One interesting member of the SAL family was the Gainesville Midland Railroad. In fact, it continues today as an important CSX branch. Have any books been published on the GM or its predecessors? If not, is anyone in the process of doing so? Have there been any substantial articles on the line? What detailed and accurate sources of information exist for the GM?

Ed Faggart Lincolnton, NC

-- Ed Faggart (Emfag108@aol.com), March 23, 2003

Answers

To add to Bob's answer - the GM is very much alive as part of CSX.

-- Bill Parks (bparks_43@yahoo.com), March 26, 2003.

Ed -

The Gainesville Midland Railway was incorporated August 2, 1904, to operate the 3-foot gauge railroad purchased in July of that year at the forclosure sale of the Gainesville, Jefferson & Southern Railway, a subsidiary of the Georgia Railroad. Theline originally extended from Gainesville to Monroe with a branch to Jefferson. The Jefferson line was extended to Athens in 1906 and the Gainesville-Athens line was standard-gauged in 1908. The Monroe line was converted to standard in 1913. The line entered receivership in 1921 and was sold to the bondholders in 1926. The Seaboard Air Line Railway agreed to purchase the company with the proviso that the Monroe Branch could be abandoned. The Interstate Commerce Commission approved the purchase in 1927 but declined to approve the abandonment of the Monroe line, so the SAL backed out of the deal.

Passenger service, which was carried on with flanged-wheel buses and motor cars as well as mixed trains after the 1930's, was abandoned in 1946. The Monroe branch was abandoned the following year.

The Seaboard Air Line purchased the line in 1959. According to my sources, the company still exists as a CSXT subsidiary due to work rules that are much more advantageous than those applying to the CSXT proper.

Bob Hanson

-- Robert H. Hanson (RHanson669@aol.com), March 25, 2003.

Ed -

A few years back, an article was written for a local Magazine - I can't think of the name of the magazine off the top of my head. I believe I have a copy of the article. Contact me via email if you would like a copy. To my knowledge, it is the only thing of substance written about the GM.

Probably the best sources of information would be the Georgia Moutains Musuem located in Gainesville, and the Hall County Historical Society.

-- Bill Parks (bparks_43@yahoo.com), March 25, 2003.