Railfanning in Atlanta, Ga.

Todd DeFeo/Railfanning.org

The train depot in Atlanta as it appeared in November 2001. The depot sees two Amtrak trains each day – the northbound and southbound Crescent.

Todd DeFeo/Railfanning.org

Amtrak’s Crescent, No. 20, pulls into Atlanta, arriving from Anniston, Ala. After Atlanta, the train will stop in Gainesville, Ga., en route to Washington, D.C., and New York.

Railfanning in Atlanta, Ga.

By Todd DeFeo

ATLANTA – Southern Railways no longer runs. But its history can be seen on Amtrak’s depot in Buckhead.

Atlanta’s sole reason for being built was the railroad. The city, originally named Terminus, first served as the junction for the Georgia, the Macon & Western and the Western & Atlantic railroads, all of which were operational by 1845.

By the onset of the Civil War in 1861, Atlanta was one of the most important cities in the south. However, the city was burned to the ground after Gen. William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea in 1864. It would take almost two decades to rehabilitate the city.

Following the Civil War, railroads were rebuilt. In 1894, Southern Railways was incorporated, combining the Richmond & Danville and the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia railroads. Southern Railways would soon become one of the largest railroads in the south.

Southern Railways built the present day Buckhead depot in 1918 to serve as a suburban station for its line running from Atlanta to Richmond, Va. Today, the station serves as the sole stop for Amtrak in the metro Atlanta area. Above the front door, a glass windowpane reads: “Southern Railways Passenger Station.”

One of the most famous Southern trains to use the depot was The Crescent.
The Crescent traces its heritage back to the 1890s. The Washington & Southwestern Vestibule Limited launched in 1891, running from New York to New Orleans. According to American Heritage Dictionary, a vestibule is “an enclosed area at the end of a passenger car on a railroad train.”

That was considered a luxury for passengers who were able to walk between cars while being protected from the elements.

A 1950 edition of Ties magazine stated: “In an important sense, the new Crescent came to us from the manufacturers still incomplete. The assembly line did not end in the plant, but here in the station, yards and ticket offices and on the tracks of the Southern. As delivered, the cars were complete and elaborate pieces of machinery, but were not the Crescent. It takes railroaders to bring a string of cars to life as a "name" train; railroaders talking to their friends and neighbors; at ticket counters; along a thousand miles of track; at throttles and switches and telegraph keys; at dining car tables; on station platforms; in carpeted Pullman aisles-all intent on making a trip on the Crescent the passengers' smoothest, safest, friendliest ride.”

Today, the depot still serves The Crescent, which is operated daily by Amtrak.