Georgia Southern Railway (fka Georgia Midland)

I haven't been out through Metter recently as I'm not travelling to Atlanta much anymore, so imagine my surprise when I came back through Metter and Register after a day trip to Atlanta Friday night (2/6/09) and came across the 4215 sitting on the line just west of the crossing in Register! It seemed like a very odd spot to park, right by the old Caboose in downtown. Did they "outlaw"? It didn't seem to have anything hooked up, but this morning (2/9) I caught it coming back up with two empty hoppers.

Question: coming across 301/67 in the center of town, I believe the crew had to manually operate the crossing. Approach was extremely slow, came to a full stop about 50 feet short, approached real slow, stopped again, gates came down, air horn blasts and across she went. I thought they only had to manually activate the crossing off the branch?

1325 has been sitting on the siding off of Main St for weeks, and the prime mover from 4215 is still sitting on the loading dock.

I trolled for news on the G&F from Kirby to Vidalia but didn't come up with anything. Anyone know anything?

As for increased traffic, I'd say this article about dedicated ship-to-rail yards in Savannah is a hopeful sign. Perhaps Wal-Mart, which has a great % of traffic through Savannah, may use it to shuttle up to Statesboro.

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/new ... s/2142975/

I also thought I'd post a few links I came across trolling the web for future reference/research, some relevant to GMR, some to HOG, some to GA in general, but providing a background for GMR operations:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah,_ ... rn_Railway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_a ... ro_Railway Interesting note: It indicates that a stub continued in use until 1950 but was then abandoned. It doesn't look abandoned to me!

http://www.trainweb.org/seaboard/SandS/sandsry.htm This page had more detail, and was under construction.

http://railga.com/oddendlist.html Note the blurb on the "S&S Greenway".

http://railga.com/hog.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Georgia_Railroad Interesting notes on the westernmost portion of the line.

http://railga.com/gfrr.html New iteration of the GFRR

http://railga.com/gafl.html The original G&F. Also indicates abandonment from Stevens Crossing to Statesboro in 1950. I guess they must just be talking about the connection, not the "branch" that remains.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_Railway_(Georgia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?tit ... &redlink=1 Nothing on this page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statesboro ... rn_Railway Again, it mentions complete abandonment.

http://railga.com/savstat.html Okay, some of the maps now make clear to me that Stevens was North and West. So the line to Cuyler was gone in 1933, the line to Stevens in 1950, and all that remained was the "branch" in Statesboro. Do I have that right?

http://railga.com/savaug.html

Usually they'll leave the power where they last spotted cars. This saves them a trip all the way back to Dover when there aren't any (or very few) released empties to be pulled from customers. In this case the conductor will follow the engineer in the company truck and will return to Dover with the engineer.

The 1325 is due for a complete wheel change from what I've been told by the crew. But with the drop in business that won't happen anytime soon. Expect the 1325 to be sitting for a good while yet.

As far as the 301/67 crossing, they must have fixed it somewhat. I remember for a while the gates/lights would not activate on the branch side. As far as stopping on the mainline side then proceeding, I think they're supposed to do this. There were RR stop signs at both ends of the crossing, but I think the one on the north end is gone.

The rehab plans on the Kirby and Vidalia section have been put on hold......probably indefinitely. The money allocated for this has been put toward other "things" by the state, seeing as how they're running low. Our wonderful gov't at work for you..................

{"Okay, some of the maps now make clear to me that Stevens was North and West. So the line to Cuyler was gone in 1933, the line to Stevens in 1950, and all that remained was the "branch" in Statesboro. Do I have that right?"}

You are correct. The G&F left the remaining "branch" trackage for the CofGA to use, as there were businesses along that stretch who still used rail service. When the G&F took control of the S&S and its facilities it was too late. The trackage was in such deplorable shape that the financially strapped G&F had no choice but to abandon it. A very disappointing blow to the G&F.....their main goal in taking control of the SA&N/SN was to eventually reach Savannah.

I was also told by the crew that the runaround track at Gateway was going to be used to unload rock. An individual was going to start a big rock unloading business there and had paid big money to have the track put in place. They were going to unload several 60 car unit trains a month, but when the track was put down, the RR never heard from this guy again! What a shame.....would have been cool to see the 4215 and 1325(and most likely another unit or two) in Run 8 coming through Statesboro with a long rock train!!

Given their run up the next morning with two empties, you're probably right. I just didn't see where they were spotted. Too bad about Gateway - that would have tied up a lot of side streets! for a slow slow moving train. The folks around here do NOT take the crossings seriously. I stopped on West Jones (the branchline, and all of these side streets are unprotected) chasing the 4215 with my girls for it to cross, and actually got passed by some bozo who completely ignored my stopped car at a RR crossing, the air horn, the guy protecting the crossing off the edge of the hopper, and the hopper starting to move across (pushing to Bulloch Fertilizer). Let's just say the brakeman/conductor was not too pleased. If they were going to start running trains that long, they would have to make some improvements.

What's "Run 8"?

No activity at all this week, or last. Up until then, it's actually been pretty busy, or so it seems, going to Bulloch Fert.

Sarge wrote:
What's "Run 8"?

The highest throttle position on a locomotive, Run (sometimes called "notch") 1 being the lowest. Put a unit in Run/Notch 8, and she'll run wide open.

That's basically what the 4215 and 1325 together will need to run in should they ever get those 60 unit rock trains, although I would think they would need at least another unit. Either that or bring them in 30 car cuts from Dover......

Yeah, Bulloch Fertilizer should start getting more cars now or in the next couple of weeks...............planting season is just about to start.

What speed would that get them up to? I can't see them running through town at anything over 5mph. Once they get south of S. Main St., I could see it.

Say if they could use just the 4215 and 1325 to pull the 60 car rock train, I could see them close to Run 8 (5 or 6 maybe) through town and still hang at 5mph.

Outside of town, where it's 20mph in some areas, I can definitely see them in Run 8 just to maintain that speed........should they be able to get that fast.

ashley2771 wrote:There is a scrap metal dealer/recycler off 301 in Statesboro named Stubbs Recycling... the are listed as a customer on the GMR website. I think Tillman and Deal is now Tillman, Brannen, And Minick...

There's also Whitaker Motors, which just sold out to Newell Recycyling. I believe they have a large shredding machine in Savannah, so they may use the GMR. They're just south of the food distributor on 301 S I think.

G&Fman wrote:Did you notice the long spur running north away from the mainline just outside of Metter? There was a scrap/recycling yard off in the distance where the spur goes to. It started operations around '94 and they were loading gons and converted rock/coal hoppers with scrap left and right. The plant even had a GE 44 tonner to switch around with. The Ogeechee (before GMR) was going to Metter 5 days a week, mostly to only work the plant. About a year or two later for some reason the place went belly-up.....

I saw the 4215 on this spur - is it a wye? - on Friday night last. Seemed like an odd spot (again). Anything going on here?

The only wye in town is the one right in front the old stockyard, directly across from the Amish farmer's market. The spur I was talking about is further east, just outside of town. It kinda winds its way from the mainline. Speaking of which.........

.........I noticed over a week ago there was an empty DJJX gon leaving our yard in Savannah for an "Allied Metals" in Metter, according to the waybill. This new customer may be using the old scrap facility that I was previously talking about. Never got the chance to recon once the GMR got the gon from us, but I'm willing to bet that was where it was spotted. I'm definitely hoping this will be a big customer for the GMR, moreso to keep them coming to Metter more often.

Newell Recycling just completed a huge facility right beside our yard in Savannah. They've been unloading a good number of gons the past couple of weeks.

I didn't think it was a wye, but what threw me was the reverse spur. A leading engine coming into Metter will have to pass the spur and push backwards. Did I see that right? I'll have to take another look.

It looks like the area around the wye across from the Farmer's Market has been cleared out. I haven't seen anything in quite some time. The 4215 was parked in Register again last Friday night (4/3).

I googled Allied Metal Recycling in Metter. Apparently, they've just started up, and plan to employ 150 or so people at the end of this year. That's good news. Add some business at the "new" Newell, and the GMR will be in good shape.

I've done some more research on my favorite railroad. I had always wondered if the present-day GMR had previously extended west past Metter, and found that it did (to Bruton in Laurens County):

http://www.railga.com/brutonpi.html

The most interesting thing that I found was that the eastern end of the line had been Metter, vs the fact that today it's the western end. The tracks were extended to Register in 1900, and in 1901 the Dover and Statesboro was purchased. All that was missing was the 9 miles of track between Register and Statesboro, built later that year. Ironic that the original Bruton and Pineora Railway is gone, but it's extension remains.

You saw it right. That spur is trailing for the train coming into Metter from the east. When pulling cars from that plant, they'll use the wye in town to run the engine around them for the trip back east. They may try to roll them by instead (taking advantage of gravity), but I think the spur and main are relatively flat in that area.

You can still see just a few sections of the old B&P right-of-way near Hwy 80, moreso in Adrian, GA. I knew a conductor on NS (retired several years ago) who ran to Metter quite a bit around the late '60s when the line west of town had been taken up just a few years before.

Metter was a busy RR town back in the early-mid '80s when I was a kid. My father and I would frequent the old stockyard back then, and I remember seeing covered hoppers and woodracks all over the place. My dad even took a couple of pictures of me hanging off an old Big John hopper across from the stockyard (there was a grain elevator there but it's torn down now). How times have changed..............

Saw the 4215 on Friday behind the locked fence at Bulloch Fertilizer. Looked like they had a single car (not hooked) back there, and Howard's looked like it had quite a few cars.

Looks like they're upgrading the new metal recycling place alongside 301S. Saw quite a bit of new signage. May be a good sign for future freight service. I don't know if they have a siding or not, but there is that long siding just north of there.

Observed an insane seven (7) hopper cars at the grain silo / elevator siding in Register Friday 7/24 evening; no power in sight. At least it was something like seven. I didn't think they could get seven on that siding; I've never seen more than one or two at a time. I'm sure some of them were from Metter and just parked. Didn't see any power in Metter, either.

That is a lot... what would be stored in Register this time of year? grain?

I hadn't been over to Register and Metter in a while, but I can bet they're stored sugar hoppers for Imperial Sugar. If they're the TILX, CRDX, or SSPX hoppers then those would be the ones and they're filling up any available space with them. The siding at Statesboro Grain and the old grain elevator siding behind the new Newell Recycling facility on Hwy 301 are slap full of them. And I'm sure they have some stored in Metter as well.

They also have about 90 shoved into the weeds/woods south of Kirby on the G&F line.