Doug,
Those are good ideas.
Bob Hanson has done a few articles on the SAL line that ran down to Loganville, but I don't think he did an indepth study. Some years ago I was in the Lawrenceville Historical Society buildin & noticed that there was a Vanishing Gwinnett County book. In it there a couple of pictures from the Lawrenceville Branch RR. These may be in the state Vanishing GA collection. Are you familiar with it? I don't know if that program was ever revised or not. It was going good for several years & then some politicans stopped funding it.
I have a few things in my files from each of those roads that I would be willing to share. I have a copy of an article on the Hartwell that I think was in Railroad Magazine a long time ago.
I gather that the Hartwell offices were stripped years ago. It went along pretty well & then went through several owners before B.R. Anderson finally bought it. I can't quite remember what BR said about records.
Are you familiar with the "Railway Age"/"Railway Gazette" collections at the GA Tech library? the Emory Library has the Valuation Reports.
A book was done some years ago on some of the Pidcock stuff.
GA Power has an archives in Atlanta that has a large photographic collection. It may have some Tallulah Falls photos that are different.
I hope things go well in this planning and writing.
Again, Don H. is going to be a good source for photos. He bought a lot of the John B. Allen negatives. Have you heard of John? john was a guy who lived in Centralia, ILL, but he would take vacations down into GA & maybe Fla & visit museums, historical societies, city halls, libraries, etc looking for shortline photos which he would copy. He had a huge collection of RR pictures/negatives. He stopped shooting trains when disels replaced steam. He talked about not liking those smelly old diesels that looked all alike. His house backed up to the I.C. mainline in Centralia. He worked for the Post Office. Some years ago Don wrote that he had purchased many of John's negatives after he died.
I am guessing that John probably visited many of those roads in your list. I am pretty certain that he hit the Pidcock lines. He would do things like get a motel room in Douglas, GA & hunt for GA & FLA photos & info in Douglas & then travel around to other areas looking for photos.
Better sign off for tonight.
Conrad
Douglas van Veelen <douglasvanveelen@...> wrote:
Hi Conrad,
I am considering a book on the Hartwell/Elberton Air Line/Elberton &
Eastern/Northeastern RR of Georgia/Tallulah Falls group.
I am also considering one on the Roswell RR/Lawrenceville
Branch/Lawrenceville & Loganville group.
I have been considering a book on the Pidcock Kingdom lines in
southwestern GA also.
With Authors (such as Bob Hanson covering the GA Road/West Point
Route) covering larger lines, I am looking into the smaller lines.
Once they get into a major line, I'd not be cover that - SRR, SAL,
ACL, L&N, etc have been covered well enough.
On Railroad I am considering if the Marietta & North Georgia. The
issue that makes me retacent about it, the line was also in Tennessee
and I am not sure I wish to get into multi state lines at the current
time.
If you have a preference for a railroad(s) please do not hesitate to
let me know.
Also, I have published "Civil Engineering for Outdoor Railroads Vol 1"
cover the understanding of track design and geometry. It was
originally written as a letter to the editor of Live Steam Magazine
and it ended up running as a article series. I am working on "Civil
Engineering for Outdoor Railroads Vol 2 Bridges" right now. One person
wanted to build a 15" gauge track and asked if there was something on
the order of "Outdoor Railroad design for Dummies". I may do that or
make it as a DVD.
In addition, I am selling CDs of scanned copies of the Official
Railway Equipment Register, Official Guide of the Railways, Official
Register of Passenger Train Equipment and so forth on e-Bay (as well
as my books).
So I do have a lot of balls in the air.
Thanks for your praise on my GM book. It was a lot of fun researching it.
Doug
--- In GaRRHistory@..., Conrad Cheatham <okete12000@...>
wrote:
Doug,
Thanks for your message.
I just got on to this GA RR history site. So I thought I would
mention that old grade.
In your book you received a lot of good help from Don Hensley.
Don has world's of information & has purchased some good negative
collections.
I think it is good to see you and other people dig into the
histories of the many GA shortlines. During my years in GA I was able
to dig into a few but not to the extent that you have done with the
G.M. Thanks!
Are you planning any other books?
Conrad
Douglas van Veelen <douglasvanveelen@...> wrote:
Hi Conrad,
I'm glad you enjoy the book. Since I sent it to the publisher in early
2005, Several new items have occurred with the GM.
First, the diamond across Southern and the track into downtown
Gainesville is more or less gone. Last I looked, all the switches were
gone and some of the rails had been pulled here and there.
Second, GJ&S #1 is listed as a 0-4-2t Forney. It was a 2-4-0 with a 4
wheel tender.
Several other GJ&S locomotives may have been located. There might have
been a GJ&S 17 and GJ&S 18 that came via SI&E from the Florida Southern.
I have been considering how to "publish these updates and have been
considering insering them in the GM 2008 calendar I am currently
working on.
Doug.
--- In GaRRHistory@..., "okete12000" <okete12000@> wrote:
In his book on the Gainesville Midland Doug mentions that the
Gainesville, Jefferson & Southern considered running a line from
Social Circle toward Monticello or elsewhere.
When I lived in Newton County, GA in the 1980s & 1990s I was told
about the grade of a proposed road from Social Circle to Mansfield.
In those days the grade could be seen here & there. One place was
just west of the old Harris Springs Primitive Baptist Church near the
insection of GA Hwy 11 & I-20. The church has been moved but is just
off of GA 11.
Crossing I-20 the grade could be seen here & there along GA 11.
One location was near the site of the old drive-in movie theater.
When the Middle Georgia & Atlantic railroad was being built across
Newton County in the early 1890s its line came from Newborn to near a
postal location called Bob Lee. The line continued on to Starrsville.
At Bob Lee the MG&A established a station called Carmel Junction
because there were plans for a railroad to be built to Social Circle.
Later Carmel Jct became Mansfield.
Times have changed - the GJ&S is a part of the CSX system, that
portion of the MG&A in Newton County that is left is a part of the
Great Walton, a shortline headquartered in Social Circle. Newton
County is experiencing heavy population growth so the remnants of the
old grade may become housing developments.
Thanks Doug for your work.
Conrad Cheatham
