Did the Central of Georgia or its predecessor company in that area, the Middle Georgia & Atlantic, once have a branch line to Social Circle, GA? I was told by someone who is not a railfan that there once was a railroad running from Newborn, which is a station on the CG branch to Porterdale/Covington, along what is now GA Hwy 11 to Social Circle. If this line existed, was it built by Col Machen's MG & A or the CG at a later date? When was the track abandoned? I suppose this could've also been a lumber company line or a perhaps an extension of the Walton RR, the predessor of the GA RR's Monroe branch.

-- Eric Rickert (au_tiger777@hotmail.com), July 25, 2001

Answers

I worked for the Great Walton Ry for a while and I helped in the office on a bit of real estate stuff after a car wreck injury. I can tell you that the old CofG track maps that are in the GRWR office do show where the PROPOSED line was to come off the main line at what is now Mansfield. At that time it was called Carmel.

-- Kevin Wood (kq4le@yahoo.com), May 20, 2003.

Eric, This is right late, but in case you check this old message Carmel Jct. became the town of Mansfield. The MG&A had plans to connect with Social Circle. Some of the grade can still be seen in Newton County along Hwy 11.

-- Conrad Cheatham (ccheatham@ureach.com), August 27, 2002.

The MG&A planned to build a branch to Social Circle and actually did some grading towards this end. To my knowledge, no track was actually laid. I was told, years ago, by the J. W. Low, GaRR agent at Social Circle, that this proposed extension was to be narrow gauge, to connect with the Gainesville, Jefferson & Southern (which, of course, was 3-foot gauge). As to the veracity of this statement, I have been able to neither confirm nor disprove it.

Bob Hanson

-- Robert H. Hanson (RHanson669@aol.com), July 27, 2001.

Eric: While I do not know the answers to most of your questions, there was indeed a Middle Georgia and Atlantic (a CofGA predecessor ) line connecting Social Circle and Newborn, where there was a connection to the Covington-Machen CofGa main. Actually, maps show this junction to be at 'Carmel Jct.', slightly to the west of Newborn. From Social Circle (Jct-GARR) the Gainesville, Jefferson and Southern ran north through Monroe, Winder,Braselton, to Gainesville. This trackage, the mid-portion being long gone today, fell under the ownership of the GARR Lessee Organization in 1884. Robert Hanson could very well answer your other questions about this old rail route. I am curious as to if any traces of this route remain today between Newborn and Social Circle...cuts/fills, etc.

-- Greg Hodges (ghodges@smpsfa.com), July 25, 2001.