Tennessee, Alabama
& Georgia Railway

Spanning Three Southern States in less than a Hundred Miles

East Chattanooga, Tn / Jun 2019 / RWH

Although some of the TAG's most interesting stories dealt with history from long ago, the TAG's influence is still felt. Ask around the small communities the railroad served, and you will likely find the names of men who worked on the TAG before being absorbed into the Norfolk Southern system. These old railroad hands can still list off each TAG milepost just as surely as they know the route through the neighborhood streets to their own home. Although many years have passed, the life the TAG breathed into northwest Georgia is still drawing breath today.

Kevin Dallmier

tag_state The Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railroad began life in 1890 as a reorganization of the Chattanooga Southern Railway, built to haul coal, iron, and timber. In 1911 the short line from Chattanooga southwest 92 miles to Gadsden, Alabama, was reorganized as the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway, eventually known regionally as the "TAG Route." During the 1960s the railroad was owned by Mose and Garrison Siskin who owned the Siskin Steel Company in Chattanooga. They used the railroad to move steel products between Siskin Steel and Republic Steel in Gadsden. In 1971 the road was purchased by the Southern Railway, who abandoned the middle portion of the line in the early 1980s. The northern remaining section of the pike, 23 miles from Chattanooga to Hedges, was operated by the Chattooga & Chickamauga Railway until 2009.

1893 Official Guide ad / collection

1910 Official Guide ad / collection

1930 Official Guide ad / collection

1940 Official Guide ad / collection

1970 Official Guide ad / collection

Motive Power

Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #50

Chattanooga, Tn / collection

Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #50

builder:Electro Motive Division

model:GP18

type:B-B road switcher

built:Feb 1960, EMD #26675

series:350 produced 1959-63

engine:EMD 567D1 (16 cyls, 1800 hp)

notes:

blt Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #50
named the "Dave E. Hedges"
to Southern Railway #179

Chattanooga, Tn / circa 1960 / Al Chione

from Diesels of the Southern Railway 1939-1982
— Paul K. Withers / collection

March 2013

I received this interesting bit of correspondance regarding TAG #50, shown above:

As an amateur TA&G historian, I enjoy your TA&G section as well as all of your pages. There is a misconception about the numbering of the GP18. It was delivered to TA&G numbered #50 and not #801. The EMD builder's photo does have 801 in the number board, but on the day it arrived and was dedicated in Chattanooga it had 50 in the number board. As a matter of fact, it already had 50 painted on the cab side in the builder's photo. This was a surprise to Dave Hedges, the TAG president. Garrison Sisken, the owner of TAG, was behind the change. It was his idea to name the locomotive after Mr. Hedges and he had it numbered 50 in honor of Mr. Hedges' 50 years service. Keep up the good work.

Warren D. Stephens
TA&G Railway Historical Society

Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #708

Gadsden, Al / Mar 1955 / collection

Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #708

builder:Electro Motive Division

model:GP7

type:B-B road switcher

built:Apr 1951, EMD #14570

series:2610 produced 1949-54

engine:EMD 567B (16 cyls, 1500 hp)

notes:

blt Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #709
to Southern Railway #705, later #8235
to Savannah State Docks #8235

Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #709

Chattanooga, Tn / May 1964 / David Stewart

Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #709

builder:Electro Motive Division

model:GP7

type:B-B road switcher

built:Aug 1951, EMD #14740

series:2610 produced 1949-54

engine:EMD 567B (16 cyls, 1500 hp)

notes:

blt Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #709
to Southern Railway #706, later #8236
traded to Electro Motive Division
to Meridian & Bigbee #105
to Rail Switching Services #105

Meridian & Bigbee #105

Pennington, Al / 1982 / collection

See also our Meridian & Bigbee Railroad scrapbook in Shortlines

Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #80

East Chattanooga, Tn / Jun 2019 / RWH

Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #80

builder:Electro Motive Division

model:GP38

type:B-B road switcher

built:Feb 1968, EMD #33802

series:706 produced 1966-71

engine:EMD 645 (16 cyl, 3000 hp)

notes:

blt Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #1
to Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia #80
to Southern Railway #2879
to Norfolk Southern #28879
to Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

Jun 2019 / RWH

East Chattanooga, Tn / Jun 2019 / RWH

East Chattanooga, Tn / Jun 2019 / RWH

East Chattanooga, Tn / Jun 2019 / RWH

Article

Museum Unveils Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia-painted GP38

May 2016

tag80a

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is preserving a piece of southern shortline railroading history with the unveiling of its newly restored Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway EMD GP38 No. 80. The blue-and-yellow-painted high-nose GP38 was posed outside of the railroad's Soule Shops over the weekend.

"TAG 80 has been restored to operating condition and repainted in its original color scheme," the railroad says on its Facebook page.

The locomotive was built for the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia in 1968 before Southern Railway acquired the roughly 90-mile short line operating between Chattanooga and Gadsden, Ala. In later years, the locomotive served as Norfolk Southern No. 2879 before it was retired and delivered to the TVRM's collection several years ago. It is the last remaining locomotive from the TA&G roster.

TRAINS magazine

East Chattanooga, Tn / Jun 2019 / RWH