Winter 2001 Feature - Georgia Northeastern - Northern Section

Rail Fan’s Guide to the Georgia Northeastern Railroad

 

Northern Section

Ellijay to Copperhill

&

Mineral Bluff Spur

 

Bob Ciminel, Senior Conductor

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

Southbound - Turniptown Bridge

(© 2001 Bob Williams)

Until 1998, the Georgia Northeastern terminated at Ellijay, GA, just across the Cartecay River at milepost 410.8. Although overgrown and in disrepair, the tracks of the former L&N Atlanta Division "Old Line" extended beyond the state line at Copperhill, TN where CSX continued operating trains between Etowah and Copperhill over the famous Hiwasee Loop. Thanks to the hard work of NAROCA volunteers and the creation of the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, the tracks were eventually cleared and rehabilitated, with tourist operations commencing between Blue Ridge and Copperhill in May of 1998.

In the fall of 1999, the GNRR improved the track south of Blue Ridge to allow a one-time passenger trip to Cherry Log for its annual festival. With GNRR receiving a contract to haul logs from Blue Ridge to Tate in 1999, on-going track rehabilitation resulted in monthly passenger trips between Blue Ridge and Ellijay in 2001.

The author has made numerous trips between Ellijay and Copperhill both in the locomotive cab and by rail car, and the following is a description of the right-of-way and other points of interest between the two towns. The author has also made several trips on the out-of-service Murphy Branch to Mineral Bluff and will relate some interesting information about that little-used piece of trackage.

Ellijay to Blue Ridge

Between Ellijay, at Milepost 410 and Blue Ridge at Milepost 396, the railroad climbs 460 feet, and crosses six summits as moves north along a mostly water-level route provided by Whitepath Creek, Briar Creek, and Cherry Log Creek.

Northbound - Ellijay

(© 2001 Bob Ciminel)

In East Ellijay, a short distance west of the four-lane highway running between I-575 and Blairsville, GA, the GNRR crosses Highway 52 at grade. From this point, you can photograph the privately owned Ellijay depot to the north and the bridge carrying the GNRR across the Cartecay River to the south. The bridge was built in 1902. The house track at Ellijay depot was placed back in service in 2001 to allow the BRSR to run around its train during the monthly passenger trips. Because of the grades and curves near Ellijay and Cherry Log, the BRSR needed two locomotives to move the 8-car train over the line. You can see the remnants of several sidings and spurs near the depot, and as of this writing, a Cajun restaurant is located in the building east of the depot. BRSR volunteers frequently made evening trips by rail car to the restaurant during the summer of 2001.

NOTE: Between Ellijay and Blue Ridge, the railroad runs along the west side of the four-lane; consequently, all photo locations will be to the left of the highway when traveling north toward Blue Ridge.

Approximately one mile north of Ellijay is a sharp 15-degree curve where a log train derailed in 2000. Fortunately, the derailed cars simply leaned up against the hillside instead of going over the embankment. This is also the location of Bridge #95, a 132-foot creosoted pile trestle that vandals burned to the ground in 1998, effectively cutting the GNRR in half. This necessitated bringing all of the BRSR passenger equipment in from the north end using CSX to haul it from Marietta to Copperhill. The gap was repaired with fill and two large culverts in 1999.

Southbound - Kudzu Hill

(© 2001 Bob Ciminel)

At milepost 408.5, the railroad passes under Old Highway 5 through a deep cut and descends Kudzu Hill, which is behind the lumber mill. This is a good location for photographing the weekly (sometimes) log trains that operate between Blue Ridge and Whitestone or Tate. After descending the 2-percent grade at Kudzu Hill, trains must slow to 5 mph before crossing Turniptown Bridge.

Turniptown Bridge is accessible by public roads. If going northbound on the four-lane, the turnoff to the bridge is at Old Northcutt Road about 1.75 miles north of the Old Highway 5 intersection mentioned above. Follow Old Northcutt west about 0.4 mile and then turn left. This road will take you under the bridge. The bridge is made of creosote pilings, is about 50 feet above Turniptown Creek, and is 242 feet long.

Southbound - Turniptown Bridge

(© 2001 Bob Ciminel)

If you go straight on Old Northcutt Road instead of turning left toward the bridge, the road will cross the railroad and parallel it for about a quarter mile before crossing again at Northcutt. Northcutt once had a short spur coming off the east side of the main line that was used for loading timber. The graded right-of-way for the siding is still visible. If you continue on Old Northcutt Road, it will bring you back out on the four-lane.

The next accessible point on the railroad is the crossing at Whitepath Road, another eight-tenths of mile north on the four-lane. Trains approaching this crossing are ascending a 2-percent grade northbound and 1.65 percent grade southbound. The Whitepath passing siding, flag stop, and freight depot were located about one-half mile north of the crossing on a stretch of level ground in the swampy bottoms of Whitepath Creek. Whitepath Siding held approximately 20 cars. During construction of the four-lane, there was a hopper car unloading facility built under the main line where sand and cement were unloaded for the concrete batch plant. Before the unloading facility was filled in during 2001, the tracks crossed the opening on twin steel beams. The remnants of the scale house and an electric winch are still there, but the area is only accessible by way of a dirt road about a half-mile north of Whitepath Road on the four-lane.

Cherry Log, about three miles north of Whitepath Road is one of the best places to photograph trains. The tracks ascend a 2-percent grade before coming out of the woods and paralleling the highway as they descend another 2-percent grade down to Rock Creek. You can identify this location, which was originally know as Searcy and had a 5-car spur coming off the east side of the main line, by a rundown abandoned house that would make a rail fan’s dream home.

Southbound - Searcy Hill

(© 2001 Bob Ciminel)

After crossing the bridge over Rock Creek, northbound trains climb a short summit before descending the 2-percent grade into "downtown" Cherry Log. There is a community recreation area across from the Cherry Log post office with an excellent view of the tracks. Southbound trains approaching the lower crossing at Cherry Log are rounding an 11-degree curve on a 2-percent grade and usually are in the 6^th or 7^th throttle notch to overcome the combination of grade and curve resistance, not to mention slippery rails on frosty mornings and rainy afternoons. Cherry Log was another flag stop with an 800-foot passing siding on the east side of the main line.

The next vantage point is at Lucius Road, about 1.5 miles north of Cherry Log. Lucius was a station with a 1200-foot passing siding on the west side of the tracks, and remnants of the turnouts and siding are still visible. The next access point is at Milepost 399, a short distance before the tracks crest the northbound 2-percent grade at Maxwell. You can access this area on County Line Road, a dirt road approximately 1.75 miles north of Lucius Road on the four-lane. It’s easy to spot because there’s a cell phone tower right next to the tracks. On the south side of the hill coming up to County Line Road, the train is not only climbing a 2-percent grade, but also negotiating an S-curve and a pair of bridges. Maxwell once had a 360-foot spur, and there was a 50,000 gallon water tank about four-tenths of a mile north of the spur. Farther north, at Milepost 397.5, the 360-foot Barkwood Spur came off of the west side of the main line. Barkwood is where the rail line passes under the four-lane and begins climbing the 1.8-percent grade to the summit at Blue Ridge. The Boardtown Road crossing, which is the first left turn from the four-lane after crossing the bridge and entering the Blue Ridge city limits, is also the location of an old siding that went into the wood yard now located at the site.

Continuing east on Boardtown Road after crossing the tracks will bring you out on East Main Street. Turn right on East Main and take the next left at McKinney Street, and you can view the remnants of a ramp for unloading coal cars. Portions of the spur leading up to the ramp are still visible. If you continue down East Main Street and take another left at Mineral Springs Street, there is a city park with a stone pillar on the east side of the track. This point marks the summit of the "Old Line" at 1,725 feet above sea level, the highest point reached by any railroad in Georgia. The area around Blue Ridge depot provides almost unlimited access to the track. West Main Street parallels the main line for several blocks.

Southbound - Blue Ridge

(© 2001 Bob Ciminel)

Blue Ridge depot, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad terminus, is less than a quarter-mile north of the summit. In 1931, Blue Ridge had a 1009-foot siding along the west side of the tracks, a 1,462-foot house track serving the freight depot. Another siding and spur were located north of the depot, and crossed over Mountain Street.

Southbound - Wood Yard Siding

(© 2001 Bob Ciminel)

Just a few feet north of Mountain Street, the Davenport Bros. wood yard siding provides the only freight traffic originating on the north end of the GNRR. In good weather, the wood yard ships an average of five carloads a week south to Whitestone Siding or Tate Yard. These trains use BRSR power and usually run on Mondays.

Blue Ridge to Copperhill

The railroad descends 250 feet between Blue Ridge and Copperhill, following Dry Creek for three miles before reaching the west bank of the Toccoa River, which it follows for the next 10.5 miles into McCaysville. The "stations" along this portion of the line in 1931 were Murphy Junction at Milepost 393, Curtis Switch at Milepost 390, Galloway at Milepost 388.5, and Kyle at Milepost 385.5.

Public roads that cross the tracks north of Blue Ridge are Industrial Park Road and Hogback Road. The second crossing on Industrial Park Road, at the animal shelter, provides good spots for photographing the south leg of the wye and the 1200-foot siding. Although Hogback Road will take you across the tracks at the tail of the wye, getting to the north leg requires traveling on a private road. Fortunately, the road is owned by the Panter Sisters whose father was a section hand on the old L&N. Wanda and Grace are very friendly and very supportive of the Blue Ridge Scenic.

North of Murphy Junction, the railroad descends 60 feet in approximately one mile, for an average grade of 1 percent. At Milepost 393, the grade increases to 1.7 percent before leveling out at the last bridge across Dry Creek. The railroad crosses the creek six times as it descends the hill.

Accessing the railroad north of Murphy Junction is difficult. Most roads along the river are on the opposite bank and are private roads. The first public road is Curtis Switch Road, which is off of GA-60, a little less than 4 miles north of Blue Ridge on the four-lane. Turn left on GA-60 and follow it through Mineral Bluff (do not make the right turn on to Alternate 60 in downtown Mineral Bluff). On your way through Mineral Bluff, you can take a left on Railroad Avenue just before the bridge and stop by the Mineral Bluff Depot. We will discuss the Mineral Bluff Spur and the depot in more detail later. Curtis Switch Road will be on your left, approximately 4.5 miles from where you turn off the four-lane. The railroad crosses Curtis Switch Road about 1.75 miles west of GA-60. Curtis Switch, at Milepost 390, had a 1230-foot siding and was the meeting point for the northbound and southbound passenger trains between Copperhill and Blue Ridge. South of the grade crossing, the track makes a beautiful sweeping left hand curve that makes a great spot for photographing trains. However, the road paralleling the curve is private property, and the owners are not rail fans. In 1908, two passenger trains collided at Curtis when the northbound train left Blue Ridge before the operator could issue an order to meet the southbound train at Curtis. Once the trains left their respective stations, they could not be reached.

Southbound – Curtis

(© 2001 Bob Ciminel)

Galloway, located at Milepost 388.5 provides an excellent spot for viewing and photographing trains. As the track crosses the girder-deck bridge over Sugar Creek, it enters a sweeping right hand curve right next to Galloway Road. This was one of the favorite spots for publicity photos during the Blue Ridge Scenic inaugural season in 1998. You can reach Galloway by continuing about ¾-mile west on Curtis Switch Road to Galloway Road and then turning left. A mile-and-a-half of twisting and turning will bring you right up to the tracks at Galloway.

Galloway had a 690-foot siding and a boxcar depot in 1931, and was once a ferry crossing before TVA dammed the river at Blue Ridge. When the Federal Government purchased the Cherokee lands in North Georgia in the 1830s, the Galloway family became the first white settlers to move to the area.

Northbound – Galloway

(©2001 Martin K. O’Toole)

Kyle, at Milepost 385.5, is inaccessible. The tracks cross a short bridge here, and the location once had a double-ended siding and a storage track for the section gang’s handcar. A TVA power line right-of-way now crosses the tracks at Kyle.

At Milepost 384, the railroad crosses to the east bank of the Toccoa River on Bridge No. 74, a double-span through-truss bridge built in 1903. The bridge can be reached from GA Route 60 North, the Mineral Bluff Highway. A left turn as soon as you cross the tracks in McCaysville will put you on River Road. It is approximately eight-tenths of a mile to the bridge. Along the way, you will pass Williamstown Road on the left. Williamstown Church offers an excellent vantage point for photographing northbound trains.

Northbound – Toccoa Bridge

(©2001 Martin K. O’Toole)

The tracks parallel Route 60 into McCaysville. The river rafting facility just north of the Route 60 grade crossing was once a spur into a Gulf Oil distributor. The siding was 485 feet long. The Copperhill yard limit sign was located at the crossing.

Blue Ridge Scenic trains terminate behind the Masonic Lodge; and the north locomotive can be photographed from the IGA grocery store parking lot. However, the wooden steps leading up to the tracks are owned by CSX and trespassing is not allowed. The CSX end-of-track sign is about 50 feet north of the state line. In 1931, the area behind the Masonic Lodge and the IGA had two spurs. The southernmost spur was 350 feet long; the northernmost was 429 feet long. Remnants of the northern spur are still visible. One of the spurs was used to unload coal hoppers, as evidenced by the number of coal scraps still lying on the ground.

Northern Limit of the GNRR

(© 2001 Bob Ciminel)

That concludes the description of the GNRR/BRSR Ellijay to Copperhill main line. The Copperhill Yard lead begins at Milepost 382.2. In June of 2001, GNRR began moving empty sulfuric acid cars out of the yard following CSX’s abandonment of the line between Copperhill and Etowah. Because GNRR does not have authority to operate in Tennessee, the acid cars had to be shoved out to the GNRR using the acid plant’s switch engine.

Acid Cars from Copperhill Yard

(© 2001 Bob Ciminel)

The Hiwasee Loop is located about 19 rail miles north of Copperhill (Milepost 363.5). Since abandoned by CSX, and with a two million plus price tag on it, the future of the Etowah line is unknown. Several rumors are circulating around; one that it will be torn up and turned into a rails-to-trails project; another that a group of investors will buy it and lease it to the Blue Ridge Scenic or another tourist operation. Stay tuned, rail fans.

Mineral Bluff Spur

The Mineral Bluff Spur, which was once the original main line of the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad to Murphy, North Carolina, was the Murphy Branch of CSX predecessor L&N. The branch started at Milepost 394 on the south leg of the wye and ran to Milepost 416.8 just across the Hiwasee River where it connected with the Southern Railway’s Murphy Branch out of Asheville. Currently, the tracks end at Milepost 396.3, the northern end of the Mineral Bluff house track.

The south leg of the Murphy wye starts on a 2-percent grade up to the tail of the wye at 1,640 feet above sea level. The spur then descends a 2-percent grade to Milepost 395 at the Toccoa River. The tracks cross the river on a 152-foot through-truss bridge built in 1886 and extend to the Mineral Bluff depot at Milepost 396.3. Mineral Bluff depot is unique in that it is the only brick depot on the entire L&N "Old Line" between Etowah and Marietta. The depot is still standing, albeit in terrible condition brought on by years of neglect. A local model railroad club is restoring the depot through a government grant, and will use it for displays and meetings. In 2000, the house track at Mineral Bluff was used by the BRSR to convert one of its LIRR commuter coaches into an open-air car. All track and bridges between Mineral Bluff and Murphy were removed following CSX abandonment, and the right-of-way was transferred back to the original landowners.

The Mineral Bluff Spur is only accessible by road in Mineral Bluff. A left turn off of GA Route 60 on to Railroad Avenue will take you directly to the depot. Continuing west on Railroad Avenue about one-half mile will take you to the Toccoa River highway bridge, which is no longer useable. This is a good location to photograph the railroad bridge to the north.

This concludes our coverage of the GNRR northern sections. So, grab your maps, cameras, film, hiking boots, and whatever else you need, and head for the mountains. The Blue Ridge Scenic operates every weekend between April 1 and October 1, and seven days a week in October.

Other Georgia Northeastern Resources

Georgia Northeastern Railfan Club. Home to dedicated fans of the Georgia Northeastern. The club organizes excursions and exhanges photos, information, and modeling tips about the GNRR. Most comprehensive GNRR site on the Internet.

Berky's Georgia Railroading Website. Celebrating today's Georgia railroad scene - Georgia Northeastern photo gallery.

GNRR Corporate website

PeachStateRails's GNRR Photo Gallery

Matthew's Railfanning Picture Site. Shortline tourist/historic and Class I railroads in the Chattanooga, TN area and Southeast. Nice Georgia Northeastern gallery.