trains, it had nothing about which to be ashamed. In those years, the nation's railroads dominated and, as was befitting, they flaunted their grandeur by building lavish passenger stations. In the South, virtually all of Macon's counterparts had been blessed with new eye-inviting stations. Macon, however, was still being served by what the local media described as a "ramshackle structure" (the 1855 Union Depot) and a "little dingy smoky structure" (the equally embarrassing Southern Railway depot). This all changed on December 1, 1916, when Macon Terminal Station's doors were thrown open to an eagerly awaiting populace. This book traces the events that began some 78 years before, in 1838, with the entry of Macon's first railroad line and led to the creation of Macon's downtown treasure.

Atlanta! The very name evokes a sense of grandeur and splendor and an aura of dominance. Indeed, today's Atlanta has no rival.

Present-day Atlanta prides itself in having one of the largest and busiest airports in the world, and 100 years ago, it boasted of having the busiest railroad center in the South. At its peak, its passenger stations dispatched countless numbers of trains to every major city in the country. This book recalls the building of the many stations that faithfully served Atlanta and records, with the exception of one, their final reduction to piles of rubble when they were of no further use, only to be remembered on paper and in the memories of those fortunate enough to have witnessed them.

Having whistled its first "all aboard" in 1988, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway now rambles alongside the Toccoa's clear waters, treating 50,000-plus sightseers annually to verdant mountain scenery. This former Cherokee land's pioneers carved homesteads from rough terrain, doggedly hauling goods via mule wagon. The discovery of rich copper veins in nearby Polk County, Tennessee, attracted an influx of settlers, but before they could enjoy an Industrial Age boom including rail for faster freight movement, they would endure route changes, bankruptcies, and land-rights issues. As Fannin, Polk, and surrounding counties neared the 20th century, the long-anticipated railroad arrived, and with it prosperity. This is a photographic history of the copper miners, shop owners, homesteaders, and railroad workers who made these mountains their homes, often for many proud generations.

Go inside the transition from steam to diesel, the pinnacle of rail travel and the development of the South through much of the 20th century.

The Southern Railway was the pinnacle of rail service in the South for nearly 100 years. Its roots stretch back to 1827, when the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company was founded in Charleston to provide freight transportation and America's first regularly scheduled passenger service. Through the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Great Depression, rail lines throughout the South continued to merge, connecting Washington, D.C. to Atlanta and Charleston to Memphis. The Southern Railway was born in 1893 at the height of these mergers. It came to an end in 1982, merging with Norfolk and Western Railway to become Norfolk Southern Railway. The history of the railway lives on, however, and Norfolk Southern continues to "serve the South."

In 2003, the Southern Railway Historical Association selected the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History as the repository for its extensive archives. Included in this collection are hundreds of professional quality, black-and-white photographs taken by company photographers throughout the railway's history. While a few of these images have been seen by the public, the vast majority have not.

Following on the heels of Images of Rail: The Southern Railway, this volume takes a more detailed look at a historic railroad that has served the South for over 100 years and continues to serve as the Norfolk Southern Railway. Included in these pages are stories of bravery in war and
ingenuity in peace. From 1942 to 1945, the 727th Railway Operating Battalion'sponsored by the Southern Railway'served in North Africa and up the spine of Italy into Germany. The courageous unit received a citation from Gen. George S. Patton for its involvement in the Sicily Campaign.