Rutledge, GA: "Big G" plant, etc.

Rutledge was the site of a certain video that showed shiny rails on what looked like a very well-maintained right-of-way. West of where Google Maps first tunes in if you type in "Rutledge GA" (the grade crossing on Fairplay St., just off W. Dixie Hwy.), there is a large industry with a siding. Zooming in to Street View on Willow Springs Church Rd. shows what looks like a General Mills ("Big G") sign for that facility. Are they a customer, and how much rail traffic goes in and out of there? How much rail traffic in general goes through Rutledge?
Is that track the CSX mainline between Augusta and Atlanta? (I followed it westward toward what I think was the ATL area, but that was as far as I went with the satellite view. Hmm, Georgia Satellites . . . I can use that later. )

Is it an active line, and does this statement make anyone else's BS-- er, Baloney Detector beep like mine did? "Our production team felt the environment was safe to shoot in as the tracks were out of commission with no electrical hookup on the ground or above the tracks." Electrical wha??? I saw lights and gates at the Fairplay St. crossing, so "out of commission" does not compute.

"Don't gimme no lines, and keep those kids off the track."

Thanks for any info.

The line you see is indeed CSX's main route between Atlanta and Augusta known as the Georgia Subdivision named for the Georgia Railroad which this line used to be. You can find out a bit more about the technical aspects and future of the line in a topic I posted a little while ago. The mainline traffic isn't too great anymore, usually 2 intermodals and a mixed freight each way plus local jobs scattered around. As to that specific plant, I couldn't say, but on a railfan expedition past there a few months ago, it appeared in just as good shape as you see in Google so I have no doubt there's at least steady traffic to the plant.

Okay, thanks. I had seen the Georgia Sub thread, but wasn't sure if that was the same line.
So while it might not be as busy as the NEC, it's by no means "out of commission" either.

Here's hoping the thoughtless trespassing part of the video gets edited out. <http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/958195/a ... stoy.jhtml>

Thanks again for the info.

If she was walking on the tracks through Rutledge, GA, then yes, that's definitely an active line, but I saw some Texas highway signs in there too. Maybe we can get "Caleb's Sister's Law" that strengthens penalties for tresspassing on the railroad *rollseyes*

*To be clear, I'm not hoping she dies like her brother did to spawn the namesake law, rather it just seems the height of recklessness and disregard for one's life to try and convince people to give up a highly dangerous act by committing a highly dangerous act.

General Mills(Big G) is a major rail user of inbound covered hoppers of grain,wheat,corn,other foodstuffs.
Packaging supplies and outbound products are on trucks.

MattW wrote:Maybe we can get "Caleb's Sister's Law" that strengthens penalties for tresspassing on the railroad *rollseyes*

At least in GA, just being on the property in a misdemeanor, even if it's not posted. I didn't check what the penalty is for a violation of the statute about "intruding on railroad track" versus any other trespassing statute, but it sounds like the GA legislature was somewhat serious about it. In Maine, it's a civil violation, with a fine of not more than $100. If the area is posted, then it could be criminal trespass, a Class E crime (misdemeanor), with a fine of up to $1,000 or even some jail time. It's a little silly to have to post signs every 100 feet on a property that's miles long. I've met some little kids who know that if property has rails and ties on it, then it's a place to stay away from.
Some of our legislators seem to think "everyone knows it's dangerous to trespass on railroad property," so they're resistant to amending the law. {double :rolleyes:}

*To be clear, I'm not hoping she dies like her brother did to spawn the namesake law, rather it just seems the height of recklessness and disregard for one's life to try and convince people to give up a highly dangerous act by committing a highly dangerous act.

Exactly. I think it was another instance of the "In the one-in-a-million chance a train comes along, you can always hear it and just step out of the way" reasoning at work. I'm sure many of the trespasser casualties in GA and elsewhere used the same reasoning (or lack of reasoning) before they went on RR property, too.

There was something about "The director chose to capture this environment as a peaceful and removed location where Alex often goes to reflect." Right; I go near the track for meditation sometimes, too. "Inner peace . . . innerrrrr pea-- would whoever's making that locomotive sound please quiet down?"

I got the impression the producer didn't see anything wrong with it, so I don't know if they're going to change anything.

Backshophoss wrote:General Mills(Big G) is a major rail user of inbound covered hoppers of grain,wheat,corn,other foodstuffs.
Packaging supplies and outbound products are on trucks.

Okay; so just loads in/empties out at that one customer would still keep it from being "out of commission."
Some of these media types need someone to take them to the Clue Store.

Thanks for the info.

Where did you get the background information on the video? Is it posted somewhere?

Y'mean the replies from the producers? That was in an email to someone who had expressed concern about the apparent lack of forethought that went into what that first part of the video was depicting.
I'll bet there's somebody at Viacom thinking "What's the big deal?" I know you'll agree that a 24.1% increase between the Jan.-Sep. 2012 and 2013 FRA trespasser fatality statistics would be a big deal. (That's 391 this year, vs. 315 last year for the same period. Not good.)

Back when the Maine Legislature was considering a bill to make the fine for the civil violation a maximum of $100 instead of the original $20, one former representative was quoted as saying he was against amending it because "walking on the tracks is a rite of passage." I'm not sure what year that was, so I don't know how many people might have gotten their last rites because of trespassing, or if anyone pointed that out to him. Maybe he watched Stand by Me one time too many.