Western & Atlantic – Page 3

The Collision on the State Road: A Byproduct of War

March 6, 2020 Todd DeFeo

It was about 3:30 p.m. on July 6, 1862, ostensibly a typical Sunday during the early years of the Civil War, when two trains collided near Ringgold, Georgia, on the Western & Atlantic Railroad.

The First Western & Atlantic Train to Chattanooga

February 28, 2020 Todd DeFeo

It was 7 a.m. on Dec. 1, 1849, and the western portion of the Western & Atlantic Railroad was open for business, even if the tunnel at Tunnel Hill was more than five months away from completion.

Repairs to Historic Tunnel Hill Depot in Progress

February 24, 2020 Railfanning.org News Wire

Officials here are in the process of repairing the roof of the historic depot in the center of town, one of the oldest train depots in the state.

A Look at the Western & Atlantic Railroad’s Early Locomotives

January 31, 2020 Todd DeFeo

The Western & Atlantic Railroad operated some of the earliest locomotives in Georgia and the Southeast. The road, built and owned by the state of Georgia, acquired 10 locomotives during the 1840s.

That Time Georgia Almost Sold the Western & Atlantic Railroad

August 16, 2019 Todd DeFeo

While the state of Georgia owned the Western & Atlantic Railroad since the 1830s, by the 1960s, the state considered a sale of the line.

A Closer Look at Railroad Mishaps in Tunnel Hill

August 1, 2019 Todd DeFeo

The North Georgia hamlet of Tunnel Hill is known for its namesake railroad tunnel that opened to traffic in 1850. But since that time, it has been the scene of some railroad calamities, mishaps and newsworthy happenings. Here are a few that made headlines over the years.

A Robbery so Brazen, This Could Have Been the Wild West, Not Outside of Atlanta

January 16, 2019 Todd DeFeo

The southbound Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway train from Nashville, Tenn., pulled into Vinings on the evening of January 16, 1914. What happened next is remarkable.

The Fateful First Trip Over the Western & Atlantic

December 24, 2018 Todd DeFeo

On Christmas Eve of 1842, a locomotive and a single car pulled out of Atlanta, marking a new era in the city’s history. The railroad was operational.