Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

There is something romantic about an approaching train moving along the tracks. The sight of it and the sounds you hear will surely bring back a memory or two.

The original main line was built to Murphy, North Carolina, which was reached in late 1886. The builders intended to continue until they reached Knoxville, Tennessee, but in 1887, the plans were changed as Knoxville and Blue Ridge were ultimately connected via a slightly different but much more exciting route via the Hiawassee River gorge.

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway in north GeorgiaAt Talking Rock, Georgia, the line originally made an unusual 180-degree

change in direction through a very sharp horseshoe-shaped curve dubbed "the hook" by train crews. The curve was so sharp that crews claimed that if the conductor's cigar went out in the caboose, he had only to wait until the train got to the "hook", because he could merely lean out and get a light from the engineer.

Railroads played a significant role in the development of this area between the 1800's and the early 1900's, in that they determined the routes of local roads, saved an ailing mining industry, contributed to the growth of small towns as resort communities, and made it possible to log the last remaining virgin timber in the area.

Ridging the Blue Ridge Scenic Rail in the North Georgia Mountains.

In 1896, the Marietta & North Georgia Railroadwas purchased and renamed the Atlanta, Knoxville& Northern, and in 1902 was sold yet again, taking on the new owner's name, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, in 1905. Name changes came fast and furious after the 1960's; "Family Lines", "Seaboard System", and finally "CSX" in the 1980's. But bythis time, passenger service had long since been terminated, with the line continuing on as a freightcarrier.

Railroad Antique

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway