Railroad Scenery

I'd like to take the time to share some Georgia Railroad Scenery.  As we all know the railroad played a huge part in our history as a Nation.  The railroad still plays a very vital part in our country and I appreciate that....but what I appreciate more is the photo opportunities it provides me!  So let's start our scenic tour in Lumber City.  I came across this beautiful rusty bridge totally by accident.  I was selling my photos at the Blueberry Festival in Alma, which consisted of two very hot, long and slow days.  When a gentlemen stopped by to look at my photos and told me about this bridge a short piece up the road.  I can't thank him enough at least something  good came out of the Blueberry Festival.  Don't get me wrong, it is a nice little hometown country festival.  Just not one for selling art.  Any way, this bridge is an old rotating bridge, with the operator's shack on top and it spans the Ocmulgee River along Highway 341.  On this particular day the River was very low, it seemed you could wade right across.  But, as you can see by the water lines, the river get quite high.  I hope to catch a pic in the future when the water its higher.

   

Our next stop is along the coast in Savannah Georgia, The Roundhouse.  It is a great place for history and railroad buffs!  It houses many old engines and railcars, along with the remains of the machine shop (which I found interesting), the cistern and you can even go on a short, very short, train ride.  Pictured below is one of the engines.

As we keep moving along, we are gong to go back down Highway 341 to Historic Doctortown located in Jesup.  This bridge is now on private property owned by the paper mill.  Once a year, usually in December, they have a re-enactment of the Battle of Doctortown and the area is open to the public.  Although they work hard at keeping you clear of the bridge.  I tried photographing it from land and it just didn't work to suit me.  So I had hubby drag out the boat and we rode down the Altamaha River.  So, you may ask, what was the Battle of Doctortown?  In December 1864, during the civil war and General Sherman's March to the Sea, the Union tried to destroy the railroad and the bridge; but the Confederates were successful with the help of two large cannons and railcars filled with soldiers, in turning the Union troops back and keeping the rails open for supplies.  At least for a while anyway...This is the only bridge General Sherman did not successfully take!  This bridge was also in the news recently, when a film crew was trying to shoot a scene from the bridge (illegally) and met up with a train, which unfortunately took the life of Sarah Jones and injured many others.  This is a counterweight bridge, which would fill with water to raise up and let the boat traffic through.

All aboard, next stop is Everett City, also located along the beautiful Altamaha River.  This was a swing bridge which is no longer in use, but still serves as a scenic backdrop to the Altamaha River Park!  A bit of history...the Orange Blossom Special use to run these rails and you can see one of the original cars at the Roundhouse Museum in Savannah.

No railroad trip would be complete without a stop in Folkston where people gather at the "Funnel" to watch the Trains pass through.  It has a cute little railroad station museum, complete with a porch and rocking chairs.  They also have a platform with benches and a railroad speaker to announce the arrival of the trains.  The trains run roughly every 15 minutes right through the center of town. 

 





I hope you have enjoyed our mini railroad tour.  Just a side note, Jesup also has a Great viewing platform and lots of railroad history.  So for today I will leave you with some of my unique railroad images!  

"Spike"

"Wheel"

"Life on the Rails"

Enjoy your Weekend