Mineral Bluff Historic Depot

uilt as part of the Marietta & North Georgia, the line originally extended through Mineral Bluff and reached Murphy, NC, in about 1886, as a connection with what became the Southern Railway. The L&N abandoned the section beyond Mineral Bluff to Murphy in the late 1970’s. Now home to the Tri-State model Railroaders, the Mineral Bluff Depot was built in 1887, and has been entered into the National Register of Historic Places. Over 130 years old, the depot is the oldest public building, and one of the oldest structures, in Fannin County.

Tri-State Model Railroaders Club

when the line was first finished in 1890, it consisted of multiple switchbacks in the tracks in order to gain elevation while crossing the high mountains. This was done to meet construction deadlines, but the switchbacks proved inefficient and before long the railroad was looking for an alternative. They soon decided to loop the tracks around Bald Mountain, creating one of only three points in the United States where railroad tracks loop over themselves to gain elevation in limited space. This loop in the tracks, completed in 1898, coupled with a double “S” curve near Jasper, Georgia gave the old line its nickname of the Hook and Eye Line. The “S” curves made up the hook and the loop made the eye.

Tri-State Model Railroaders Club