When British settlers first began exploring in the Southern Appalachian region, they dubbed the Cherokee settlements on the Western side of the mountains the "Overhill" towns due to their isolated locations. Today, the Overhill region is flooded on summer weekends with crowds looking to hike its mountains, drive its scenic byways, swim and fish its lakes, and kayak or tube the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers. One of the best ways to see the region is by train, and visitors to the Overhill have two choices: the Hiwassee River Rail Adventure and the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. Both excursions traverse the old "Hook & Eye" line that once connected Knoxville and Marietta, Georgia. The Hook & Eye was first opened in the late 1880s as a narrow gauge line from Marietta to Murphy, North Carolina (where it met with the Western North Carolina Railroad, which would later become the Southern Railway's famed Murphy Branch). A sharp curve in the line near Talking Rock, GA came to be known as the "Hook." In 1890, a rail line was built from Knoxville to connect with the existing line at Blue Ridge, GA. A series of switchbacks on this route was soon bypassed by a spectacular double spiral around Bald Mountain between Apalachia and Farner, TN, the "Eye." The line came under the Lousiville & Nashville's control in 1902 and formed an important link between Knoxville, Atlanta, and the copper mines near the state line. The Tennessee segment was purchased the the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association upon its abandonment, and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum operates excursions out of the preserved Etowah depot as the Hiwassee River Rail Adventure. These trips travel along the Hiwassee and over the Loop at Bald Mountain before turning south and sprinting to the state line at the twin towns of Copperhill/McCaysville. The Georgia portion of the line is now operated by the Georgia Northeastern Railroad, which hauls freight from Ellijay to Marietta. Although there is no freight traffic beyond Ellijay, the Blue Ridge Scenic runs excursions from Blue Ridge along the Toccoa River to Copperhill/McCaysville, where it parks just across the street from the Hiwassee excursion. Together, the two scenic railways have preserved on the most scenic and historic rail lines in the Southern Appalachians for all to enjoy.
1 авг 2024
