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History

City honors switch operater for role in Civil War chase

The north Georgia city of Kingston on Thursday honored a former city resident for his role in the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862. Kingston was a turning point in the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862, in part, because station agent/switch operator Uriah Stephens declined to hand over the switch keys to James J. Andrews. Hours earlier, Andrews and a group of Union spies stole The General locomotive from what is now Kennesaw, Ga., while the train stopped for breakfast. Andrews’ goal was to destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad, a major Confederate road that connected Atlanta and Chattanooga. “In this day

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Miscellaneous

The Andrews Raid: A Timeline of Events

KENNESAW, Ga. – April 12, 1862. It was the one-year anniversary of the start of the Civil War, and the morning passenger train – pulled by the locomotive General – arrived in town. A band of Union spies led by James J. Andrews, the men planned to steal the locomotive and then destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad, a vital link between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn., in the heart of the Confederacy. The Andrews Raid, also known as The Great Locomotive Chase, ultimately failed. More than an “astounding adventure,” the raid was near genius. Thursday marks the 150th anniversary of

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Featured

150 years later, Andrews Raid still resonates

KENNESAW, Ga. — Dozens of trains roar through town every day. They speed past the historic 1908 train depot in the heart of town A few feet away from the tracks, idly sits a 155-year-old steam locomotive that pulled into town a rainy Saturday morning nearly 150 years ago. It was the one-year anniversary of the start of the Civil War, and the morning passenger train stopped for a 20 minute breakfast. What nobody knew was that 20 men led by James J. Andrews planned to steal the locomotive and then destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad, a vital link

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Amtrak

Amtrak exploring feeder bus routes on Crescent route

ATLANTA — Amtrak could add bus routes to cities located near, but not along, its Crescent route, which the railroad believes will increase “ridership and revenue while expanding the reach of the intercity passenger rail network,” the railroad said in a recent report. Such bus routes would connect the Atlanta Amtrak station with Macon, Ga.; Columbus, Ga.; Dalton, Ga.; and Chattanooga, Tenn.; the railroad indicated. Amtrak estimates annual ridership on the routes would exceed 17,000 passengers and result in a net revenue of $600,000 per year. The bus service is just one of several upgrades the railroad is considering making