Favorite GNRR Shots

 

Maybe not the best shot in the world, but I was inside the shop hanging out with the crew and you were somewhere else!  Click on photo to enlarge.  I'll build a model of this one day.

The Blue Ridge smokin' into town.

Tunnels of Trees near Holly Springs

Parked to rest for the night, right on the main line.

This is a NARROW GAUGE caboose from the original railroad, the Marietta & Knoxville.  It is inside the marble pits and serves as the office.  That is not snow on the ground, it's calcium carbonate.

White marble is everywhere, so might as well make a nice bridge out of it.  This is in Canton, GA.

My all time favorite!  Hanging out in the kudzu after a long, hot day.

The Turnip Town Trestle.  The longest and highest in Georgia, and it is curved.

This was my Christmas shot in the GNRR calender published many years ago.

Long shadows at the Tate depot.

Hard working Geep's...a bit long in the tooth.

Locomotive Photos: GNRR #77

Switcher #77 is a GNRR acquisition from the Georgia Marble Company. This stalwart NW1 locomotive was used to haul marble (calcium carbonate) up the switch back and to the Tate yard for shipment down south.

She has been left to rot on the siding in Tate. Her bell, horns and builder's plates stripped, doors left open. Rusting.

Kaolin Slurry Cars in Canton

We saw these yesterday in Canton. The drain cocks were open on both the top and the bottom. Looked like the were just being stored here. Does anyone know if they are using Kaolin clay on the line anywhere?

Industry Spotlight: Wolf Stone Cutting

This is an industry I've never seen before on the GNRR. Josh and I found it today when we stopped at the new gas station. They have cleared all the land around it and you can see it now.

This is a small marble cutting operation, long since abandoned. It appears that it had a rail siding at one time. The building is open and you can see inside. Once there were stone cutting machines here.

The outer gantry supports are covered with kudzu vines and the crane is missing. There is a very large door to the left which is where the track would have aligned.


Here is the office door and parking area. Jut to the right of this shot is an old pump house that Josh discovered. It still contains all the pumping equipment for water used for cooling the cutting operation, we think.



I have pictures from inside, but they are very dark. No machinery remains.


The back of the building has another smaller door and there are a few piles of rubble laying around.


The windows are dirty and hard to see through, but probably allowed in a lot of light back in their day. Now they are being shot out by someone.




Here is the office in the back. It has a marble foundation. Inside an old desk sits in the middle of the room, destroyed by water damage.



The sign on the building says "Wolf - " and something else we could not make out. The body of the building is corrugated steel.

An interesting find. If anyone knows more about it let us know!

Sorting Photos

Tate Engine Servicing Facility

There are a lot of outside shots of the locomotive servicing facility in my files, mostly of the outside. Thought I'd share a few shots of the inside with you. They are a bit grainy due to the darkness inside, but give you a feel for the inner workings.