This year has been an interesting year in so many ways. For our club and railroad, it has been an extra busy year which has produced more than 30 workdays so far. This past July marked 10 years since the first sections of track where laid along with some of that very track being modified almost 10 years to the day later. Here is a short list of some of the items that took place this year:

Track panel construction for container extension project
Installation of 20’ container to the end of the existing 40’ gray container
Ash pit line completed
Removal of part of the mainline coming up from the Nicol bridge in preparation of the “Grandma” line
Sheppard Trucking delivered loads of dirt that was used to fill in near the green containers
Work began on the “Passenger” line
…and a lot more

We hope to be able to share our railroad again with you in 2021. In the meantime here are some pictures taken over the past year so you can see just what the club has been busy working on. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the club please have them contact us.

As a non-profit organization this year has been especially hard in raising the necessary funds to operate and expand the railroad. If you are able or know someone who is able to donate to North Georgia Live Steamers we would appreciate the consideration. For more information visit our website for details.

January

The crew spent time building track panels for the 20’ container extension project and also displayed at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History.

February

Work on the ash pit line and prep work for the 20’ container project took place in February along with some much needed track maintenance.

March

Just as the world was about to take an interesting twist the crew spent time working on the water hydrant, clearing trees for more fill dirt and next storage container.

May

With the ash pit line complete work began on the 20’ container extension project. The track work included installing a switch off the ash pit line and one additional switch to provide two tracks into the container for storage.

June

The 20’ container was placed and now work began to cut the ends out of the container and finish the track work up the hill to the container.

July

Track work going into the new 20’ container extension was completed and things began to shift to other projects including landscaping and making adjustments to the mainline for the “Grandma” line project.

August

Another busy month with building a new railroad tie wall coming out of the woods on the west end of the railroad heading towards the east loop. More work continued on the container and with the added momentum things started happening on the passenger line project which will add an additional 900’ of track to the railroad.

September

This month saw a great deal of work on the new passenger line expansion project which calls for more than 600 feet of track plus sidings to be installed. This project also introduced our first diamond on the railroad. The month however started off with the delivery of the completely rebuilt “Doe” bridge. This bridge has a long history which includes being used at our original location nearly 30 years ago. The container extension project also received some additional electrical work and the club steamer had a few adjustments made.

October

By the time the end of October happened the club had worked more than 30 days around the railroad. Things continue to move forward on the passenger line project with nearly 300 feet of track laid and nearing the halfway point. More than 500 railroad ties cut, nearly two dozen track panels built, and countless loads of gravel. Work was done on two switches that will be built in November for the next container project. As October ended the members of North Georgia Live Steamers had put in nearly 1,500 volunteer hours.

What’s next?

It is anyone’s guess but most likely finish up some loose ends on the container extension project, work on the passenger line, start another container project, and whatever else we can think of. If you or someone you know are interested in getting involved or would like to make a donation to our club please contact us.

A strange year has brought a lot of activity around the railroad