December Meeting & Christmas Party
We have a couple of members who are working on plans for our December Club Meeting and Christmas Party. They have asked for some input from members. As a reminder the meeting and party will be on Saturday, December 7th. Please complete the information below.
We have a couple of members who are working on plans for our December Club Meeting and Christmas Party. They have asked for some input from members. As a reminder the meeting and party will be on Saturday, December 7th. Please complete the information below.
Who is interested in a 2025 Printed Calendar
We are working on the 2025 schedule and looking to see how many people are interested in purchasing printed calendars like we have had the past several years. As in years past the cost of the calendars depends on how many are ordered.
Please submit your interest in purchasing printed calendars by Saturday, November 9th.
We are working on the 2025 schedule and looking to see how many people are interested in purchasing printed calendars like we have had the past several years. As in years past the cost of the calendars depends on how many are ordered.
Please submit your interest in purchasing printed calendars by Saturday, November 9th.
Our 4th Annual Fall meet is a wrap. Thank you to everyone who came and made it a success.
The 2024 Fall meet is in the books and what an exciting weekend the railroad experienced. A big thank you to our onsite coordinator, Wes for making sure everything happened as it needed including overnight security, we could not have done it without all he did throughout the weekend. Another big thank you goes out to Norm and Susan for making sure everyone got fed on Saturday cooking up hamburgers, hot dogs, and more. We had several bring desserts and by the time lunch was over everyone said they ate way too much.
The 2024 Fall meet is in the books and what an exciting weekend the railroad experienced. A big thank you to our onsite coordinator, Wes for making sure everything happened as it needed including overnight security, we could not have done it without all he did throughout the weekend. Another big thank you goes out to Norm and Susan for making sure everyone got fed on Saturday cooking up hamburgers, hot dogs, and more. We had several bring desserts and by the time lunch was over everyone said they ate way too much. Thank you to Joan, Sherry, and others for taking care of the waiver table and even setting up a small merchandise table for those interested in purchasing t-shirts and more. To our many visitors we hope you had a great time and look forward to seeing you next year. Our visitors came from Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and more.
As we reached the peak of the meet on Saturday, we had nearly 10 trains operating on the railroad at once which included 7 steam engines and 3 diesels locomotive with a variety of freight and passenger cars rolling around the railroad.
Countdown To Fall Meet 2025
Mark your calendar for the 2025 Fall Meet scheduled for Thursday, October 16th through Sunday, October 19th.
Thank you to Robby, Tyler, Scott, and others for the pictures.
Fall meet is days away. Let us know your plans.
We are just days away from this year’s fall meet. As in years past the club will provide lunch on Saturday. In order to properly plan for food on we need to know who is coming. Please make sure you let us know. At this point we only have 11 club members who have told us they are coming.
As a reminder this year’s dates are Thursday, October 24th - Sunday, October 27th with lunch provided by the club on Saturday.
****Please Respond by Saturday, October 21st****
Countdown To Fall Meet
We are just days away from this year’s fall meet. As in years past the club will provide lunch on Saturday. In order to properly plan for food on we need to know who is coming. Please make sure you let us know. At this point we only have 11 club members who have told us they are coming.
As a reminder this year’s dates are Thursday, October 24th - Sunday, October 27th with lunch provided by the club on Saturday.
Note: If you responded a couple of weeks ago you do not need to respond again.
Update: Please complete by Monday, October 21st
Our 3rd Public Run Day event of the 2024 season is in the books.
What an incredibly beautiful day it was to bring the family out to ride trains this past Saturday. A big shout out to our friends from the Georgia chapter of Operation LifeSaver for coming out and building awareness to railroad grade crossing safety. We saw so many families carrying Operation LifeSaver bags full of goodies throughout the day. A special thanks to all of our club members and other volunteers who came out and made the day such a success. If you missed the day because your favorite college football team was playing don’t feel bad you have one more opportunity to bring the family out on Saturday, November 9th as the railroad closes out the 2024 train ride season. We look forward to seeing everyone around the railroad again soon.
What an incredibly beautiful day it was to bring the family out to ride trains this past Saturday. A big shout out to our friends from the Georgia chapter of Operation LifeSaver for coming out and building awareness to railroad grade crossing safety. We saw so many families carrying Operation LifeSaver bags full of goodies throughout the day. A special thanks to all of our club members and other volunteers who came out and made the day such a success. If you missed the day because your favorite college football team was playing don’t feel bad you have one more opportunity to bring the family out on Saturday, November 9th as the railroad closes out the 2024 train ride season. We look forward to seeing everyone around the railroad again soon.
If you would like to come out during one of our workdays and see what goes into building and maintaining a railroad, please check out our calendar for the latest information on our workday schedule. Please note dates do change because of weather and other factors if you have any questions before heading out contact us with any questions.
Debris and other updates
What a crazy weather year we have had. The most recent hurricane that came through our region last week just seems to be icing on the cake for many. After the hurricane passed Wayne went to check on the railroad and found everything to be in good shape and at that point the river was high but was not at risk of creating any issues with the railroad.
What a crazy weather year we have had. The most recent hurricane that came through our region last week just seems to be icing on the cake for many. After the hurricane passed Wayne L. went to check on the railroad and found everything to be in good shape and at that point the river was high but was not at risk of creating any issues with the railroad. On Saturday Wes was out to the railroad and took some pictures of the water level and things continue to look ok with the Yellow River not reaching the railroad. By Sunday many of you read the email about John Tuten and how he got hit pretty hard by the hurricane with trees actually hitting his house. He has struggled to find local help but after last night’s email several members volunteered to go out Monday and help remove what every they could to help John and his family. This morning Wes and Scott meet at the railroad and loaded up and headed to South Carolina but before they left Scott sent pictures and information on what he found around the west end of the railroad. Robby checked on Calvin and Vivian who are in the Augusta area just west of John and they are doing well. They lost power but everything else was in good shape.
Back to Scott’s report he reports the west end of the railroad had no visible track damage which is great news. He reports that a lot of leaves and little twigs on the track. He did move a couple of larger limbs that had fall out of the way. However, he did find two large limbs that will need to be taken care of near the bridge coming out of the woods on the inner loop track as you are heading towards what we call the water line. This is in the same area that a tree was removed after our last big storm a few months ago. He did find one major safety issue with a limb that is about 30 feet up in the air dangling that we need to figure out how to get down ahead of our public run day if possible. If anyone has availability on Friday Robby plans to be at the site sometime around 2 p.m. to clean up around the railroad and perform some regular track maintenance on the east loop and two switches on the west end of the yard.
If the storm wasn’t enough, you probably heard about the chemical fire at the BioLab facility in Conyers along I-20 requiring many to shelter in place while the fire is put out and the air quality improves. At this point we do not believe this will impact our public run day on Saturday, but we continue to monitor the situation.
Assuming things continue to improve we also have our club meeting on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Email Issue Update
It has come to our attention that many of you may not have received last Friday’s email from Robby personal email talking about last Saturday’s workday plans and other activity around the railroad. For those that did not receive the email here is a portion of what was sent
It has come to our attention that many of you may not have received last Friday’s email from Robby personal email talking about last Saturday’s workday plans and other activity around the railroad. For those that did not receive the email here is a portion of what was sent.
…The day will be focused on making sure the railroad is ready for our run day in two weeks and to finish painting the inside wall and ceiling of the clubhouse / workshop container. I'm not sure how the grass is but any help to weedeat and possibly cut the grass would also be helpful.
Also don't forget to spread the word about our fall meet.
https://northgeorgialivesteamers.org/fallmeet
If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.
Hot Summer Club Fun Run Recap - August 24, 2024
Our annual Hot Summer Nights Club Fun Run, more like morning and afternoon, was an incredible day for our members and visitors. The weather was unusually gorgeous for an August summer day and only got better into the evening. We had members and visitors come and go throughout the day enjoying fellowship, lunch, and of course riding trains.
Our annual Hot Summer Nights Club Fun Run, more like morning and afternoon, was an incredible day for our members and visitors. The weather was unusually gorgeous for an August summer day and only got better into the evening. We had members and visitors come and go throughout the day enjoying fellowship, lunch, and of course riding trains. However, earlier in the week Wes got the property ready for our enjoyment by cutting grass and Saturday morning Dave L. came out and finished clearing the railroad of any debris with his leaf blower and maybe a little game of pick-up sticks all to make sure the railroad was ready for our enjoyment. With the property and railroad ready Dave did some test running with his electric switch and answered some questions from John about his electric locomotive. Whatever Dave said must have worked because John was out running his locomotive a short time later with a grin on his face just like a kid in the candy store. John also acquired a new to him engineer and flat car making his train nearly complete.
Speaking of working on things Wes brought out his latest electric outline Porter project and ran it around the railroad on Saturday. He continues to make adjustments and is really close to making his latest project fully operational in the near future. Great looking locomotive with many years of fun in its future. Peter also stopped by and steamed up just so he could get dirty enough to make sure everything is running correctly ahead of the fall run schedule. Let’s just say Robby was a little jealous he didn’t bring his locomotive to compete with Peter on who would end the day the dirtiest. We also had one of our younger members Grady come by with his grandfather and was taught how to run the club diesel for the first time. Let’s just say the smile on his face throughout the day was wide and will surely be a memory for the ages.
As the afternoon turned to evening many went home leaving just Wes and Dave to play trains until almost 9 p.m. before tucking their trains in for the night and going home as well. We could not have picked a better weather day and looking forward to many more club fun days and our fall meet in October.
Almost a full workday recap for Saturday, August 3rd
We had a small crew working around the railroad on Saturday with a failed attempt to cut the grass. Let’s just say that grass won over the two riding lawn mowers as the deck belts broke on both of them. After the failed attempt to cut grass, the crew shifted gears and made about a dozen straight panels that will be used for the grandma line.
We had a small crew working around the railroad on Saturday with Wes and Robby trying to cut the grass. Let’s just say that grass won over the two riding lawn mowers as the deck belts broke on both of them. Wes plans on making a second attempt at cutting the grass on Sunday after installing a new belt in his riding lawn mower. A new belt for the club riding lawn mower is on order and should be useable again in about two weeks. After the failed attempt to cut grass Robby and Tyler shifted gears and made about a dozen straight panels that will be used for the grandma line. We did take a break for lunch and our August club meeting.
Don’t forget to check out our calendar for what is coming up including club fun days, meets, and more in the coming weeks and months.
Happy Mother’s Day
A big thank you to all of the moms on Mother’s Day. Thank you for all you do in supporting us in everything we do.
A big thank you to all of the moms on Mother’s Day. Thank you for all you do in supporting us in everything we do.
Prep Day for our second run day will be on Saturday, May 11th
The second public run day of the season is just around the corner. Come out on Saturday, May 11th and let’s prepare the property and the railroad for our visitors. Workday will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the focus making sure the railroad is ready to go along with cutting grass and checking all equipment. Make sure you bring leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and other lawn tools. Don’t forget other tools you may need to perform work on other items around the railroad.
The second public run day of the season is just around the corner. Come out on Saturday, May 11th and let’s prepare the property and the railroad for our visitors. Workday will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the focus making sure the railroad is ready to go along with cutting grass and checking all equipment. Make sure you bring leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and other lawn tools. Don’t forget other tools you may need to perform work on other items around the railroad.
Are you available to volunteer for our May 18th Public Run Day Event?
We are looking to see who is planning on visiting other railroads this spring. We are hoping to have a good showing at other locations and to help promote our Fall meet. Please fill out the form below and let us know.
Our second public run day of the season is on Saturday, May 18th. Please let us know if you are available to volunteer that day. Fill out the form below or click the button.
This Saturday, March 2nd is our 2nd Almost Monthly Club Fun Day of 2024.
Our 2nd Almost Monthly Club Fun Day will be this Saturday, March 2nd. The day is intended for club members, guests, and those who are in the hobby to come out and enjoy a day of running trains. Come when you want and stay as long as you want. If you plan on coming out, please let us know by clicking here.
Some changes to the railroad have taken place since the last time we have operated on the railroad. If you are the first one on the railroad, make sure you take it slow and verify all switches are aligned correctly. Pay close attention to the area heading down towards the Nicol’s bridge after you leave the station area as this area had some major work done last weekend, and a new switch has been installed on the inner loop on the west end as you approach the water line track.
Our 2nd Almost Monthly Club Fun Day will be this Saturday, March 2nd. The day is intended for club members, guests, and those who are in the hobby to come out and enjoy a day of running trains. Come when you want and stay as long as you want. If you plan on coming out, please let us know by clicking here.
Some changes to the railroad have taken place since the last time we have operated on the railroad. If you are the first one on the railroad, make sure you take it slow and verify all switches are aligned correctly. Pay close attention to the area heading down towards the Nicol’s bridge after you leave the station area as this area had some major work done last weekend, and a new switch has been installed on the inner loop on the west end as you approach the water line track.
AJC lists NGLS as one of six family friendly train trips in and around Georgia
A big shout out to LaVay for finding a February 20th article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution online edition which lists NGLS as one of six family friend train trips in and around Georgia. Check out the full article by visiting AJC online - Six family friendly train trips in and around Georgia (ajc.com).
A big shout out to LaVay for finding a February 20th article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution online edition which lists NGLS as one of six family friend train trips in and around Georgia. Check out the full article by visiting AJC online - Six family friendly train trips in and around Georgia (ajc.com).
NGLS Club Steamer Maintenance Update
As many of you know the club steamer needed a couple of repairs after her travels back from the Trains, Trains, Trains event last month. Bob reports that the repairs are complete but would like an additional review of how the lubricator is working. He spent time priming it but felt some additional inspection would be helpful to insure it is 100% operational. Bob is going to be unavailable for the next couple of months so if we could get a few steam guys to step in and help Bob with verifying everything is operational before our first public run day event that would be great.
Until this verification is complete, please do not use the club steamer until then.
As many of you know the club steamer needed a couple of repairs after her travels back from the Trains, Trains, Trains event last month. Bob reports that the repairs are complete but would like an additional review of how the lubricator is working. He spent time priming it but felt some additional inspection would be helpful to insure it is 100% operational. Bob is going to be unavailable for the next couple of months so if we could get a few steam guys to step in and help Bob with verifying everything is operational before our first public run day event that would be great.
Until this verification is complete, please do not use the club steamer until then.
Club Meeting Location Change - Moving to Hawthorn Suites across from railroad
Our January meeting is this Saturday, January 6th at 1 p.m. The meeting location will move across the street to Hawthorn Suites which is at 1659 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers, GA 30013. If you are unable to make the meeting and are a FULL member you can vote for the 2024 Board online by visiting https://tinyurl.com/ngls2024voting. Please note that you must be a current FULL member and have paid your 2024 dues prior to the start of the Saturday, January 6th meeting.
Our January meeting is this Saturday, January 6th at 1 p.m. The meeting location will move across the street to Hawthorn Suites which is at 1659 Centennial Olympic Parkway, Conyers, GA 30013. If you are unable to make the meeting and are a FULL member you can vote for the 2024 Board online by visiting https://tinyurl.com/ngls2024voting. Please note that you must be a current FULL member and have paid your 2024 dues prior to the start of the Saturday, January 6th meeting.
For Sale - Sandy Creek 523 Switcher $2,000.00
Here is a great opportunity to purchase a completely rebuilt electric switcher. The story begins 40+ years ago when the switcher was built by Paul Demianchik in about 1979. The cab was custom built for him by Bill Koster’s Miniature Railroad Supply. The motor and controller also came from Bill. The drive train came from Railroad Supply Corp. The exact origin of the chassis is unknown. To read more on the history of this great locomotive and see additional pictures click the link below.
http://www.davelevy.net/sandy-creek-523-switcher/
The video below shows the locomotive operating after the restoration completion.
$2,000
If interested contact Dave Levy (dave@davelevy.com) for more information. This locomotive is located at North Georgia Live Steamers in Conyers, GA.
Here is a great opportunity to purchase a completely rebuilt electric switcher. The story begins 40+ years ago when the switcher was built by Paul Demianchik in about 1979. The cab was custom built for him by Bill Koster’s Miniature Railroad Supply. The motor and controller also came from Bill. The drive train came from Railroad Supply Corp. The exact origin of the chassis is unknown. To read more on the history of this great locomotive and see additional pictures click the link below.
http://www.davelevy.net/sandy-creek-523-switcher/
The video below shows the locomotive operating after the restoration completion.
$2,000
If interested contact Dave Levy (dave@davelevy.com) for more information. This locomotive is located at North Georgia Live Steamers in Conyers, GA.
Club Meeting and Christmas Party this Saturday, December 9th
As a reminder the annual December Club Meeting and Christmas Party has been rescheduled for this Saturday, December 9th. Please continue to work with Joan on coordinating food and other activities for the Christmas Party.
The plan is still start arriving around 11 a.m. with food at noon and club meeting at 1 p.m. Don’t forget party activities include White Elephant Raffle. So, make sure you bring a white elephant gift and money to buy some raffle tickets to play.
For those not able to attend the meeting and would still like to submit nominations for the 2024 board please do so no later than Friday, December 8th using the link below. If you have already submitted your nominations online you do not need to do it again.
As a reminder the annual December Club Meeting and Christmas Party has been rescheduled for this Saturday, December 9th. Please continue to work with Joan on coordinating food and other activities for the Christmas Party.
The plan is still start arriving around 11 a.m. with food at noon and club meeting at 1 p.m. Don’t forget party activities include White Elephant Raffle. So, make sure you bring a white elephant gift and money to buy some raffle tickets to play.
For those not able to attend the meeting and would still like to submit nominations for the 2024 board please do so no later than Friday, December 8th using the link below. If you have already submitted your nominations online you do not need to do it again.
Train For Sale
A great locomotive and a couple of cars have come up for sale within our group. John H. has put his equipment up for sale as he prepares to bring to life another steam engine. Details included below.
For more information contact John H.
A great locomotive and a couple of cars have come up for sale within our group. John H. has put his equipment up for sale as he prepares to bring to life another steam engine. Details included below.
For more information contact John H.
$8,795 Complete Train and Mini-Camper
$2,200 Engine with extra cab, including Batteries
$1,000 Engineer Car with matching folding seats
$1,800 Passenger/conductor car with folding seat
NOTE: Mini-Camper not sold separately.
Public Run Day Recap for Saturday, October 7, 2023 (Members Recap)
What an incredible day we had this past Saturday. The day started out with beautiful weather and friends from Georgia Garden Railway Society (GGRS) stopping by not only to spend some time with us but to feed us lunch before our big day. We received some great pictures from our Gauge-1 setup from Dan Long, who visited with his family and shared some great photos of there stay. He shared on Facebook the following “We went to North Georgia Live Steamers today and Ezra had a blast. He asked if he could help and Mark showed him how to run an actual steam engine.” Moments like this is what allows the hobby to live on.
We had posts like this all over social media yesterday and the smiles are not possible without each of our members who came out to make the day such a success. For those wondering about the numbers we gave 722 rides plus about 50 rides for GGRS. Based on historical numbers Saturday was our largest public run day to date for our railroad.
In just a couple of weeks our Fall Meet will take place and we need to hear from you regarding your plans for the meet. This will also help us with making sure we have enough food for Saturday’s lunch. Please use the link below to let us know - https://tinyurl.com/2023fallmeetmembers
What an incredible day we had this past Saturday. The day started out with beautiful weather and friends from Georgia Garden Railway Society (GGRS) stopping by not only to spend some time with us but to feed us lunch before our big day. We received some great pictures from our Gauge-1 setup from Dan Long, who visited with his family and shared some great photos of there stay. He shared on Facebook the following “We went to North Georgia Live Steamers today and Ezra had a blast. He asked if he could help and Mark showed him how to run an actual steam engine.” Moments like this is what allows the hobby to live on.
We had posts like this all over social media yesterday and the smiles are not possible without each of our members who came out to make the day such a success. For those wondering about the numbers we gave 722 rides plus about 50 rides for GGRS. Based on historical numbers Saturday was our largest public run day to date for our railroad.
In just a couple of weeks our Fall Meet will take place and we need to hear from you regarding your plans for the meet. This will also help us with making sure we have enough food for Saturday’s lunch. Please use the link below to let us know - https://tinyurl.com/2023fallmeetmembers
Video provided by Mike Dreskell
Videos from Dan Long and family
