SCL 05758 and Georgia 120 at Union Point, Georgia on February 25, 1983, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. This was the last mixed train on a Class One railroad in the United States. In order to maintain a tax break built into the original charter of this stetch of railroad, the operator of these rails was required to provide passenger service. I was on a business trip to Florida, returning to Chicago, and talked my employer into letting me drive the company's AV equipment back to Chicago, rather than shippng by air. We flew the equipment down and had severe damage, forcing the company to rent locally. I took advantage of my 'cost savings' offer, plotted every railroad photo opportunity en-route, rented a Silverado and loaded it up. One stop was this train, I read about it in Trains Magazine, and bought a round-trip ticket from Atlanta to Union Point. Finding someone to sell me the ticket was a challenge in itself, and ended up at the yard office. The next day I boarded (the only customer), first riding in the Budd coach pictured. It was my good fortune that the car ahead was a flatcar loaded with steel plate, so I spend the first part of the trip standing in the vestible of the coach (it was cold), which offered a great view forward. The crew noticed me jumping out at every stop and taking photos, so I was invited back to the caboose for the second half of the trip to Union Point, Southern Hospitality perhaps. I rode in the cupola window pictured for the rest of the trip, but had to duck down and get back to the coach during that last five miles, in case any officials were watching. The return trip was in a bay-window caboose, two of them were on the train back to Atlanta, my 'coach' was the first one. |