Chattanooga Pictures...

[SargNickFury]

Well since all I can do is await the return of the North Atlanta District route, I thought I would share some pictures I have found here and there of my home town....related to our rail heritege, maybe it will inspire some RCAP ideas....

Norfolk Southern Harry A. DeButts Yard (former Southern Railway Citico Yard). 2nd largest classification yard on the NS system.













I live just a ways in front of those two lovely towers in the back ground...

[SargNickFury]

TennBridge

Tenbridge is a vertical-lift railroad bridge over the Tennessee River. It has a main span of 310 feet (94 m), and is one of the longest vertical lift spans in the United States.

The original span was a swing span with a center pivot that was originally built in ca. 1879/1880. It was replaced by a vertical lift span in 1917, but the lift towers and machinery were not installed until 1920. It remains a very busy crossing on the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway, a major subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Railway. The bridge carries two mainline tracks across the river.

The bridge is one of only three known nesting locations in Tennessee for Peregrine Falcon, a Tennessee and Federal Endangered species.

That house on top is also my rally point for when the Zombie outbreak happens, just so you know......

[SargNickFury]

Union Depot......arguably the true Chattanooga ChooChoo that was torn down around 1970.....

The Chattanooga Choo Choo is not a place in truth, it was the name for the train that went from Cinncinati to Chattanooga, so Arguably the Union Depot has a Stronger claim. The the Union Depot sadly is gone......would love to see it in a rail sim someday. What we call the choo choo now here, is Terminal Station that was renamed thankfully and used the name to save it from destruction also, It was the Southern RR terminal.

Taken from a 1800's flood pic.


Old Shed


Where it used to be in heart of downtown


The front.



The last train that left before it was demolished, headed for Nashville...apparently hadlike two passengers.


How many times do we have to steal this thing before we get to keep it? The third time is a charm
First stolen during civil war in the "Great Locomotive Chase, it ended up here in Chattanooga, being a pro union town many of the those first medal of honor winners were taken in and hid by locals but eventually found and hanged. They still reside in the National Military Cemetary downtown...
It was housed at the Union Depot in the old shed for many years, till the town in Georgia used the courts to steal it back.
We stole it a second time when it was on display, Our Mayor, Police Chief and a few rather important people from Lookout Mtn helping to spot from overhead in their plane helped to steal it.......and they used the courts to get it back...AGAIN!.....it's very frustrating. It's only a matter of time though......when they least expect....

[SargNickFury]

Lookout Mountain....at past times, covered in rail. It has had 3 different Incline railways the current is the third I think. It had two different Narrow Guage routes, and also and Electric Trolly line. beleive it or not at one time in 1800's Chattanooga was THE vacation spot for the eastern seaboard....

The Lookout Mountain Inn was one of the greatest hotels built in it's era lined with Mahogony wall to wall, incredibly expensive to build, one of teh narrow guages and the trolly line ended in front of it at one point. It was all wood, and they still used flame for light, and so it burned down was rebuilt then burned again and was not, there are a row of snobby houses where it used to stand you can still see the wall across from incline...







When it burned they could see it from Cleveland.


Trolly used to run through St Elmo and up what is now a walking trail you can still hike, and see remenants of teh rail ties, and old nails everywhere...





Point Hotel also burned down I think just below pointpark where the little museum now stands, a narrow gauge ran to it as well.





Trolly that used to run up Signal Mountain across the river.


I suppose I should post some Terminal Station pics as well since it's what those outside the area expect to see when they hear "Chattanooga Choo Choo", we love it as well, but it never used to be called that. It is now however called the Choo Choo and it is a hotel and tourest destination you can stay in hotel or in permenantly parked old southern sleepers. Also I leftout the Incline Railway pics, but I figure both of those have countless easy to find pictures on the web...I may post some fo the old Incline pictures I have found if you are interested. ..in any case I hope we can see Chattanooga represented soon in some routes.....this City has a LOT of Railroad pride.

[mapitts]

There is also most of what is left over from the proposed Southern Railway line into Chattanooga from Stevenson AL SE of town. Known as the "Stevenson Extension". Would have gotten Southern off of NC&StL's tracks and on the their own. A lot of the right of way is done from the Al / TN state line as well as concrete work 2 large water crossings, and an almost complete tunnel. It used to be very present in Tifftonia GA. Most of it has been torn down there though. If you know what you are looking for, you can follow it from the state line all the way to just outside of Tifftonia. YOu can even drive on the road bed in some places. I have studied that line for over twenty years now. Actually what the line would have become. It would have been a far better way than fighting Raccon Mountain.

Edit; OP Most people do not even know of all of the lines that ran into Chattanooga. There were tons.

[mapitts]

Do you have any pics from all of the old locomotive dead lines. I used to walk up and down shooting pic after pic in those. Actually have pics of a couple of SD50S's from there. I also have pics of the SW1's assigned to the Signal Mountain branch. Some of those are even in NS paint.

[PolyesterMafia]

John Lippai did an excellent model of the Ten Bridge for the AND route.

[SargNickFury]

I have seen pics but I can't find a copy of route anywhere. Anyone still have it?

Should have some good pictures after weekend, we're taking the 21st Century steam train trip from Chattanooga to Atalla Alabama 127 miles rnd trip. They still have tickets haven't sold out yet if you are in the area.