Category: Bill Thomas

One of the great things about the internet, pictures and stories are at our fingertips.  We just have to be careful to check the sources.  Living in Ellijay, GA, in the late 60s into the early 80s was a treat.  L&N’s Hook & Eye line served our small town bringing fuel oil, propane, coal, sand, surplus cheese, and other oddities on the team track.  They took finished lumber, wood chips, and pulpwood. Needless to say, the 80s saw a huge decline in rail traffic as trucks became the norm and big guys (Seaboard System/Family Lines/CSX didn’t want to deal with branch lines.  I got see miles of old hoppers shoved into the hills for storage thinking the end was near.  Then steps in the Georgia Northeastern RR, and the rest is history.  Still not much goes on between Ellijay and Blueridge, but, the Blue Ridge Scenic RR prospers and freight service is robust on the southern end between Tate and Marietta.  Send me your hometown stories for publishing!

Bill Thomas, editor

If you recall my article earlier this year about my Hook Line & Singer RR, well here are pictures of the historic line senza rails and ties.  Sad but true.  Plans are in the works to relocate the trackage at a higher elevation where crews can access the line more easily. – Bill Thomas

by Bill Thomas, superintendent, Hook Line & Singer RR

The last derailment on the Hook Line & Singer RR sends the Board of Directors into finalizing the closing of the line. No livestock was injured. 

For nearly 17 years, the Hook Line & Singer Railroad has brought me hours of joy, relaxation, and for a few of those hours, a great deal of frustration and challenge.  It has been the gathering place for our chapter at times – where friendships were cultivated and precious memories made, evidenced by the picture bottom left.  With the recent move we’ve made to West Lake Street, Madisonville, the Hook Line will join the ranks of fallen flag lines as its rails and ties are removed leaving a lonely roadbed. Mother Nature will soon reclaim the real estate.

But with that comes the creation of a new line, yet to be named.  I guess it depends on the towns served and how much money each community along the line can raise to make an impact on the route.  So stay tuned over the next year or two for news about re-purposed rail being laid to new vistas and destinations.  Who knows, this may turn into a group project! – Bill Thomas, superintendent, Hook Line & Singer RR

Click on photos for a full view!

As of February 22, 2022, Angela and I will be calling 110 West Lake Street, Madisonville, home.  We’ve loved being at 1025 Lakewood Dr. for almost 20 years.  We’ve always admired several antique homes in the downtown area and one of those popped up on the market in December.  We hesitantly proceeded and fell in love with this 140-year old classic adjacent to CSX’s (former L&N) main line on the Henderson Subdivision – but that had NOTHING to do with it!  Some years ago the attic was renovated into a large room with kitchenette, bathroom, bedroom, and storage – perfect for a model train location!  And, the back deck offers a fairly good look at passing trains.  I’m looking forward to hosting my first train night in the near future!  Bill

While vacationing in Gulf Shores, AL, last month, I traveled the short distance up to Foley, AL, to experience the Foley Railroad Museum.  Unfortunately I arrived 10 minutes after they closed at 3pm.  Housed in the former L&N, the museum features these pieces of rolling stock and a large 3-rail O display layout.   Bill Thomas, ed.

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There are a few (train) places I often think about as spring approaches each year as I’ve seen pictures in magazines and websites. First is the southeaster part of Kentucky and western Virginia, on L&N’s Cumberland Valley Sub. There’s a spot between Big Stone Gap and Appalachia, VA, where the former Southern crossed over the L&N. Before this small portion of the L&N was relocated to share rails with the Southern, it dashed into a tunnel known as Callahan’s Nose Tunnel (pictured at left) and continued a parallel route to the SR into Appalachia. The roadbed, tunnel and bridge across Hwy 23 and the Powell River are now an active Rails to Trails path.

Hagen’s Switchback is another location on my bucket list for a visit some spring. What a marvel, the only operating Class 1 mainline switchback in use and it was never meant to be a permanent solution. Relatively new, the long tunnel from the Kentucky side following the Martins’s Fork of the Cumberland River, pierces through over a mile before exiting on the south side of the mountain where the trains reverse westward up the wye to the old CV line (now gone), then pulls ahead eastward. South tail tracks are too short to hold a regular train so they have 3 holding tracks if needed.

My hope is to visit these locations when the redbuds are in bloom. I hear they cover the sides of the hills. I hope you can get out and visit either your favorite rail fanning spots or find a couple of new ones. Either way, be safe, stay off the tracks, and enjoy the re-awakening of nature as we move into a new spring season!

Enjoy! – Bill Thomas, Editor