Blog
The Plane Train’s Plain Name
If you have flown through Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport since 1980, chances are you gotten to take a ride on the Plane Train. The Plane Train did not get its name until 2010, a full […]
Blog
Blog
Painting the tracks white?
Most of our blogs are centered around trains and history in the United States; however, this week I am breaking all the rules. First off, I’m writing in first person. Secondly, I’m writing about trains […]
Blog
MARTA: And Its SMARTA Beginnings…
On June 30, 1979, after four years of construction and over a decade of work, MARTA’s rail service was born. MARTA was originally proposed to serve Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties. In 1965 […]
Blog
The Camp Creek Rail Tragedy
On June 23, 1900, Georgia experienced its worst rail disaster. Southern Railway’s No. 7 train came across a washed-out bridge at the Camp Creek trestle, just south of Atlanta. The train plummeted 60 feet into […]
Blog
Scared the Dickens Out of Him?
When you hear the name of Charles Dickens, you may think of Christmas carols or even orphans named Oliver, but you probably do not think of trains. Turns out, trains had an extraordinary impact on […]
Blog
Faster Than a Speeding…Biscuit?
Imagine you are a chef for an exclusive restaurant – except that your kitchen is only about four feet wide, you share it with other chefs, and it is moving. Chefs on railroads had to […]
Blog
National Train Day – May 7th, 2022
Each year, the United States celebrates National Train Day on the Saturday closest to May 10th. Why? It was then that the first U.S. transcontinental railroad joined the East and West Coasts together permanently by […]
Blog
Lincoln Funeral Train
On this day in 1865, Lincoln’s funeral train left Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to head to New York City for its fourth stop. The funeral train was scheduled to spend time in six northern states before arriving […]
Blog
Black History Month: Lewis H. Latimer
Over the years, the railroads have benefited from a diverse workforce. Most people think of the Transcontinental Railroad as the most varied workgroup with Asians, primarily Chinese, providing the labor to build the railroad in […]
Blog
Black History Month: Elijah McCoy
Over the years, the railroads have benefited from a diverse workforce. Most people think of the Transcontinental Railroad as the most varied workgroup with Asians, primarily Chinese, providing the labor to build the railroad in […]