North Georgia Live Steamers

The North Georgia Live Steamers was formed in 1972 as a 7.5" gauge live steam railroad club. The original outdoor club layout was constructed on the previous site of the Southeastern Railway Museum in suburban Atlanta, operated by the Atlanta chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. That layout included over a mile of track with spurs and sidings, a passenger station, a club activity building, an engine and car unloading facility, steaming bays, and several trestles, bridges, and tunnels. When the Southeastern Railway Museum relocated to a new site in Duluth, the live steam club was forced to relocate as well. In 2009, the club -- by then a non-profit corporation -- relocated to a new site at the International Horse Park in Conyers, Georgia. Dubbed the Conyers & Hightower Trail Railroad, the new pike opened to the public in 2013. Trains make two different trips around a double dog-bone layout that includes signalling, passing tracks, a turntable and transfer table, a large staging yard, storage units, and a picnic pavilion. Mainline expansion is planned, and the club hosts public run days and other events throughout the year.