Hi Donald:

Thank you SO much for putting that up here - I was born and raised in NJ and
had only a rough idea of where the RV crossed 78 & 22. Now I know for sure.

Thanks for taking the time to make that map & thanks for sharing it with
us.

Greatly appreciated!

Frank


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

My Tales From The Rails book  at 330 pages, is available now at $20.00 via
http://www.lulu.com/content/7925593 and also available for inexpensive e book
download. It is not the fanciest of books, but something I wanted to do to
preserve some of my railroading data. Loads of fallen flags ....

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the abandonedrailroadsoftheus
group.

   File        : /Google Earth Abandoned RR/Rockaway Valley RailRoad.kmz
   Uploaded by : donaldburt <donaldburt@...>
   Description : 1890's Central NJ  - The "Rock-a-bye-Baby"

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/abandonedrailroadsoftheus/files/Google%20Earth%20A\
bandoned%20RR/Rockaway%20Valley%20RailRoad.kmz

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/general.htmlfiles

Regards,

donaldburt <donaldburt@...>

I found two good videos about the abandoned NC&STL Railway on the Cordova
Branch.  I thought you enjoy to watch them.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TbaLXPUg8U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxISkSPZ6LY
 
Eric F...
www.oldncstlrr.8m.com




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I think the ST+LC has been permanently Abandoned by the state with part of it
actually being ripped up farther west to be made into a snow-mobile trail. The
State ownes the whole right of way. The nail in the coffin of the STJ+LC was the
closing of the MEC Mountain Division to frieght because the STJ+LC was a western
"extension" of the line for through frieght but deregulation and the end of the
mountain division as a frieght route in 1983-84 turned the Saint J into a
regular "shortline" which continued to serve online customers and had a tourist
train as well. The last "active" owner of the line was CSF Aqusitions (Clyde S.
Forbes) which seemed to pull out of all of his NH + VT RR's in the later 90's.
The state never found another operator that suited thier needs and the
snowmobile crew seemed to have won out.
 
-Willie

--- On Fri, 11/6/09, casco17 <MP02139@...> wrote:


From: casco17 <MP02139@...>
Subject: [Abandoned Railroads of the US] Twin State RR - Former St Johnsbury &
Lake Champlain (Vermont)
To: abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, November 6, 2009, 2:39 AM


 



In September, we drove past East St. Johnsbury, in northern Vermont. The track
of the former SJ&LC (St Johnsbury & Lake Champlain) is still intact there, with
grade crossing signals in place.

The SPV atlas I have (1999) shows the line as 'active', but it wasn't at the
time we saw it. The right-of-way now resembles a wild tree farm, with tall trees
growing between the rails for some distance. Unfortunately, I did not have time
to get a picture.

Maybe this line is rail-banked, in the hopes that a new operator will come along
to bring rail service back. It would take a lot of clean-up work to get this
line back in service.











[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> In May of this year we drove by this branch on the way to/from Santa Fe.  This
branch leaves the BNSF (former Santa Fe) Raton Pass line in northeast New
Mexico.

> At the time, it was used for storage of baretable cars (which are used to haul
containers).  The track looked like it was in use at the US 64 grade crossing
near Colfax.

> I saw on a post on another board that these cars have all been removed within
the past couple weeks.  Evidently BNSF has no more freight customers on this
branch, or the Raton Pass main line between Lamy, New Mexico (junction for the
Santa Fe Southern) and Trinidad, Colorado.


I believe the State of New Mexico now owns that whole Raton line - they do own
the part north and south of ABQ - for the purpose of eventually providing (with
the state of CO) service to Denver.  I don't know if this explains the removal
of the BNSF cars there.

Andy

In September, we drove past East St. Johnsbury, in northern Vermont.  The track
of the former SJ&LC (St Johnsbury & Lake Champlain) is still intact there, with
grade crossing signals in place.

The SPV atlas I have (1999) shows the line as 'active', but it wasn't at the
time we saw it.  The right-of-way now resembles a wild tree farm, with tall
trees growing between the rails for some distance.  Unfortunately, I did not
have time to get a picture.

Maybe this line is rail-banked, in the hopes that a new operator will come along
to bring rail service back.  It would take a lot of clean-up work to get this
line back in service.

In May of this year we drove by this branch on the way to/from Santa Fe.  This
branch leaves the BNSF (former Santa Fe) Raton Pass line in northeast New
Mexico.

At the time, it was used for storage of baretable cars (which are used to haul
containers).  The track looked like it was in use at the US 64 grade crossing
near Colfax.

I saw on a post on another board that these cars have all been removed within
the past couple weeks.  Evidently BNSF has no more freight customers on this
branch, or the Raton Pass main line between Lamy, New Mexico (junction for the
Santa Fe Southern) and Trinidad, Colorado.

Hi Drew,

A very nice poem by Randall, and you did a splendid job with it in your video!
Your selection of photos was excellent!

Thanks for sharing this!

Verne Brummel,
Fitchburg,WI
http://trainsite.8m.com/slides.html


--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "Drew" <laverdiereaf@...>
wrote:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk8JnmXgP2c
>
> Randall Stephen posted this poem on the guest book section of Gregs website,
and I decided to make it into a video. Hope I did it justice.
>
> Drew
>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk8JnmXgP2c

Randall Stephen posted this poem on the guest book section of Gregs website, and
I decided to make it into a video. Hope I did it justice.

Drew

Dear Nikos,

   Awesome video, and sound track! It would appear, the memories and
stories must live on! That's why, I hope I can gather as much info
on the abandoned railroads of Central Texas, of how railroad tycoons
muscled their way in, built the line, used the heck out of it, and
now lay fallow. As of August 2009, the railroad connection from the
towns of Stephenville through Brownwood seem to be tapering off and
a guy who worked on my camper shell, on my GMC S15 told me, that the
Union Pacific was downsizing and he took an early retirement. Also,
the end result was traffic from the FWWR was also slowing down a lot.
I hadn't seen much traffic in and around Stephenville, except some
stored cars on a siding track by the overpass on the South Loop of
Stephenville. Looks like FWWR and other Class II and III railroads
are being pinched during the "recession". Great Video! I hope I get
to get time off, a video camera phone, or video camera and tape the
areas I spoke of in my last posts and upload them to You Tube! :)

Keep The Faith, Keep the hand on the Throttle and the foot on the
dead man's switch!

Shalom,

Micha'el D. Lucas
76531

--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, nikos kavoori <nikosjk1@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi guys,
> For those who are interested, i have uploaded a video of the last run of the
Covington Branch to youtube. You can find it here
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSpEPtnVlI4
> Here is a video of the funeral train going up the Monroe branch after being
brought to Social Circle by CSX
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeicLUDosEc
> Also, check out my friend David Stewart's shots on RRPA of the last run
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=49429
>
> Nikos
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Excellent Job, Nikos.
  Thank you!

Kevin


--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, nikos kavoori <nikosjk1@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi guys,
> For those who are interested, i have uploaded a video of the last run of the
Covington Branch to youtube. You can find it here
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSpEPtnVlI4
> Here is a video of the funeral train going up the Monroe branch after being
brought to Social Circle by CSX
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeicLUDosEc
> Also, check out my friend David Stewart's shots on RRPA of the last run
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=49429
>
> Nikos
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Another victory for the Spandex bunch.

Hi guys,
For those who are interested, i have uploaded a video of the last run of the
Covington Branch to youtube. You can find it here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSpEPtnVlI4
Here is a video of the funeral train going up the Monroe branch after being
brought to Social Circle by CSX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeicLUDosEc
Also, check out my friend David Stewart's shots on RRPA of the last run
http://rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=49429

Nikos





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Yesterday, my dad and I took a little ride out in the country btween Atlanta and
Augusta and a bit to the south.
  I think he gets a kick out of my oddball curiosity about the abandoned
railroads and abandoned structures that dot the Georgia landscape.
  Either way, at 72, he enjoys any excuse to get out of the house and just go
ride.

  Part of our drive yesterday entailed riding along and tracking the old Augusta
Southern RR that once ran from Tenille,GA to Augusta,GA.
  The line was bought by the Georgia & Florida long ago so that it would have a
route to Augusta using the Keysville-Augusta section.
It operated the rest of the AS from Keysville to Tenille as a seperate entity
from what I can tell.
  The old AS did not do so good in the depression and it ended up abandoned from
Tenille to Keysville in about 1934.

Part of the AS actually paralleled the Sandersville RR between Tenille and
Sandersville, then went to the north and east.
A more complete history is available at Steve Story's excellent website:
http://railga.com/augsou.html

  One thing very interesting about the AS is the amount of depots that still
stand from this railroad that has been gone for 75 years.
There is a building I suspect is an old AS freight house at Tenille, but I have
to get back there to explore it further.
As for depots along the line, they stand at Warthen, Mitchell, Avera, Stapleton,
Wrens and Matthews.
  They are classic structures complete with a hip roof, dual waiting rooms and
the squared off operators bay window.
  The Mitchell depot is the best looking as it it is apparently well loved and
taken care of by the small community.
I do not have my photos downloaded yet but here is an online photo:
http://railga.com/Depots/mitchell.html

The rest of the depots resemble this one.

The Matthews depot is in rough shape but still complete. It has had some odd
patchwork on it and I am not sure who even owns the building. (Oh to win the
lottery and I would.....)
http://railga.com/Depots/matthews.html

The depot at Avera is actually a bit of a mystery. It may actually be either the
freight end of the original depot or a separate freight house. It has the same
hip roof as the others but does not have the passenger section.
I have no photo available of it as yet.

Wrens, GA has two depots, the old AS depot that has been resided with brick, and
the Savannah & Atlanta depot about a mile south of town.
The S&A crossed the AS west of town.

Stapleton has apparently turned its depot into a nice community center. It is
well taken care of as well.

The Warthen depot is identical and well taken care of as well.


I explored 2 other depots yesterday that are on whats left of the Georgia RR
Macon Branch currently operated by CSX.
  The depots I explored were Sparta,GA, which I had seen before and Mayfield
which I had not.
  Sparta is a grand building even in its current rather rough and grown over
condition.
  It was built in the 1800s and is red brick with a hip roof.
I poked around inside and found Seaboard System paperwork in a half opened
drawer at the operators bay window. I am sure this place closed around 1984,
after the GaRR was consumed by Seaboard system.
  Unfortunately, water has gotten in at the operators area and the floor is
rotted. I did not venture too close to it.
  The order board operating quadrants are still mounted by the desk, although the
order boards outside are long gone.
  The building still has those old hanging light fixtures in the freight section
that have those giant clear 150 watt light bulbs.

My next find was the wooden depot at Mayfield.
I had never seen this depot and I enjoyed looking it over although I could only
get in the junk filled waiting rooms.
Even so, it still has that classic tongue and groove finish inside everywhere
you look.
  This building had CSX - KEEP OUT signs on the building, although those had
apparently not bothered the people that put junk in the building.

  Oh, just to clear up any misunderstandings about whether I might have been
trespassing, I am sure the buildings are still owned by CSX.
I work for CSX in Atlanta so thats not a problem
In fact, I plan on doing some further research at the division engineering
office and talk with the Bridge and Building manager about the fate, etc. of the
buildings..

So another nice day of what I call "railroad necrology".
I dearly love history and this certainly fills the bill.
Its an enjoyable past-time, even though I work for the railroad.

Kevin Wood
Loganville, GA

Quaint, yes.  Covington was the setting for the TV show "In the Heat of the
Night" with Carroll O'Connor.  In my mind, a shortline adds to the quaintness,
but I am biased.
I support rail trails, but this is the first time that I have seen reasonable
suspicion of the desire to create a trail hastening the demise of an active rail
line.  That certainly runs counter to the objective of preserving rights-of-way
for future economic use (other than recreational).
Living on another side of Atlanta, I have to chuckle at the third world comment.
I bet that any future rail trail will be more heavily used by illegals than by
citizens like the mayor's husband!
--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "kq4le" <kq4le@...> wrote:
>
> I will answer for Nikos, as I was the one that sent him the heads up.
> I worked the like a several years before coming to CSX and I know the owner
and general manager of the Great Walton well.
>  In fact they were the ones to tell me about the situation.
>
>  A bit of history first.
>  The Covington,GA to Machen,GA line is owned by Norfolk Southern. It was
originally the Middle Georgia & Atlantic which was folded into the Central of
Georgia in the late 1890s.
> An extension of a few miles was added on the Covington end in 1899 to take
rail service to the huge cotton mill at Porterdale,GA.
> Of course the CofG was brought into the Southern Ry in 1963.
> Then into NS in 1982.
>
>  The line is actually the western end of a line that extended from
Milledgeville,GA, through Eatonton, to Machen, then Covington.
>   There was a diamond crossing (CofG crossing its own Macon-Athens line) at
Machen.
>  In the late 1950's an 18 mile section of the line between Machen and Eatonton
was abandoned, leaving the Machen-Covington-Porterdale section to be serviced
from the Athens line.
>  While the claim for abandonment was supposedly lack of traffic, some of us
figure that CofG was trying their level best to screw the Georgia RR out of a
trackage rights situation.
> Ga Power had just built Plant branch, a coal fired power plant, on this line
near Milledgeville.
> This would have been the straightest route to take coal to the Plant.
> CofG figured if they crippled this straight route, they would get the haul.
>  As it was, the Georgia RR still carried the coal, just having to go 100+
miles out of the way.
>  And CSX still does today.
>
>  When NS started its "Thoroughbred Shortline" program in the late 1980s, B.R.
Anderson, operator of the Great Walton RR (old Georgia RR Monroe branch) was
able to obtain the lease (1989).
>  This then became the GRWR Covington Line.
>  At the time, there were several steady customers on the line.
> Williams Bros. (woodchips) and Morgan Timber (Pulpwood & logs) between
Covington and Porterdale.
> Frankin Veneer (woodchips) Near Mansfield.
> Rose Acres feed mill (inbound corn & soybeans) and a fertilizer mill (inbound
Ammonium Nitrate and Potash) at Newborn.
> In the 1990s, Frankin Veneer stopped shipping.
> In the 2000s, the fertilizer place as well as Morgan Timber and Williams Bros.
closed.
> In the end, it has only been Rose Acres as a customer for a while.
>
> As a note, Mr. Anderson had gone to the cotton mill at Porterdale to win some
rail traffic from them. It was not to be. Southern/NS had screwed them so bad
service-wise that they didn't say no... they said HELL NO!.
>  Therefore the rails beyond Williams Bros. chip mill were abandoned in the
early 1990s as there were no customers that last mile or so.
> (I wish he would have kept about 1/2 mile more so that we could have used the
wye that was once there.......)
>
> Now for a little more twist.
> The Covington branch has 2 interchanges.
> NS at Machen and CSX at Covington.
> When NS leased out the line, there was apparently no exclusivity to use only
the NS interchange. In fact, there was some bridge traffic from NS to CSX via
the Covington line.
>
>  In the late 1990s, NS jacked their freight rates. The shippers were hit so
they started getting the majority of their cars via CSX. This took place while I
was still there.
>  When the chip mill closed, they were the last folks sending cars over NS.
There really was no point going further east than Newborn,GA where the feed mill
is located. That section of track laid dormant.
>
>  In the last few years, GRWR has been storing TTX flats on what is left of the
Porterdale track near Covington and storing other cars on the east end of the
line at the NS interchange at Machen.
>
> Now we get to play politics.....
>
> The City of Covington is a quaint little community and their mayor started all
these talks about how the railroad was so ragged and how a nice cycling and/or
walking trail would benefit the town and Newton County.
>  Never mind that this is one of Georgia's 3rd world counties....
> Oh.... did I mention that the Mayor's husband is President of the
Conyers-Covington Cycling Club..?...? (Interesting don't you think?)
>
>  Well this mayor lady has been in apparent talks with NS about this rail trail
project.
>  I think there is a $1.3+ million pricetag floating around...
>
>  So, the 3 year lease from NS to GRWR has been extended monthly for about 17
years now. NS suddenly decided to end the lease.
>  NS sees this (in my opinion):
> 1) Offer of $$$$ for about 10-12 miles of a line they don't even really want.
> 2) The current operator (GRWR) is using CSX exclusively for interchange mean
no $$$ for NS.
> 3) NS has an NS friendly competing shortline already based on the Athens line
at Machen,GA that can service the one remaining customer at Newborn,GA from the
east, by using NS routing.
> 4) With the CSX interchange effectively cut, NS gets the haul.
>
> Now for a little more dollars and cents kind of stuff.
> The line boasts 5 bridges.
> Bridges are not cheap to maintain.
> This maintenance is not much worth the 200 odd carloads the GRWR was handling
a year for Rose Acres feed mill.
>
> Maintenance indeed.
> 1 bridge is the all steel structure over the highway at the Machen
interchange. (not a big deal)
> 1 bridge (VERY HIGH!!!!!) is over the Alcovy River just out of Covington. It
has 3 steel center-spans on concrete piers but has long timber approaches.
>  The other 3 bridges are 100% timber spans with concrete caps that were
installed 45 years ago or so (before I was born...).
> Athough the steel structure is at Machen, all of the wooden maintenance
intensive bridges are between the CSX interchange at Covington and the customer
at Newborn.
>
> Looking at things from a business standpoint, I figure that realistically, the
NS probably did the Great Walton a favor.
>
> For lovers of this kind of shortline operation, it was a blow.
>
> Here is how I see things possibly play out for the Covington Branch:
> The line will probably get abandoned from around Mansfield,GA west through
Covington and whats left of the Porterdale spur.
> The line east of Mansfield will be operated by Squaw Creek Southern as long as
the feed mill at Newborn,GA continues in business.
>
> If you use Google Maps and put in "Machen,GA" you can then follow the route
northwest all the way to Covington and over to Porterdale.
> I suggest this link for more history:
> http://railga.com/midga.html
>
> Town or communities served by this line are:
> Machen
> Kelly
> Farrar
> Broughton
> Newborn
> Mansfield
> Hayston
> Starrsville
> Covington
> Porterdale
>
>
> I hope this was informative and interesting.
>
> Regards
>
> Kevin Wood
> Locomotive Mechanical Instructor
> CSX Atlanta, GA
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "Pfefferle, Walter"
<wpfefferle@> wrote:
> >
> > I guess I might have missed the report of the end.  Can you in a few
> > paragraphs bring me up to speed on why this short line closed and is it for
> > good?
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> >
> >
> > Great shots by the way.
> >
> >
> >
> > Railpast
> >
> > Walter Pfefferle
> >
> > Beachville Ontario
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com
> > [mailto:abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of nikos
> > kavoori
> > Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 2:25 PM
> > To: GA-WPR@yahoogroups.com; serails@yahoogroups.com;
> > georgiashortlines@yahoogroups.com; NSCSXRailfan@yahoogroups.com;
> > Atlantarail@yahoogroups.com; abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com;
> > carolinarails@yahoogroups.com; athens bend track
> > Subject: [Abandoned Railroads of the US] Last run of the Covington Branch -
> > Photos
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi everyone,
> > I was lucky enough to be one of the 5 railfans on hand to photograph the
> > final run of the Great Walton Covington branch and i thought i would share
> > the photos with you all. The first move was supposed to happen around 9 AM
> > but luckly was postponed till around 11 AM allowing the sun to get to a
> > better angle.
> > Power sunning itself in Covington for the last time
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>

Thanks Kevin for the great history lesion. Helps to understand their demise.
Just think if politics were kept out of operations like this. I am sure many
would still be operating.



I followed a lot of abandoned lines here in Ontario.



Some of my excursions are documented on a page that will soon be gone as it
is hosted on Geocities.



http://geocities.com/railpast/



I am sure it will rise again.





Railpast

Walter Pfefferle

Beachville Ontario





-----Original Message-----
From: abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of kq4le
Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 8:27 PM
To: abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Abandoned Railroads of the US] Re: Last run of the Covington
Branch - Photos



hope this was informative and interesting.

Regards

Kevin Wood
Locomotive Mechanical Instructor
CSX Atlanta, GA









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I will answer for Nikos, as I was the one that sent him the heads up.
I worked the like a several years before coming to CSX and I know the owner and
general manager of the Great Walton well.
  In fact they were the ones to tell me about the situation.

  A bit of history first.
  The Covington,GA to Machen,GA line is owned by Norfolk Southern. It was
originally the Middle Georgia & Atlantic which was folded into the Central of
Georgia in the late 1890s.
An extension of a few miles was added on the Covington end in 1899 to take rail
service to the huge cotton mill at Porterdale,GA.
Of course the CofG was brought into the Southern Ry in 1963.
Then into NS in 1982.

  The line is actually the western end of a line that extended from
Milledgeville,GA, through Eatonton, to Machen, then Covington.
   There was a diamond crossing (CofG crossing its own Macon-Athens line) at
Machen.
  In the late 1950's an 18 mile section of the line between Machen and Eatonton
was abandoned, leaving the Machen-Covington-Porterdale section to be serviced
from the Athens line.
  While the claim for abandonment was supposedly lack of traffic, some of us
figure that CofG was trying their level best to screw the Georgia RR out of a
trackage rights situation.
Ga Power had just built Plant branch, a coal fired power plant, on this line
near Milledgeville.
This would have been the straightest route to take coal to the Plant.
CofG figured if they crippled this straight route, they would get the haul.
  As it was, the Georgia RR still carried the coal, just having to go 100+ miles
out of the way.
  And CSX still does today.

  When NS started its "Thoroughbred Shortline" program in the late 1980s, B.R.
Anderson, operator of the Great Walton RR (old Georgia RR Monroe branch) was
able to obtain the lease (1989).
  This then became the GRWR Covington Line.
  At the time, there were several steady customers on the line.
Williams Bros. (woodchips) and Morgan Timber (Pulpwood & logs) between Covington
and Porterdale.
Frankin Veneer (woodchips) Near Mansfield.
Rose Acres feed mill (inbound corn & soybeans) and a fertilizer mill (inbound
Ammonium Nitrate and Potash) at Newborn.
In the 1990s, Frankin Veneer stopped shipping.
In the 2000s, the fertilizer place as well as Morgan Timber and Williams Bros.
closed.
In the end, it has only been Rose Acres as a customer for a while.

As a note, Mr. Anderson had gone to the cotton mill at Porterdale to win some
rail traffic from them. It was not to be. Southern/NS had screwed them so bad
service-wise that they didn't say no... they said HELL NO!.
  Therefore the rails beyond Williams Bros. chip mill were abandoned in the early
1990s as there were no customers that last mile or so.
(I wish he would have kept about 1/2 mile more so that we could have used the
wye that was once there.......)

Now for a little more twist.
The Covington branch has 2 interchanges.
NS at Machen and CSX at Covington.
When NS leased out the line, there was apparently no exclusivity to use only the
NS interchange. In fact, there was some bridge traffic from NS to CSX via the
Covington line.

  In the late 1990s, NS jacked their freight rates. The shippers were hit so they
started getting the majority of their cars via CSX. This took place while I was
still there.
  When the chip mill closed, they were the last folks sending cars over NS. There
really was no point going further east than Newborn,GA where the feed mill is
located. That section of track laid dormant.

  In the last few years, GRWR has been storing TTX flats on what is left of the
Porterdale track near Covington and storing other cars on the east end of the
line at the NS interchange at Machen.

Now we get to play politics.....

The City of Covington is a quaint little community and their mayor started all
these talks about how the railroad was so ragged and how a nice cycling and/or
walking trail would benefit the town and Newton County.
  Never mind that this is one of Georgia's 3rd world counties....
Oh.... did I mention that the Mayor's husband is President of the
Conyers-Covington Cycling Club..?...? (Interesting don't you think?)

  Well this mayor lady has been in apparent talks with NS about this rail trail
project.
  I think there is a $1.3+ million pricetag floating around...

  So, the 3 year lease from NS to GRWR has been extended monthly for about 17
years now. NS suddenly decided to end the lease.
  NS sees this (in my opinion):
1) Offer of $$$$ for about 10-12 miles of a line they don't even really want.
2) The current operator (GRWR) is using CSX exclusively for interchange mean no
$$$ for NS.
3) NS has an NS friendly competing shortline already based on the Athens line at
Machen,GA that can service the one remaining customer at Newborn,GA from the
east, by using NS routing.
4) With the CSX interchange effectively cut, NS gets the haul.

Now for a little more dollars and cents kind of stuff.
The line boasts 5 bridges.
Bridges are not cheap to maintain.
This maintenance is not much worth the 200 odd carloads the GRWR was handling a
year for Rose Acres feed mill.

Maintenance indeed.
1 bridge is the all steel structure over the highway at the Machen interchange.
(not a big deal)
1 bridge (VERY HIGH!!!!!) is over the Alcovy River just out of Covington. It has
3 steel center-spans on concrete piers but has long timber approaches.
  The other 3 bridges are 100% timber spans with concrete caps that were
installed 45 years ago or so (before I was born...).
Athough the steel structure is at Machen, all of the wooden maintenance
intensive bridges are between the CSX interchange at Covington and the customer
at Newborn.

Looking at things from a business standpoint, I figure that realistically, the
NS probably did the Great Walton a favor.

For lovers of this kind of shortline operation, it was a blow.

Here is how I see things possibly play out for the Covington Branch:
The line will probably get abandoned from around Mansfield,GA west through
Covington and whats left of the Porterdale spur.
The line east of Mansfield will be operated by Squaw Creek Southern as long as
the feed mill at Newborn,GA continues in business.

If you use Google Maps and put in "Machen,GA" you can then follow the route
northwest all the way to Covington and over to Porterdale.
I suggest this link for more history:
http://railga.com/midga.html

Town or communities served by this line are:
Machen
Kelly
Farrar
Broughton
Newborn
Mansfield
Hayston
Starrsville
Covington
Porterdale


I hope this was informative and interesting.

Regards

Kevin Wood
Locomotive Mechanical Instructor
CSX Atlanta, GA















--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "Pfefferle, Walter"
<wpfefferle@...> wrote:
>
> I guess I might have missed the report of the end.  Can you in a few
> paragraphs bring me up to speed on why this short line closed and is it for
> good?
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> Great shots by the way.
>
>
>
> Railpast
>
> Walter Pfefferle
>
> Beachville Ontario
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of nikos
> kavoori
> Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 2:25 PM
> To: GA-WPR@yahoogroups.com; serails@yahoogroups.com;
> georgiashortlines@yahoogroups.com; NSCSXRailfan@yahoogroups.com;
> Atlantarail@yahoogroups.com; abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com;
> carolinarails@yahoogroups.com; athens bend track
> Subject: [Abandoned Railroads of the US] Last run of the Covington Branch -
> Photos
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi everyone,
> I was lucky enough to be one of the 5 railfans on hand to photograph the
> final run of the Great Walton Covington branch and i thought i would share
> the photos with you all. The first move was supposed to happen around 9 AM
> but luckly was postponed till around 11 AM allowing the sun to get to a
> better angle.
> Power sunning itself in Covington for the last time
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

I guess I might have missed the report of the end.  Can you in a few
paragraphs bring me up to speed on why this short line closed and is it for
good?



Thanks.



Great shots by the way.



Railpast

Walter Pfefferle

Beachville Ontario



-----Original Message-----
From: abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of nikos
kavoori
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 2:25 PM
To: GA-WPR@yahoogroups.com; serails@yahoogroups.com;
georgiashortlines@yahoogroups.com; NSCSXRailfan@yahoogroups.com;
Atlantarail@yahoogroups.com; abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com;
carolinarails@yahoogroups.com; athens bend track
Subject: [Abandoned Railroads of the US] Last run of the Covington Branch -
Photos





Hi everyone,
I was lucky enough to be one of the 5 railfans on hand to photograph the
final run of the Great Walton Covington branch and i thought i would share
the photos with you all. The first move was supposed to happen around 9 AM
but luckly was postponed till around 11 AM allowing the sun to get to a
better angle.
Power sunning itself in Covington for the last time





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear nikos kavoori,

   Great shots, and an experience to remember! Nothing like the rev
and start up of a diesel engine. Anyways great share! :)

Micha'el D. Lucas
76531

--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, nikos kavoori <nikosjk1@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
> I was lucky enough to be one of the 5 railfans on hand to photograph the final
run of the Great Walton Covington branch and i thought i would share the photos
with you all. The first move was supposed to happen around 9 AM but luckly was
postponed till around 11 AM allowing the sun to get to a better angle.
> Power sunning itself in Covington for the last time
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780187
> My homemade last run sign
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780192
> CSX power waiting to haul the Great Walton power away
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780191
> Starting the units
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780193
> Crossing the Indian Creek trestle for the last time, one of the spots i wish i
had another chance to
>  shoot
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780197
>
> The crews had parked the last storage cars on the Porterdale lead, and
proceeded to pull them out towards the CSX interchange
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780201
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780202
> Pulling past the switch
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780204
> Shoving back for the last time
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780206
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780207
> Onto the interchange track and into the history books
> http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=298908&nseq=0
> Funeral train leaving town
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780186
> Upon arriving in Social Circle, the CSX power cut off and the Great Walton
units lugged the 20 cars up to Monroe for
>  storage.
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780233
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780234
>
> More pictures here
> http://rrpicturearchives.net/archivethumbs.aspx?id=49310&Page=1
> R.I.P. Covington Branch 1890 - 2009
>
> A big thanks to Kevin Wood for the heads up, and David Stewart for
transportation
>
> - Nikos Kavoori
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Hi everyone,
I was lucky enough to be one of the 5 railfans on hand to photograph the final
run of the Great Walton Covington branch and i thought i would share the photos
with you all. The first move was supposed to happen around 9 AM but luckly was
postponed till around 11 AM allowing the sun to get to a better angle.
Power sunning itself in Covington for the last time
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780187
My homemade last run sign
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780192
CSX power waiting to haul the Great Walton power away
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780191
Starting the units
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780193
Crossing the Indian Creek trestle for the last time, one of the spots i wish i
had another chance to
  shoot
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780197

The crews had parked the last storage cars on the Porterdale lead, and proceeded
to pull them out towards the CSX interchange
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780201
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780202
Pulling past the switch
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780204
Shoving back for the last time
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780206
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780207
Onto the interchange track and into the history books
http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=298908&nseq=0
Funeral train leaving town
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780186
Upon arriving in Social Circle, the CSX power cut off and the Great Walton units
lugged the 20 cars up to Monroe for
  storage.
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780233
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1780234

More pictures here
http://rrpicturearchives.net/archivethumbs.aspx?id=49310&Page=1
R.I.P. Covington Branch 1890 - 2009

A big thanks to Kevin Wood for the heads up, and David Stewart for
transportation

- Nikos Kavoori






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "Ken Kanne" <kkanne@...>
wrote:
>
> The old SP lift (not draw) bridge is a Bascule type.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bascule_bridge
>

Ah! Thanks. It used to belong to the Northwest Pacific RR, but, they were a part
of the SP, so I guess it used to belong to them. 8)

> I have enjoyed your videos, but please, PLEASE get an external microphone
> with a wind sock on it! Substantial portions of your on-site narrations are
> lost to wind noise.

I agree with you there. My current cheap digital camera just isn't up to the
task of much serious outdoor work. It doesn't have any means of connecting an
external mike. However, my financial situation isn't good enough to get a real
camera, and I'm making these videos as a hobby.

>
> I hope you are obtaining permission to walk through these properties BEFORE
> you do so. I was shocked that you walked through people's back yards in the
> WP tunnel video. Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't been shot yet!
>

The area I walked in was in between the apartment building fence and a school
playground. There might have been the slight danger of homeless people camping
out back there, but little else. As a rule, if possible, ask people if its OK.
You can usually learn something about the area if you do.

Dear Ken, and laverdiereaf,

    I agree, find a way to 'muffle' the wind.. ;)  Oh yeah, I do
try to find permission to go out to people's property, if any way
I can to get a hold of the owner. Most of the 'railroad dump' in
my area is on a friend of mine's land, and if I can get a cell phone
camera set up, there is a 'railroad dump' that used to have a
trestle that was the 'main line' into the town, that went past now
a motel, and a doctor's house south of town, and where there are
houses south side of town, used to be a stock yard, and rail yard.

"Railroad Street" runs through town, heading north, past the now
defunct Chevy dealership, with the awnings, and modifications on
the outside, while the depot remains unchanged. The 'railroad
street' progress past a laundry mat, past an abandoned ice house
back in the 20's, 30's and 40's, then past an old Gulf distribution
center, right through some houses, then veers east northerly
through Pecan Creek Park, where the concrete drainage culvert
exists, slings west northerly, to County Road 201, in a more
straight northwesterly route, crossing U.S. 281, behind some bill
boards, onto private property where the next 'public access' is
along County Road 101 and 103 where a wooden trestle once stood.
"The Old Stephenville Highway" back in the olden days. There "WAS"
a WYE that splits due west to Comanche and then north toward
Olin, Spurlin, Carlton, Alexander, and Stephenville. Westerly, it
went to Lamkin, Gustine, and then on to Comanche.

   The I.C.C. hence shut down that western route back in the 1930's
turning it into now State Highway 36 Memorial highway, where the
highway from Lamkin to Comanche is amazing 'railroadish' as it is
very smooth, level, and 'railroady' till the highway goes over a
bridge where the current railroad goes under. The old 'railroad
dump' from the WYE north, is either long plowed, bulldozed or lay
fallow to vegetation, sections of 'railroad dump' exist east of
Carlton, and "Spurlin, TX" since now a ghost town, exist on private
property where "hunting season" is now open! Don't wear deer antlers
this time of year! HA HA HA! Spurlin, TX and "Springtown, TX" once
were railroad towns. (Springtown, TX is along now County Road
103 (sections closed and the Warren Creek Bridge is unsafe since it
rotted away and budget cuts closed the bridge) The 'railroad dump'
proceeds from the other half of County Road 103, where it is part
of the County Road / 'abandoned R.O.W.' as evidence by the way the
large hills been blasted and narrow enough for one car to pass by
with a nice drop off. The section is since fenced off to private
property, leaving a few hundred yards or a few 10 thousand feet of
private property. The western half of County Road 103 dead ends
to County Road 106, but evidence remains the "Right Of Way" still
bears shape of railroad activity long gone since the 1930's. The
town of Springtown, TX since long abandoned, showed signs of a very
small whistle stop, and the "r.o.w." progresses on to Lamkin, TX.

    John Spurlin founded Spurlin, TX but since the demise of the
railroad, in the 1930's the town dismantled, and sold to private
development. A Small Cemetery remains with few rotting structures,
and since its private owned by non local residents, its up to chance
if any will survive to this date. The Farm To Market Road to the
town of Carlton, TX ties north to Alexander which shows some sort of
'railroad dump' remains, but the road crew decided to use much and
some of the previous road bed to utilize as a paved road to the
town of Alexander, as it veers off west of Alexander and proceeds to
Stephenville in Erath County. Today, mostly dairies and also cattle
ranches dominate the southern half of Erath county, and any of all
evidence of 'railroad dumps' long since obliterated or closed on
private property.

   I would surmise that 50 to 70% of the 'stretches of track' are
on private property, dismantled beyond any recognition, and possibly
the land owners had since either sold the remains of any evidence
to scrap iron, or museums if any. Documentation books and records
that possibly handed down from generation to generation may have
been auctioned off, sold, lost to fire, or scattered to the winds.
From the 1930's to the present date, if there was any records, it
went with the railroad company that used the land. If anyone who
worked for the railroad during the time frame, managed to preserve
any information, I ask anyone who know of that person or happen to
be a descendant of a railroad employee who worked the Cotton Belt
from the 1910's to the 1940's may have a gold mine locked in their
relative's house, a trunk or possibly in a storage center. I only
hope if any proof exists, lies in the families and descendants who
may have come across their grand father's or great grand father's
trunk full of railroad trinkets and papers. It's the employee's who
worked the St Louis Southwestern, Cotton Belt and possibly the
Stephenville Texas North and South who possibly kept any records,
books, photographs, documentation, and time tables that may be in
some trunk, locker, or storage shed waiting to be discovered. I for
one came to this area in the 1980's as a young man, and I met some
old timers who told me about the railroad, even back as the 1960's
the MKT ran through the town of Hico, TX. From Waco, TX all the way
to Breckenridge, TX along currently State Highway 6, the M.K.T.
ran through these small towns, up until the company decided to
shut down operations, in the mid 1960's, and cut back to the late
90's, when the remaining track from Dublin was also cut back. The
peanut industry took some hard hits, and the need for a railroad
waned.

    What is left is railroad operations from the Fort Worth Western
Railroad, F.W.W.R. that is a CLASS II or CLASS III railroad that
runs southwest from Ft Worth, TX to Brownwood, TX. Dublin has seen
its share of tracks removed over the years, and so has Comanche.
What is left today is the last of the Mohicans. A last of the
dinosaurs as it were.

http://www.fwwr.net/

http://www.fwwr.net/FWWR-Route-Final-w-dallas.jpg

http://www.fwwr.net/Maps/Pacifico.htm

You have to expand, but if you want to see any remains of an
active operational railroad in Texas this is it!

I hope I am able to help or get carried away with this. lol
At least, I hope the information will remain here on this
group since not to many people 'love abandoned railroads'
at least I don't see many "I Love Abandoned Railroads" or
"Let's Tromp on private property to look for abandoned R.O.W."

I hope the memory and history of what I write will be preserved for
those who want to know more about Texas Railroads and inspire others
to dig for themselves on railroads in their local area. At least see
what the hiring process is, and try to get a job working for a
railroad if you are lucky.

Shalom,

Micha'el D. Lucas
76531


--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "Ken Kanne" <kkanne@...>
wrote:
>
> The old SP lift (not draw) bridge is a Bascule type.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bascule_bridge
>
> I have enjoyed your videos, but please, PLEASE get an external microphone
> with a wind sock on it! Substantial portions of your on-site narrations are
> lost to wind noise.
>
> I hope you are obtaining permission to walk through these properties BEFORE
> you do so. I was shocked that you walked through people's back yards in the
> WP tunnel video. Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't been shot yet!
>
> Ken Kanne
> The Air Horn Hospital
> Silverhill, AL
> www.airhornhospital.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "laverdiereaf" <laverdiereaf@...>
> To: <abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2009 4:17 PM
> Subject: [Abandoned Railroads of the US] Preserving Railroad History...
>
>
> > >
> >> Dear John,
> >>
> >>     When I see a "railroad dump" or abandoned R.O.W. lay fallow, I
> >> sometimes hear and see ghosts rumble by, as case in point, along Farm
> >> to Market 932, from Aleman, TX to Ireland, TX I often can see faint
> >> shadows of a freight train easing by. Since this stretch of "railroad
> >> dump" was the last section to be 'uprooted' I can almost see the
> >> vintage freight train rumble by.
> >
> > Hi Micha'el.
> >
> > That's a pretty nifty vision you have. Good luck in your search. Speaking
> > of ghosts, my newest video is a visit to a ghost town! It was built in
> > connection to a very unique steam monorail system back in the 1870's that
> > quickly flopped due to a rather glaring "bug" in the system. An old
> > Southern Pacific swing bridge is included too. Take heed of irate property
> > owners. I stupidly almost got my butt shot in the "shooting" (ahem) of the
> > video, plus the danger of a longhorn bull going postal on me. Enjoy.
> >
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btwqpvamXKU
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>

The old SP lift (not draw) bridge is a Bascule type.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bascule_bridge

I have enjoyed your videos, but please, PLEASE get an external microphone
with a wind sock on it! Substantial portions of your on-site narrations are
lost to wind noise.

I hope you are obtaining permission to walk through these properties BEFORE
you do so. I was shocked that you walked through people's back yards in the
WP tunnel video. Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't been shot yet!

Ken Kanne
The Air Horn Hospital
Silverhill, AL
www.airhornhospital.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "laverdiereaf" <laverdiereaf@...>
To: <abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2009 4:17 PM
Subject: [Abandoned Railroads of the US] Preserving Railroad History...


> >
>> Dear John,
>>
>>     When I see a "railroad dump" or abandoned R.O.W. lay fallow, I
>> sometimes hear and see ghosts rumble by, as case in point, along Farm
>> to Market 932, from Aleman, TX to Ireland, TX I often can see faint
>> shadows of a freight train easing by. Since this stretch of "railroad
>> dump" was the last section to be 'uprooted' I can almost see the
>> vintage freight train rumble by.
>
> Hi Micha'el.
>
> That's a pretty nifty vision you have. Good luck in your search. Speaking
> of ghosts, my newest video is a visit to a ghost town! It was built in
> connection to a very unique steam monorail system back in the 1870's that
> quickly flopped due to a rather glaring "bug" in the system. An old
> Southern Pacific swing bridge is included too. Take heed of irate property
> owners. I stupidly almost got my butt shot in the "shooting" (ahem) of the
> video, plus the danger of a longhorn bull going postal on me. Enjoy.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btwqpvamXKU
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

>
> Dear John,
>
>     When I see a "railroad dump" or abandoned R.O.W. lay fallow, I sometimes
hear and see ghosts rumble by, as case in point, along Farm
> to Market 932, from Aleman, TX to Ireland, TX I often can see faint
> shadows of a freight train easing by. Since this stretch of "railroad
> dump" was the last section to be 'uprooted' I can almost see the
> vintage freight train rumble by.

Hi Micha'el.

That's a pretty nifty vision you have. Good luck in your search. Speaking of
ghosts, my newest video is a visit to a ghost town! It was built in connection
to a very unique steam monorail system back in the 1870's that quickly flopped
due to a rather glaring "bug" in the system. An old Southern Pacific swing
bridge is included too. Take heed of irate property owners. I stupidly almost
got my butt shot in the "shooting" (ahem) of the video, plus the danger of a
longhorn bull going postal on me. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btwqpvamXKU

Speaking of old timers' records, my grandfather, W.R. Bloyd, was an
engineer on the old Virginian Railway, serving from 1923 to 1954. What's left of
the Virginian is now part of the Norfolk Southern System. Grandad never threw
anything away, and I have his time books and other official railroad
correspondence, documents, and other things that he kept over the years, like
his
annual passes, switch key and rule book.
Because of Grandad's time books, I have been able to identify two dated
pictures of Virginian freight runs on which his time books indicate he was the
engineer, and also listing his fireman's name. One of those is on page 21 of
"The Virginian Railway In Color", by William G. McClure III and Jeremy F.
Plant. The other is a dated photo I ran across on ebay, which is now included
in Aubrey Wiley's 2010 Virginian Railway calendar for the month of July.
If you have old railroad employee time books, be sure and hang on to them
because they are a treasure trove of information on days long since gone by
on railroads that may no longer exist.

Greg Harrod
22407
======================================

In a message dated 9/13/2009 2:10:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
lawnmowermantx@... writes:


> Dear John,
>
> When I see a "railroad dump" or abandoned R.O.W. lay fallow, I sometimes
> hear and see ghosts rumble by, as case in point, along Farm
> to Market 932, from Aleman, TX to Ireland, TX I often can see faint
> shadows of a freight train easing by. Since this stretch of "railroad
> dump" was the last section to be 'uprooted' I can almost see the
> vintage freight train rumble by. From 1933 to 1941, the last of the
> old Cotton Belt a.k.a. Stephenville Texas North and South, or St
> Louis Southwestern, did the final runs till the choice was made to
> pull out. I know I get emotional, yet the ghosts still haunt these
> 'railroad dumps' you just to be in the right frame of mind, and to
> find a time table of when each train was due.
>
> Most of the old timers I remember as a kid are either dead or rotting away
> in a stinky nursing home, Most of Hamilton County is built upon
> Native American burial grounds, so no telling what history lies in
> Hamilton County Soil. I only pray I can find some way to preserve the
> history of Hamilton County, with regards to the railroad, and the
> history that began here. Much of the railroad history was either
> lost, or destroyed as record keeping back in the early 1900's
> was not vital. Some old timer may have lost his records when he
> passed away and some unfeeling descendant may have 'threw away' or
> burned all that 'old junk' or some one may have recovered the records
> if any and misplaced them. If I had the time, money, resources and
> means to dig up, and do some detective work on my own (while paying
> the bills) to put together a historical reference I'd do it. Since I
> work for a prison, and don't make big money, my efforts are at
> best limited and restricted. I hope to procure and obtain a good
> digital camera and get as much as I can without getting shot or
> getting permission to tromp the old 'railroad dumps' as they are
> called in Texas to my understanding.
>
> Shalom,
>
> Micha'el D. Lucas
> 76531
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Micha'el,

Thank you for such a well-written and evocative email.  Not the kind
one often sees on many yahoogroups.  While I've been through Texas a
total of only two times in my entire (so far) 60 years of life, one of
those times on Amtrak, I've had the same experiences and feelings
about the many old "roads" here in California.

I wish you success in whatever digging you're able to accomplish.

Harry
http://harrymarnell.net/SGVRT-RR.htm

lawnmowermantx wrote:
> Dear John,
>
>    When I see a "railroad dump" or abandoned R.O.W. lay fallow, I
> sometimes hear and see ghosts rumble by, as case in point, along
> Farm
> to Market 932, from Aleman, TX to Ireland, TX I often can see faint
> shadows of a freight train easing by.
> ...
>  I only pray I can find some way to preserve the
> history of Hamilton County, with regards to the railroad, and the
> history that began here. Much of the railroad history was either
> lost, or destroyed as record keeping back in the early 1900's
> was not vital. Some old timer may have lost his records when he
> passed away and some unfeeling descendant may have 'threw away' or
> burned all that 'old junk' or some one may have recovered the
> records
> if any and misplaced them. If I had the time, money, resources and
> means to dig up, and do some detective work on my own (while paying
> the bills) to put together a historical reference I'd do it...
>
> Shalom,
>
> Micha'el D. Lucas
> 76531

Dear John,

     When I see a "railroad dump" or abandoned R.O.W. lay fallow, I sometimes
hear and see ghosts rumble by, as case in point, along Farm
to Market 932, from Aleman, TX to Ireland, TX I often can see faint
shadows of a freight train easing by. Since this stretch of "railroad
dump" was the last section to be 'uprooted' I can almost see the
vintage freight train rumble by. From 1933 to 1941, the last of the
old Cotton Belt a.k.a. Stephenville Texas North and South, or St
Louis Southwestern, did the final runs till the choice was made to
pull out. I know I get emotional, yet the ghosts still haunt these
'railroad dumps' you just to be in the right frame of mind, and to
find a time table of when each train was due.

Most of the old timers I remember as a kid are either dead or rotting away in a
stinky nursing home, Most of Hamilton County is built upon
Native American burial grounds, so no telling what history lies in
Hamilton County Soil. I only pray I can find some way to preserve the
history of Hamilton County, with regards to the railroad, and the
history that began here. Much of the railroad history was either
lost, or destroyed as record keeping back in the early 1900's
was not vital. Some old timer may have lost his records when he
passed away and some unfeeling descendant may have 'threw away' or
burned all that 'old junk' or some one may have recovered the records
if any and misplaced them. If I had the time, money, resources and
means to dig up, and do some detective work on my own (while paying
the bills) to put together a historical reference I'd do it. Since I
work for a prison, and don't make big money, my efforts are at
best limited and restricted.  I hope to procure and obtain a good
digital camera and get as much as I can without getting shot or
getting permission to tromp the old 'railroad dumps' as they are
called in Texas to my understanding.

Shalom,

Micha'el D. Lucas
76531

Dear laverdiereaf,

    Around here in Texas, much of the land lay fallow after the
railroad pulled out. In fact, there are some sections that may
still be around, or if the land owner decides to dismantle then
so be it. Most railroad companies of the 70's that once ran good
hit hard times in the 80's and 90's. Abandoned R.O.W. fell victim
to 'urbanization' if the land was needed to develop. The entrance
to the tunnel by the apartment complex is evidence to that effect.
If the urban development filled in the tunnel or hopefully anything
on top of the tunnel won't fall in if mud slides or some shift in
the ground. You may want to dig and find out if the tunnel itself
was filled in. May make yourself a hero and save lives should some
unfortunate situation arise if the tunnel wasn't filled in, and
anything above it falls through?

    Where I live, the Stephenville Texas North and South was a little
mom and pop connection line built in the early 1900's around 1907. I
surmise the growth of cotton, helped justify the need for rail
service, from Stephenville to Hamilton, and as time marched on, a
rail line was built from Hamilton to Gatesville, TX. The I.C.C. had
a hand in cutting down the line. A line from Comanche to Hamilton
was cut off in 1933, as the government built a highway, and had
used the R.O.W. as part of the highway grade, although wider than
standard gauge the R.O.W. went west of Lamkin, TX all the way to
Comanche where the R.O.W. dumps into a peanut plant along highway
U.S. 67 / 377 and S.H. 36. The remaining track from that era does
exist along the stretch of U.S. 67 / 377 from Comanche to Dublin to
Stephenville then on to Fort Worth. West of Comanche it goes on to a
little town called Blanket, TX and on to Brownwood.

   The Branch from Stephenville to Hamilton was also cut in 1933 and
a vote was taken by the citizens to keep the track in place. Local
residents managed to delay dismantling by smearing grease, soap and
other slippery agents yet to no avail. The remaining line stayed in
place between Hamilton and Gatesville up until January 1941. A few
months before W.W. II. Even today, sections of the R.O.W. or few
would call the "railroad dump" exist between Hamilton, Aleman, and
concrete remains of signal lights, turn outs, and a few cross ties
remain on the county road near the Ireland, TX railroad depot. The
rest of the R.O.W. now obscured by mesquite tree's and various
bushes go from Ireland, TX through Levita, TX on to Gatesville, then
what is left goes from Gatesville, Mound, Osage, and onto McGregor
and finally Waco. *SIGH* The Depot in Osage burned down by either
arson or accident, but the Depot in Mound is used as a Post Office.
McGregor depot "DID HAVE" an interlocking tower because another
railroad criscrossed onto Temple, TX. The interlocking tower long
gone, sections of the R.O.W. remain in mounds of dirt, and or used
as a switching section for some of the local industry. In all my
road trips, I've found Depots from varying degree's of disrepair,
and neglect to proudly kept up museums and in Clifton, TX a very
active police station.  Some towns use the depots as the Chamber of
Commerce in Hewitt, TX. All in all, a few hundred miles of varying
degree's of abandoned R.O.W. or "railroad dumps" by the locals.

    Case in point, sections of the old "Cotton Belt" or S.T.N.S.
still exist along Hamilton County Road 103 and 101. Pecan Creek
Park has a concrete drainage tunnel most of the dirt removed to see
how the concrete is poured. If you are in Hamilton, let me know. I
will be happy to be your "railroad dump" Tour Guide! Oh, some of
the land owners do have guns, so we can only 'watch' by the road,
or happen to catch someone to give us the red carpet tour. :)

Ok, forgive my bloviation. :)

Shabbat Shalom,

Micha'el D. Lucas
76531

--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "laverdiereaf"
<laverdiereaf@...> wrote:
>
> --- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "lawnmowermantx"
<lawnmowermantx@> wrote:
> >
> > Dear laverdiereaf,
> >
> >   AWESOME!!! :)  It's amazing how history lives on! Great footage,
> > and and great information!
>
> Thank you both for you kind words. Glad there's folks out there who have an
interest in this too.
>
> You don't need much of a setup to make videos. I'm using a cheap digital
(video)camera gotten off Craigslist, google maps, Acme mapper,  Windows Movie
Maker, a bicycle, and a Sunday. Urban archaeology at its best!
>
> Be sure to check out my other rail history videos.
>

--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "lawnmowermantx"
<lawnmowermantx@...> wrote:
>
> Dear laverdiereaf,
>
>   AWESOME!!! :)  It's amazing how history lives on! Great footage,
> and and great information!

Thank you both for you kind words. Glad there's folks out there who have an
interest in this too.

You don't need much of a setup to make videos. I'm using a cheap digital
(video)camera gotten off Craigslist, google maps, Acme mapper,  Windows Movie
Maker, a bicycle, and a Sunday. Urban archaeology at its best!

Be sure to check out my other rail history videos.