 Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad depot (1971 photograph) | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Stone Mountain, Georgia |
| Reporting mark | SMPX |
| Locale | Southeastern United States |
| Dates of operation | 1962–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Length | 3.88 mi (6.24 km) |
The Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad (SMRR) is a standard gauge railroad that circles the perimeter of Stone Mountain Park in a loop, and provides views of the mountain en route.
The railroad utilizes what was originally an industrial spur built in 1869 by the Stone Mountain Granite Company to serve quarries at the foot of the Stone Mountain, with a connection to the Georgia Railroad's main line in Stone Mountain Village. The railroad later started an excursion service to the mountain. The spur was later abandoned, leaving the right of way in place (with the rails removed). In 1960, Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad, Inc. was formed to construct a tourist railroad encircling the mountain, operating it under lease from the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (a state-operated association established in 1958 for developing and managing the mountain as a park). Between 1961 and 1963, two miles of former quarry trackage were rebuilt, followed by construction of additional new trackage to complete the road around the perimeter of the mountain. [1] The mileage of the circuit around the mountain is advertised as being 5 miles (8.0 km) long, however, the actual mileage is 3.88 miles (6.24 km).
The Stone Mountain Memorial Association assumed full operation of the railroad in 1981. As the steam locomotives came in need of major repairs, the road opted to withdraw them and operate diesels. In 1987, the spur connecting the mountain trackage to the CSX main line was restored, and the railroad hosted several visiting trains, including Savannah and Atlanta Railway steam locomotive number 750. With the connection, the railroad became subject to FRA regulations, in which case the road, just as the railroad to which it is connected, was required to maintain its track, infrastructure, and rolling stock to a certain degree of good repair to be permitted to operate.
In January 1998, the Memorial Association leased operations of the railroad and the other attractions within the park to Herschend Family Entertainment, operators of the Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, Missouri and the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
In 2004, the trackage connecting the railroad to the main line was dismantled and the spur truncated to just before the bridge spanning Robert E. Lee Boulevard within the park's premises. The trackage and decking were removed, though the bridge's girders remain, and the right of way to the west of the bridge was converted to a pedestrian trail, while the railroad continues to use the remaining track to reverse the train's direction. Contrary to the perceptions of the railfan community regarding the disconnection, the railroad remains subject to the FRA's jurisdiction and continues to maintain the equipment and trackage accordingly. In 2011, major upgrades of the track, passenger cars, and diesel locomotives were performed. The diesel locomotives received new motors and other upgrades, as well as a new paint scheme. The steam locomotives received some cosmetic restoration at this time as well. The railroad had de-accessioned its last remaining steam locomotives in early 2013, and currently owns and operates diesels exclusively.
Stone Mountain originally had three steam locomotives, the "General II," "Texas II," and "Yonah II." The SMRR named the engines after the famous engines of The Great Locomotive Chase, and were given nineteenth century style smokestacks and headlights. Despite these modifications, the engines, having been built between 1919 and 1927, still have noticeably modern appearances, with larger proportions than their ancestors and have more advanced cylinders, valve gear, and other modern applications. While steam engines ceased running in the 1980s, they continued to "pull" trains for some time. In these instances, one of the steam engines was coupled in front of a diesel which, while disguised as a baggage car or auxiliary tender, would push the engine. The diesel's controls were placed in the cab of the engine and air piped from the diesel's main reservoir to allow the steam engine's whistle to sound. Aside from the whistle, the steam locomotive remained inactive, with the diesel being the train's sole motive power.
In the late 1980s and early 90s, the railroad supplemented its GP7 and GP9 diesels with ones inherited from the recently dissolved New Georgia Railway, which have pulled trains regularly since. At that time, the steam engines would only be pushed on special occasions, and no attempt was made to disguise the diesel behind it. The practice of pushing the steam engines ended in 2002, and they remained within the yard until being donated to other tourist railroads or museums, the first leaving the railroad in 2008, followed by the remaining two in 2013.
The Stone Mountain Railroad currently has the following locomotives:
The following have resided at Stone Mountain at one time, but have since moved elsewhere:
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