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Blue Ridge Scenic Railway Station Stops |
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
1940 Official Guide map / collection
BRSR route map / RWH
postcard / collection
Blue Ridge, Ga
1930 Official Guide ad / collection
Jul 2021 / RWH
lue Ridge has an artsy vibe, with a vibrant arts scene, local art galleries and great community theater. The town has four craft breweries and live music on weekends. Blue Ridge was founded in 1886 as a result of the arrival of the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad. In the early years, there were five hotels and several boarding houses in downtown Blue Ridge, and the town was promoted as the "Switzerland of the South." As the home of the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, the historic railroad depot remains the central focus in downtown Blue Ridge. Although the first depot burned, the present station was built in 1906. You can see the train depart the station at 11 a.m. most days in season.
collection
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
collection
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
downtown map / collection
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Click to see the Blue Ridge depot area plotted on a Google Maps page
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Sep 2024 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Sep 2024 / RWH
Sep 2024 / RWH
postcard / collection
Jul 2021 / RWH
Jul 2021 / RWH
Jul 2021 / RWH
collection
collection
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Ray Leader
Blue Ridge, Ga / Ray Leader
ailroads played a vital role in the development of this area between the 1800s and the early 1900s. They determined the routes of local roads, saved an ailing mining industry, contributed to the growth of small towns as resort communities, and made it possible to log the last remaining virgin timber in the area. By 1905, the Marietta & North Georgia line had been purchased twice and was now called the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Depots in these smaller, mountain towns served as a place for shipping products, receiving mail and supplies, and gossip. In 1905, the Blue Ridge depot was built, and the railroad was in full forward motion.
Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2024 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2021 / RWH
Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
collection
Jul 2021 / RWH
Jul 2021 / RWH
Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2024 / RWH
Bay Window
Retired Louisville & Nashville bay window caboose #6130 has been repainted and renumbered #241, now on permanent location adjacent to the Blue Ridge depot. The car is a typical example from a large fleet of bay windows the L&N used on mainline freights until the railroads absorption into CSX Transportation.
Louisville & Nashville #241
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2021 / RWH
Louisville & Nashville #6130
Buffalo, NY / Feb 1979 / Christopher Smith 
Blue Ridge, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Sep 2024 / RWH
Blue Ridge, Ga / Sep 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Copperhill, Tn
n the northernmost reaches of Georgia’s Blue Ridge, travelers can straddle the state line, putting a foot in each state. McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, share a border that winds and curves around buildings and down streets. McCaysville was founded in 1904 and was the site of mining operations.
This area, called the Copper Basin, was a part of the route of the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad but now is a stop on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. It runs seasonally from April to December, cutting through the stunning North Georgia scenery.
Looking to be in two places at once? Visit these locations that straddle the state lines.
Georgia's Blue Ridge / image RWH
1930 Official Guide ad / collection
Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Sep 2024 / RWH
Sep 2024 / RWH
Sep 2024 / RWH
downtown map / collection
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Click to see the Copperhill / McCaysville depot area plotted on a Google Maps page
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Sep 2024 / RWH
ur unique and historic town straddling the state line with Georgia and our sister city of McCaysville is a great starting (or ending) point to enjoy three nearby National Forests and all they have to offer (The Cherokee, Chattahoochee and Nantahala), the world-famous Ocoee River, site of the 1996 Olympic Games whitewater events, world-class whitewater and paddling sports, as well as the largest wilderness area in the Southeastern United States, the nearby Cohutta Wilderness Area. Many of our historic buildings and homes in Copperhill (located in the town's three designated historic districts) are in the process of being restored, updated and brought back to their historic glory.
Copperhill is also pleased to be in the process of becoming a railroad enthusiast's paradise, with two excursion trains operating regular passenger service to our town. One trip takes passengers through the spectacular Hiwassee River Gorge and around the Bald Mountain Loop, where the railroad literally circles a mountain and can cross back over itself!
City of Copperhill
Copperhill, Tn / Jul 2024 / RWH
postcard / collection
Copperhill is located in a geological region known as the Copper Basin, which was the site of a major copper mining operation between the 1840s and 1987.
Starting around the time of the Civil War, the production method for removing the Sulphur from the copper ore mined in the area required building bonfires, throwing in the ore, and burning off the Sulphur. This necessitated cutting most of the trees in the valley for the bonfires. The acid rain caused by the burning of the Sulphur inhibited additional vegetation from growing, and the topsoil consequently washed off the hilly terrain due to lack of vegetation to hold it. Though acid plants were later built to convert the Sulphur into a useful product, the result of the earlier activities was that for years, up until the 1980s, the area was denuded of any greenery, and the red clay soil remaining gave it a Martian appearance. The area has now been greatly reforested, due to a multimillion-dollar effort by the successor companies to the original copper company. The copper and acid plants have been permanently closed and most of the plant infrastructure already removed and sold overseas. Much of the scrap metals from the site have been removed and sold to China. Glenn Springs Holdings has cleaned and purified all the surrounding creeks and waterways, and water quality is now back to near pristine condition according to published EPA and Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation studies.
The town these days is a tourist attraction, with near daily rail excursions from Blue Ridge, Georgia, on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, and near daily rail excursions from The Gee Creek Wilderness on the Hiwassee River train route.
Sep 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Sep 2024 / RWH
Copperhill, Tn / Jul 2024 / RWH
Jul 2024 / RWH
Copperhill, Tn / Jul 2024 / RWH
Copperhill, Tn / Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Gan / Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Jul 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Sep 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Sep 2024 / RWH
McCaysville, Ga / Sep 2024 / RWH
Copperhill, Tn / Sep 2024 / RWH
Sep 2024 / RWH
