While at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, GA, we had found a 1924 Heisler and a 1910 ALCO in the main building. Once outside, we started coming across the Baldwins. First we found a 1919 4-4-0, then we came upon a 1924 2-8-0:
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| The Chattahoochee Valley #21 |
Now this intrigued me. See, I am an Alabama boy, born and raised in Phenix City (yes it's spelled correctly), which is right in the heart of the Chattahoochee Valley. I even started my college career at Chattahoochee Valley Community College (CVCC). This gave me a little more info:
Kinda hard to read, but it basically says that a railway line that used to service the textile mills ran from West Point, GA to Bleeker, AL (I'm glad I'm not from there because I'd be a Blocker from Bleeker. Ugh, anyways...). This got me thinking where that railway line would have been since it was so close to home so I just used Google maps to look at things:
Now I know it wouldn't have been a straight line route and they would have to avoid Lake Harding there unless somewhere there was a railroad tre... Wait! OMG!?! I grew up fishing and swimming on Lake Harding and I knew exactly where a railroad trestle was. Turns out, that was the one!
Then I remembered growing up we used to have to cross tracks on the way to our cabin on the lake. This section here, which was a dirt road back then, was where the Chattahoochee Valley RR used to pass, from right to left. In the fall, you can still find the path once the leaves have fallen and the kudzu somewhat dies.
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Now back to the train itself:
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| CVRR #21 |
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| Formerly TA&G #201 |
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| The boiler plates were in the museum |
Bonus cab access!
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