Great classic lines here on this EMD GP38 at LaFayette, GA, December 2011. In Georgia the accent falls on “Fay” in LaFayette.
As a child and teen I often traveled the route from Chattanooga, down along the southern slope of Lookout Mountain to Kensington, GA, in Walker County, where my Aunt and Uncle Mary and Perry Jordan farmed dairy cattle in the Cedar Grove community. Nestled in the cove formed by Lookout and Pigeon Mountains, are many great family memories of thanksgiving meals, flying kites over cow herds, and the sounds and smells of the farm. No wonder my mother had great roses – all that fertilizer brought home in paper grocery sacks.
This was the route we took if going from my grandparents’ home in Chattanooga to the farm. It practically paralleled the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railroad (TAG) for almost the entire trip. The TAG veered due south about five miles before reaching the cove. What was great is that when traveling from our home in Ellijay, Georgia to the farm, we encountered the line as it continued through the mountainous terrain, skirting the town of LaFayette. At the time, from there I had no idea where the line went. For years I thought it joined the former Central of Georgia somewhere south of LaFayette. After all, that’s the way my eyes saw it through the big windows of my parents’ Oldsmobile.
I am fortunate to have remembrances of Southern Railway Geeps working the line along GA route 136. Seeing those black hulks striped in aluminum white sneak through the pines is an image I will never forget.
The photos above were taken this past Christmas season as I took my family on their annual trip through Northwest Georgia to see Aunt Mary and Uncle Perry. The Chattanooga & Chickamauga (former Central of Georgia) is the closest operating rail line to the farm now. Driving on to Kensington, I still kept one eye on the old roadbed where the Geeps once rolled. I still tried to figure out exactly where that tunnel portal is as we negotiate the switchback highway across the ridge, peering into the valley to catch a glimpse of the right-of-way through the naked trees of a cool Georgia winter. It’s such a melancholy experience.
The TAG from Chattanooga to Kensington is all but abandoned. This last trip left me saddened to see small bridges falling apart, washouts, and fresh pavement over the rails where the crossing gates have been amputated from their cross buck bodies.
My dream would be that the Tennessee Valley Railway Museum could somehow pull a rabbit out of their hat and restore the line. What a beautiful ride it would be through the scenic southern Chattanooga Valley. If not, and the ties silently return to dirt, maybe I can model it and bring back some of those childhood memories onto which I so strongly hold. Bill Thomas, editor
Former Columbus & Greenville GP7 seemed to be in operable condition the same day at LaFayette.
To the left you see a picture of my Papaw (my mother’s father) holding me on his knee, about 1965. Mamaw seems to be coaxing me to smile. This shot was taken at my aunt’s and uncle’s home on Hog Jowl Road, Walker Co. GA, about 10 miles from the TAG (Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia RR) as the crow flies. I owe this man my interest in trains. He spent countless hours running me all over Chattanooga, TN, chasing trains. I later learned he did the same to my mother. I saw TVRM in its infancy but didn’t know it. The Incline Rwy was always a special treat. Southern’s Big John cement hoppers rumbled by their home in Redbank 2-3 times a day. Precious memories. Send me your memories in print and I’ll publish them for all to enjoy. It’s a great way to share, inspire, and keep the memories alive! – Bill Thomas, Editor
