Todd DeFeo – Page 29 – Railfanning.org

Perhaps a Misnomer, Greene County Railroad Helped Develop Walton County, Georgia

September 29, 2012 Todd DeFeo

The Greene County Railroad is a bit of a curiosity. Its name would suggest it served — or at least passed through — Greene County, but that’s not the case. The railroad’s predecessor, the Bostwick Railroad, built a seven-mile line from Bostwick to Appalachee, which was on the Central of Georgia line between Macon and Athens. A report in the Feb. 22, 1907, edition of the (Athens, Ga.) Weekly Banner noted the road “has been completed to the city limits of Appalachee, and on the first of March the line will be completed and trains run into that little city.

A caboose on display in Tombstone, Ariz.

Tombstone’s Other Legacy: The Railroad

September 29, 2012 Todd DeFeo

In 1881, Tombstone was a remote mining community. There was no railroad link to Tombstone for the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral. During the next two decades, city leaders debated the need for a railroad and urged railroad officials to lay tracks into town, but nothing materialized.

Despite Landowners’ Holdout, Gainesville Midland Secured Land for Athens Extension

September 29, 2012 Todd DeFeo

Once the Gainesville Midland assumed control of the Gainesville, Jefferson and Southern Railroad in 1904, it set about converting the line to standard gauge and extending the line to Athens.

Athens Terminal Co. Helped Bring About Freight ‘Revolution’ in Athens

September 28, 2012 Todd DeFeo

The Athens Terminal Co. was incorporated on Oct. 4, 1906, as a commercial steam railroad company jointly owned by the Gainesville Midland Railway and Seaboard Air Line.

41 Years Later: Still Debating the Pros, Cons of Amtrak

September 28, 2012 Todd DeFeo

For 41 years, policymakers and the public have debated the benefits and pitfalls of Amtrak.

First Gainesville Midland Trains Rolled Out of Athens in November 1906

September 27, 2012 Todd DeFeo

Thursday, Nov. 1, 1906, was a momentous day for the city of Athens, Ga. The first Gainesville Midland train pulled into town.

Last Narrow Gauge Train From Jefferson, Ga., Signaled New Era for City

September 27, 2012 Todd DeFeo

It was midnight when the narrow gauge locomotive and its load eased out of Jefferson, Ga.

Flagstaff Statue Pays Homage to the Men Who Built the Railroads

September 26, 2012 Todd DeFeo

The workers who laid tracks across the country were known as Gandy Dancers. The name is sometimes attributed to a Gandy Tool Co. that manufactured the tools used to build railroads, though the existence of such a company has been debated.

Gainesville Midland No. 116

July 7, 2012 Todd DeFeo

Gainesville Midland No. 116 was build in 1923 by Philadelphia-based Baldwin Locomotive Works. Before it went into service on the Gainesville Midland, No. 116 served on the Central of Georgia.

City honors switch operater for role in Civil War chase

April 13, 2012 Todd DeFeo

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