 |
Re: Trains Magazine News - Georgia town seeks funding for rail park to attack tourists
Author: ShortlinesUSA
Date: 06-29-2022 - 09:29
Sorry, but Dalton, GA not far to the south is the better option, and as such, already has a platform. Dalton gets every train that goes through Cohutta (NS only) plus everything CSX runs (8-12 per 24 hours), as the two railroads cross right in front of the Dalton viewing platform at the old depot which is now a visitors center.
Dalton has a multitude of restaurants within walking distance of the viewing platform (which, I should add has a scanner feed and ATCS monitor), plenty of lodging, and easy access from I-75. To get to Cohutta? Well, you have to want to get there. It's a small community away from the major highways with pretty much nothing in town.
If this funding is passed because the folks holding the purse strings are wowed by anyone in a suit with a PowerPoint presentation, this platform will just be a sitting place occasionally used by some of the 756 residents and an occasional fan. Definitely not the "Field of Dreams."
I'm of the opinion Dalton is highly underrated with railfans as a destination, overshadowed by the lore of Folkston, GA and other cities. I will add the recently opened platform in Cordele, GA (about 4 hours south of Dalton) is very well done, and has everything going for it that Dalton does. Those would be my two recommendations in the state for visitors-- Dalton if you're up north, Cordele to the south. Both locations have two Class 1s and also a shortline in Cordele (Heart of Georgia RR) that runs passenger excursions.
Here's a shot I took at the Dalton platform a few years ago--
[www.railpictures.net]
Mike Derrick
Dalton has a multitude of restaurants within walking distance of the viewing platform (which, I should add has a scanner feed and ATCS monitor), plenty of lodging, and easy access from I-75. To get to Cohutta? Well, you have to want to get there. It's a small community away from the major highways with pretty much nothing in town.
If this funding is passed because the folks holding the purse strings are wowed by anyone in a suit with a PowerPoint presentation, this platform will just be a sitting place occasionally used by some of the 756 residents and an occasional fan. Definitely not the "Field of Dreams."
I'm of the opinion Dalton is highly underrated with railfans as a destination, overshadowed by the lore of Folkston, GA and other cities. I will add the recently opened platform in Cordele, GA (about 4 hours south of Dalton) is very well done, and has everything going for it that Dalton does. Those would be my two recommendations in the state for visitors-- Dalton if you're up north, Cordele to the south. Both locations have two Class 1s and also a shortline in Cordele (Heart of Georgia RR) that runs passenger excursions.
Here's a shot I took at the Dalton platform a few years ago--
[www.railpictures.net]
Mike Derrick
