Georgia Southern Railway (fka Georgia Midland)

Missed them in Metter but saw 701 was gone today - it's back at Dover. Haven't caught it in action yet. The load they had at Dover yesterday was pretty large - the 6 Metter gondolas, 15 from Reeves and a Howard centerbeam. When they were putting them on the siding to be picked up they had to split the load (6-7 cars and then the rest) on the wye to get it all down on the siding without encroaching onto the main. Then of course they had the load ready to go back to Reeves later in the day....so tons of cars they were moving all at once.

I saw the 701 yesterday a.m. going to Bulloch Fertilizer on the way to the Post Office. Watched it pick up two empty gondolas and then head over to Howard's. It backed up the two empties to the lead to the main, then pulled into Howard's to pick up a single loaded centerbeam. It pulled back out onto the secondary, and then they lined the switch to move the empties to the back end. It was fascinating to watch it. They seemed to have some difficulties getting them rolling; it took a few minutes.

After they had the three cars hooked up, the 701 took off. What I was surprised to see was they left the brakeman/conductor at the switch as the 701 crossed Zetterower. He was walking up the ROW; I was tempted to offer him a ride, but figured that would be an FRA violation or something . I had to take off at that point, so I don't know where the 701 went, or if the brakeman caught up somehow (I suppose there could have been a pickup truck at that switch).

I suppose he could have left the three from the secondary at Grady, and then went down to pick up empties at Reeves. I didn't get home until about 1pm, and didn't hear anything again until later that afternoon, but couldn't run out.

However, this a.m. I went by the Zetterower switch and saw nothing, and went down to Metter and saw 2024 parked outside the scrap dealer's lead. I also didn't see anything on the Reeve's siding. I have not heard the 2024 come back yet today.

Speaking of Reeves is that a stub end siding? It's kind of hard to tell from the access road. I didn't think it was from the last time I saw it loaded with cars.

Nice find. 2024 is parked at Howard's now with that car they had the ties on. It appears they are doing a huge tie project sometime soon since there are ties all over the line from the Dover area, through Statesboro, to out past Reeves. That's interesting that they've been to Metter twice this week (they went Monday I believe as well).

The Reeves siding is a stub, if you mean it ends in a big dirt mound! It doesn't reconnect to the main line, although I bet they wish it did since they sometimes struggle with the "gravity move" of getting the 15~ gondolas onto the siding. If you want a better look at the end of the siding, cross the tracks on that access road and take a left down to that power station on the dirt path. You can turn around down there easily but it allows a good look at the end of the siding.

Might try and go to Dover tonight and watch the pickup / dropoff (providing the locals don't flip!)....

Something interesting from today:

Saw 2024 in town around noon at Howard's delivering 4 empty centerbeams and dropping off two at Bulloch Fertilizer. I noticed they had 10 empty (short) gondolas behind Frontier, but not the hoppers that Reeves gets. Later, Jeff and I found them pulling into Pulaski headed towards Metter with those 10 in tow. When arriving in Metter, they dropped the 10 off before the switch, backed in and pulled 6 empties from Allied Metals, then attached them all together. 2024 pulled the 16 cars past the switch and proceeded to slowly back them in at 15mph to drop off the last 10 until..... the entire train stops all of a sudden and Jeff notices a 4 door (Range Rover?) got hit! The crew member was indeed on the last car as they crossed but I didn't see if he hopped off to "protect" the crossing due to our angle. The last gondola took out their tail light and wreaked havoc on the back end of their car! So an hour later after 5 of Metter's finest showed up, 2024 continued backing in and out of Allied at least 5-6 times. I am wondering if they have two tracks back there because of how much 2024 backed in and out with the load. They ended up dropping 8 or so but ended up keeping a few they took to Metter in the first place - weird! Wonder if they couldn't fit them all in there or something... I've never seen them take cars somewhere and haul them all the way back in the same trip. That's good Metter is getting the service though - 10 cars (well 8) in one trip is a lot for them.

They took the load down to the wye, ran 2024 around the wye (hooray, finally saw the wye in use), hooked it back up to the other end and they headed back to Statesboro. My last glimpse was of 2024 on that trestle by Reeves completely stopped in the middle of it. Not sure why they stopped there but it was indeed an interesting day. Hopefully I can get some videos (including the car hit) up on my new YouTube channel soon.

Indeed an unusual day in Metter. They dropped the 10 empties for the scrap dealer short of Lillian St. and then pulled up to yank the empties out. After pulling the 6 out, they tied back on. When's the last time Metter had a GP7 pulling 16 cars? After pulling back past the switch, they backed up to drop the 10.

I think you didn't mean 15mph though. I'm sure the class of track, especially the tightness of the curve going back in there, limits you to at most 5mph at that point. He couldn't have been going more than a couple MPH backing in there. At that speed, you really have to TRY to get hit by a train. Absolutely the stupidest thing I've ever seen.

The crew appeared to do everything right; the engineer blew the horn approaching the crossing, the conductor had his radio and was on the rear car approaching Lillian. I have to assume he did jump down to protect, but apparently, the vehicle driver could not manage to avoid the last car. I've seen so much stupidity at some of these crossings. We'll have to see if it makes the paper.

P.s. it was an Escalade.

G&F, I have video of him backing up, which will have the horn and crew member, if the crew wants it or needs it.

As long as the crossbucks with the posted stop signs are still at the crossing and a crewmember was protecting the shove, there's no doubt the driver of the Escalade will be charged with failure to yield.

The last time I was in Metter chasing the 2024 I had a lady blow her horn at me wanting to know if she could cross at that same crossing (while I was standing there with camera in hand) while the 2024 was easing toward it.......funny. One locomotive and she just couldn't wait an additional few seconds. Well, at least the "poor" lady inquired instead of immediately taking her leap of fate.

G&F, it was a sight to behold. Thankfully, no injuries from what I saw. 16 cars being shoved into Allied (although only 10 were to be dropped); outside of the accident, a banner day for Metter.

I heard a lot of activity this morning through lunch. Must have been shoving Reeves (and maybe GAF?). Mark told me that they headed back from Metter around 6pm last night. I had gone to dinner at Shane's about that time, so I don't know how far they came back up.

Which brings me to a few questions.

How many crews work the line? My thought was it would just be the one, even with two engines. They just drive the pickup to whichever power is best positioned for the moves scheduled for that day.

I know in Manual Block territory, only one train may occupy each block, and when going between blocks, crews must call in. If there's only a single crew, you don't have to worry about this. I was curious as to whether the entire line was a single block. I can't remember ever seeing more than one train in action on here even going back to the GMR days. Wonder what they did when it was Central of Georgia/Southern and there was more activity.

How many are in the crew for the line? I would think three, with the engineer and two conductors, with one conductor on the train, and one driving the pickup.

What class is the track? What speeds are supported? I'm sure going into the siding (with the accompanied screeching of wheels) they weren't going more than a couple miles an hour, but what can they do on the "mainline".

Does Allied have more than one track inside their fence? Mark mentioned they were shoving back and forth quite a bit.

Only one crew works the line, consisting of an engineer and a "mobile" conductor.

The entire line is indeed "single block" with only one train working it. Only one train has worked the line I know since the late Southern days. I'm pretty certain the crew still has to call in every morning before running the line. Back in the CofGA days they had an operator/agent in the depots in Dover, Statesboro, Metter, etc and train movements were run on train orders. If I'm not mistaken this method was used even into the early NS years although by then Statesboro had the last active train order office/depot for the line. I worked with a guy (he's now retired) who was a mobile agent/operator for Southern/NS who worked in the Statesboro depot a few times in the late '70s/early '80s just before it closed. After it closed, the agent in Millen became responsible for the line until NS spun it off to the Ogeechee RR.

The track is Class II track (25 mph). They mostly run 20 mph max, especially when running the 2024 long hood forward........she has NO ditchlights on that end!

Allied Metals has at least 2 tracks: one that goes straight back to the big shredder/loader and another that curves east and seems to go into one of the sheds. I want to say there's a third from what I've seen from the switching going on, but I know for sure there are two.

Thanks for the info. You are right about 5mph versus 15mph!! Also heard a lot of stuff today. I just finalized my place of residence for next year (starting in August) and it borders the track over near the 301 crossing...literally my room will be about 100~ yards from the track so I'll be able to hear it whenever it heads out that way. GAF is not ready yet - drove by today.

Allied Metals: There is a dirt road past their entrance on the right that borders their property and goes back a bit. Next time I am in Metter I will head down there and take a look from the fence at their trackage (2 or 3 tracks).

Waited at Dover on Friday night for an hour and didn't see anything - guess I missed the dropoff. Trying again this Thursday.

EDIT: http://maps.google.com/?ll=32.596631,-8 ... 4&t=h&z=16
Anyone know about this spur just north of Dover? It looked like it serves (or previously served) a factory of some sort. Did the GMR ever go to this place?

Thanks G&F. I know enough about ops now to be dangerous LOL. I was always curious about those questions.

Did a little driveabout yesterday; saw the maintenance car at Howard's on the storage track, and four fully-loaded centerbeams that looked ready to ship. Ironically, at the same time, a flat-bed semi was pulling out a load of lumber. I guess based on destination or price they'll go rail vs. truck. How long is their siding behind the fence?

Don't know if they switched Reeves yesterday. They had stocked up pretty good (I assume they'll do that based on spot prices of their material).

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mterrell wrote: Waited at Dover on Friday night for an hour and didn't see anything - guess I missed the dropoff. Trying again this Thursday.

Anyone know about this spur just north of Dover? It looked like it serves (or previously served) a factory of some sort. Did the GMR ever go to this place?

I believe the G25 local doesn't run on Friday and Saturday nights. They usually leave our yard in Savannah around midnight so it'll be in the wee hours of the morning by the time they fight oncoming traffic and reach Dover.

The spur you're talking about goes into the King Finishing plant......you know, the place that made headlines last year when all those dead fish and gators started popping up down the Ogeechee River? NS hasn't spotted a car there in many years and as far as I know, the switch is still there. If they ever do get rail service again our G25 local would work it.

Jeff Smith wrote: How long is their siding behind the fence?

Not quite sure, but I have seen up to three centerbeams past the shed that stands right by the crossing.

I walked down that track into Howard's last week - they have several crossings down there for trucks so they actually have to split the cars they put in there. The most I have ever seen was 1 shoved all the way down (the track starts to curve right very slightly but there's a big cement stub at the end), a crossing, 3 more where there are usually cars by the fence, and 1 extra one actually outside of Howard's on the other side of their main entrance crossing. 5 total, 4 inside and 1 outside. 2024 was parked on the actual side track to Bulloch Fertilizer tonight (near Howard's).

Just got back from Dover! Had a lot of luck - if you ever get the time to go check it out, please do. I pulled in at 12:23am and the G25 was pulling in right then. Perfect timing. As you would expect, it goes all the way down to the siding, backs in and drops cars off, then the engine pulls back down the main, goes into the siding again on the other side and pulls the ones out that are going to Savannah. All in all it's about a 35-40 minute ordeal. I parked by the crossing and walked down the access road a bit, and had a great view of the engine hooking up to the cars on the crossing side of the load.

It was pretty foggy so I couldn't really see what they dropped off - when I looked down the tracks I couldn't see anything at all so I don't know if they put cars on the first siding or the second one where 701 is parked. I'm a tad confused still at exactly how it works. They pushed down a large load of cars on the first siding down to me, which I thought they were leaving for Statesboro, but they hooked up to the other end and pulled them away. Hmm.

mterrell wrote: I'm a tad confused still at exactly how it works. They pushed down a large load of cars on the first siding down to me, which I thought they were leaving for Statesboro, but they hooked up to the other end and pulled them away. Hmm.

There's a rock unloading facility in Springfield that G25 usually works enroute to Dover. The empties they pull from there are taken to Dover (along with any loaded boxcars to be spotted at GP in Rincon on the return trip) and set down along with the cars for the GASR in a manner to where G25 can simply run back around east with the engine(s) and pull everything Savannah/Rincon bound (including any cars from the GASR). The track closest to the residential area is called the swamp track, the track in between the swamp track and the NS mainline is called, as it should be, the middle track.

Caught 24 cars leaving Statesboro today for Dover. That's the most I've ever seen on a train around here. 4 from Howard's, 15 from Reeves, the car they put the ties on, and 4 from Allied Metals in Metter I believe. Working on my YouTube page of videos, will post a link when I have most of the stuff up.