GSoF - Railfan Sites
RAILFANING
Local, Georgia and National Places for
Train Watching
[ We appreciate any contributions and corrections....RWH ]
March 2009: We have heard that Amtrak is tightening security.
If you try to railfan
or take photos on an Amtrak platform, you should be a ticketed passenger !!!
Marietta & Metro Atlanta Railroad Watching Places
- NW Atlanta: At the King Plow Art Center building parking lot: See Howell "Y" Interlocking
train action.
- Peachtree Amtrak Station: North-south train movements.
- Downtown Atlanta: Convention Center near Phillips Arena (East-west train movements can be viewed from
above bridge.)
- Atlanta: NS Main line south of Atlanta at McDonouogh Ave.
- Austell: The gazebo on the north side of the tracks is a good place to see action
(Amtrak and Norfolk Southern).
- Cartersville: CSX "curve" one mile south of Cartersville on US 41 (and just north of the Etowah River)
provides sweeping views of CSX trains traveling from Atlanta to Chattanooga.
- Doraville: NS Main Line parallel to the road, heading North/South.
- Duluth: Southeastern Railway Museum: Indoor & outdoor full scale trains.
- Marietta: West of the Marietta Square: Glover NG Steam locomotive and red Pullman car.
- Marietta: Train watching by the CSX double tracks near Welcome Center (old Marietta Depot.).
- Marietta: CSX just West of Lockeed, at the LOCKAIR siding. View from bridge.
- Smyrna: Heavy CSX action on the ex-L&N mainline north from Atlanta. The best site to
watch trains is the Smyrna Visitor Center.
- Try this site for more places and descriptions: http://www.geocities.com/djaquay/railatl.htm
Marietta & Metro Atlanta Model Layouts
- Canton: The Canton, St. Paul & Pacific 1.5" live steamers.
- Marietta: N-Gauge layout in the Kennesaw House, with the Marietta Museum of History.
Distant Georgia Railroad Watching Places
- Cordele: The CSX mainline from Waycross to Manchester crosses the NS mainline from Atlanta
to Florida. The Heart of Georgia (HOG) short line also crosses both lines here.
- Folkston: Heavy CSX action on the "Folkston Funnel". The town has provided a train
watching platform (with scanner radio). www.folkston.com
- Manchester: Watch railards from a nice city built gazebo. Go to downtown Manchester, then
north one block. Train audio in gazebo!
- Oglethorpe: View the CSX mainline (Manchester to Waycross), wher it crosses the NS (ex
Central of Georgia) line (Macon to Albany).
Other States Railroad Watching Places
- Fostoria, Ohio Quite a place to see trains. You can download a map from "Trains" Magagazine
( www.trainsmag.com )
website. About 160 trains a day pass through town. You have the old B&O east-west mainline to Chicago
crosses the old Nickel Plate (now NS) and the old C&O mailine from the Great Lakes south to the coal fields.
The town is building a train watching platform. The best place to watch trains is at the Amtrak (ex-B&O)
station and parking lot. The nearby diamond for the B&O and C&O crossing is not easily accessible because
it is on railroad property. Fostoria has a website that plays up their town as a great train watching place.
- Marion, Ohio is good for train watching. The station and interlocking tower have been preserved.
There are east-west and north-south lines crossing at grade at the station.
- Rochelle, Illinois Another great place to watch trains. The double-track UP mainline west from
Chicago crosses the BNSF double-track mainline from Chicago to Minneapolis. The town has built a great train
watching facility with a large covered picnic area, grills, scanner radio, rest rooms, a souvenir shop, a caboose,
and a large parking area. Trains Magazine has installed a webcam at the site and you can watch the action at
home by going to their website www.trainsmag.com.
- North Platte, Nebraska The UP's Bailey Yard is a great place to watch trains. Go to their
website at www.GoldenSpikeTower.com .
Museums and Commercial Venues
- Atlanta/Buckhead, GA: Atlanta Historical Society: Exhibits of Glover
Locomotive casting patterns, and photographs of Atlanta railroading history;
Franklin Garrett's office with railroad artifacts.
- Atlanta, GA: The Cyclorama. The "Texas" locomotive & Civil War circular
painting & diorama. East side of Grant Park, north of the Atlanta Zoo
entrance.
404-68-7625 www.bcaatlanta.org
- Blairsville, GA: Misty Mountain Railroad, "O" gauge walk through layout,
dozens of trains, 2,000 sq.ft., $5 donation.
- Blue Ridge, GA: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, 800-934-1898, www.brcenic.com
- Calera, AL: Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, 205-668-3435
- Chattanooga, TN: The Choo Choo, 423-266-5000 or 800-TRACK29 (800-872-2529)
www.choochoo.com
- Cordele, GA: SAM Shortline (Southwest Georgia Excursion Train), 877-427-2457,
www.SamShortline.com
- Duluth, GA: Southeastern Railway Museum: Locomotives and trains; Rides;
Inside railroad museum. 3595 Peachtree Road, Duluth. www.srmduluth.org
770-476-2013 Open 1-5 Saturdays.
- Gainesville, GA: Georgia Mountains Museum, 404-536-0889, Full size locomotive
and cars, model railroad diorama.
- Marietta, GA: Marietta Museum of History: Exhibits of Marietta area
railroading, with emphasis on the Civil War. In "Kennesaw House" facing the
CSX Tracks, west of the Marietta Square. www.mariettahistory.org 770-528-0431,
Open Monday-Saturday 10-4, Sunday 1-4. $3 ($2 Seniors)
- Kennesaw, GA: Southern Museum: Inside
displays of the Civil War in and around Kennesaw. Movie on the "Great
Locomotive Chase." Locomotives and shop artifacts from the Glover Machine
Works. Monthly lectures. 2829 Cherokee Street. www.southernmuseum.org
770-427-2117, M-F 9:30-5PM, Sunday N-5PM. $7.50 ($6.50 Seniors).
- Kennesaw, GA: Kennesaw Mountain National Park: Many books and information
on the "Great Locomotive Chase", and Civil War railroading.
- Sylva/Bryson, NC: Great Smoky Mountains Railway, 800-872-4681
COME WITH US ON AN OUTING
REMBER:
DO NOT TRESPASS ON R.R. PROPERTY WITHOUT PERMISSION
...AND DON"T BE A "TOWER BUFF!"
