Nashville to Atlanta line

[basketmaker]

Back in late November, 1978 drove a 24' U-Haul from Miami to Nashville moving my sister. Took The Floridian back to Miami. All I really remember is eating dinner at Ireland's and then the dark, damp and dank platform at Union Station waiting for the couple hour late train. The trip itself wasn't anything remarkable. Just a consist of heritage equipment in pretty rough shape. Spent most of the time in the dome.

The following June I moved to Nashville/Smyrna and started a small air freight trucking company. And a couple of months later Amtrak was gone from Nashville. Being a railfan particularly of Amtrak that enjoys train travel that was a bummer! The several trips I made over the 28 years living there required a long drive to catch the train. Most of them were a 2.5 hour drive to Fulton, KY late at night to catch the City of New Orleans (both northbound and southbound) and one 3 hour jaunt to Birmingham for the eastbound Crescent.

My first California Zephyr trip from Chicago to Los Angeles thru Colorado convinced me that it was where I wanted to live. Finally in 2006 UPS was nice and transferred/moved me to Denver to finish my 33 years. And I have made a couple of trips since moving here. Living a couple of miles from the northwest corner of Denver International my regular station is Fort Morgan. More convenient (and free parking) than fighting traffic and parking in downtown to Union Station. Just a 50 minute drive and you're park next to the platform.

My fingers are crossed for fine folks, friends and family in the middle Tennessee area that Amtrak does come back. I'd actually come visit. Having spent my entire life in the aviation related industry I hate flying these days. Unless it is in a single-engine plane and no TSA security lines.

I hope Amtrak comes through as well as Tennessee (not too hopefull there).

 

[JRR]

How about reviving the L&N?

 

[crescent-zephyr]

How about reviving the L&N?

And / or the NC&St.L!

 

[basketmaker]

And / or the NC&St.L!

Well they are tryin with 576. Remember her well. Decided to take some shots of my new Impala back in 2000.

 

[Palmland]

Can’t wait to see 576 restored and running on the Nashville and Eastern. It’s at the former Tennessee Central shops (now museum and home to regular excursion trains on the N&E). But they have quite a project ahead of them.

 

[cocojacoby]

I think the singer was posing his question to a shoeshine boy, not a redcap.

I remember seeing a video where a woman was addressing an adult porter but I also found this on Wikipedia: "The main song opens with a dialog between a passenger and a "boy" [an offensive term, as shoe-shiners at Penn Station in 1941 were neither white, nor adolescent]"

 

[basketmaker]

Can’t wait to see 576 restored and running on the Nashville and Eastern. It’s at the former Tennessee Central shops (now museum and home to regular excursion trains on the N&E). But they have quite a project ahead of them.

Been to the museum/shop a couple of times. And did one excursion out to Lebanon for an afternoon out there. Just meandering around downtown. Boy I felt sorry for the Burger King when we pulled in. About 250 folks headed right to it! The Music City Star now runs the route daily.

Have done the Broadway Dinner Train several times that N&E pulled from Riverfront Park to the DuPont Plant in Old Hickory. One trip with out of town family some guy decided to try and commit suicide (admitted it to the police). Waited and drove in front of us at a crossing along Old Hickory Blvd.. Luckily speed was low but did roll his Blazer over and he did wind up in the Baptist Hospital ER for a few hours. I damn near wore a bowl of soup when we went into emergency braking.

 

[saintnich67]

In looking at the Nashville to Atlanta Amtrak proposal, one has to look at it more broadly. Establishing the Nashville to Atlanta line is a link to the Washington D.C. to Atlanta corridor for high speed rail. The rail line from D.C. to Charlotte as been upgraded over the last few years to accommodate Ascella trans. The goal is to get that corridor extended further west. The Atlanta to Nashville route is just one of many links Amtrak has to stitch together to eventually have a better and faster route from DC to LA. Amtrak is playing the long game here.

 

[Greg]

These kinds of articles always make me sad. we have been trying to get train service back in the Florida panhandle for 15 years on a route that is "suspended...", Believe it when you see it.

 

[treyk119]

I am a engineer for CSX. I work along the W&A mainline. We have been informed Amtrak will be using our line to run 2 sets of trains a day on our track Nashville to Atlanta. Also Amtrak is proposing to purchase our old Hulsey Yard.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Well, this seems to be moving along pretty quick. Tennessee and Georgia will have to open their wallets. Where is Hulsey Yard? Atlanta?

 

[Qapla]

Now, if we could get JAX to ATL

 

[treyk119]

Well, this seems to be moving along pretty quick. Tennessee and Georgia will have to open their wallets. Where is Hulsey Yard? Atlanta?

locatEd in the 4th ward district. Used to be our main intermodal yard till we moved to a bigger plot of land called Fairburn. About 15 miles west.

 

[treyk119]

Now, if we could get JAX to ATL

that’s the overall plan we’ve been told. Down the road the train would run to savannah to connect with silver lines. I have been applying for Jax Amtrak for months.

 

[JustOnce]

All single track with lots of 35-45 mph running. Doesn't sound very promising.

 

[Qapla]

I have been applying for Jax Amtrak for months.

If you end up in Jax, maybe we can meet for lunch

 

[treyk119]

I get to chattanooga with 10,000 feet trains in less than 4 hours so running a 8 car passenger train will get there in great time. Lots of double main for the terrain it covers.

 

[treyk119]

If you end up in Jax, maybe we can meet for lunch

Yea. The wife and I have been looking for areas to purchase already. With the commute and our budget we both like the Yulee area.

 

[west point]

Hulsey yard in Atlanta is a linear yard that used to be for the Georgia RR. It is abot 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 miles east of downtown . The Ga DOT preliminary HSR plan had one of its options to follow the old SAL freight connecting track ( now CSX ) from near Emory to connect in to the GaRR east of Hulsey.

Maybe that is what the rumor about Amtrak getting the yard ? However unless something has changed lately CSX uses both Hulsey and Fairburn for intermodal work?.

However for it to be ATL's main Amtrak station the question of if there is enough room for a necessary loop may be difficult/ It is hemmed in on the north by MARTA east rail line and a historic civil war cemetery on the south.

 

[Qapla]

Yulee is a nice area - fairly easy drive to Fernandina ... although the traffic is much worse than it used to be

I am quite a distance south of there ... closer to Gainesville

 

[JustOnce]

Not familiar at all (other than a quick glance at openrailwaymap and a 2005 ETT). Is the W&A sub also the route of Q025/Q026 a/k/a The Prince of Darkness?

 

[saintnich67]

I spoke with the assistant to Tennessee State Rep. Clay Doggett yesterday and he is for Amtrak but not any state funding. Can anyone help me to find information of how much the State of Tennessee pays for the Amtrak line from Memphis to Dyersburg. I'm writing a letter to the Lawrence County Advocate concerning the new Amtrak proposals.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

I spoke with the assistant to Tennessee State Rep. Clay Doggett yesterday and he is for Amtrak but not any state funding. Can anyone help me to find information of how much the State of Tennessee pays for the Amtrak line from Memphis to Dyersburg. I'm writing a letter to the Lawrence County Advocate concerning the new Amtrak proposals.

The train that stops in Memphis and Newbern/Dyersburg is a long-distance train, so is funded at the federal level, not by the state.

 

[saintnich67]

The train that stops in Memphis and Newbern/Dyersburg is a long-distance train, so is funded at the federal level, not by the state.

If that's the case, then why are we waiting on Alabama's funding for the line interupted by Hurricaine Katrina? Isn't that part of a long-distance line?

 

[jis]

If that's the case, then why are we waiting on Alabama's funding for the line interupted by Hurricaine Katrina? Isn't that part of a long-distance line?

New Orleans to Mobile is the only part that is under consideration for service commencement. It is way under the 750 mile threshold hence it is not part of the federal funded service.

As a matter of fact New Orleans to Jacksonville is also under 750 miles and hence has to be locally funded if and when it comes up for service revival. There is a possibility that it would be handled as an extension of the City of New Orleans thus making it more than 750 miles and hence part of the national network, if and when it happens and if enough equipment is available.