Roswell Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Roswell Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad that ran from south of Roswell
, Georgia
to Chamblee
from 1881 until 1921. The railroad served as a passenger and freight carrier.
Since Roswell was a textile manufacturing town, the line would have brought in cotton and dry goods and shipped textile and farming products.
The Roswell terminus was located south of the Chattahoochee River
near Roberts Drive and connected to the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway at its Chamblee terminus. At the South Roswell terminus, a bridge was planned, but never built. About 1/2 mile upstream, an old wagon road ran just west of the current River Landing Drive and Grimes Bridge Landing to connect to current day Grimes Bridge and Oxbo Roads and approached the textile mills from the north. Unfortunately, much of the old roadbed was destroyed when Fulton County installed a sewer line.
Ike Roberts was an employee of Southern Railway
at the time the company decided to create the Roswell Railroad. Roberts participated in the grading and track laying for this new line. He also purchased 650 acres (2.6305 km²) of land at the northern terminus, built a train station, and leased it to Southern. After completion of the line, he stayed on as the engineer and was the only person that worked in that capacity until the closing of the line. His home still remains on Roberts Road (his namesake
in the Dunwoody
community.
So the reader is not confused, "Dunwoody" is at Mt. Vernon Highway and Chamblee-Dunwoody Road in DeKalb County. The northern terminus of the railroad on Roberts Road is in present day "Sandy Springs" in Fulton County. To call the location "Dunwoody" is due to a policy of the U. S. Post office. The mail for southern Sandy Springs was delivered from the Brookhaven branch, which carried "Atlanta" addresses. The mail for northern Sandy Springs was delivered from the Dunwoody branch, which was not considered an "Atlanta" address. Today, northern Sandy Springs has its own Northridge branch, which is an "Atlanta" address. Northern Sandy Springs is NOT Dunwoody, although at one time the mail was delivered from that Post office, so a lot of people still call it Dunwoody. Dunwoody is approximately at the mid-point of the railroad, not its northern terminus.
As there was no facility to turn around in (South) Roswell, the engine traveled in reverse on the return trip to Chamblee.
numbered 815, an 0-6-0
-arranged Baldwin
1878 steamer named "Buck" (builder construction number 4321). In 1894, Buck was renumbered N815 in the Southern numbering system. In 1905, the line was standard-gauged and Buck was sold to the S.I.&E. Co. (Richard E. Prince, "Southern Railway Syatem, Steam Locomotives & Boats," 1970)
In 1902, the Bull Sluice Railroad built a 2.7 miles (4.3 km) line from a junction with the Roswell Branch, just north of Dunwoody, to the Georgia Railway and Power Company's construction site for its hydroelectric Morgan Falls Dam (built to supply electricity
to Atlanta's streetcar system, and creating Bull Sluice Lake
). The line was built to bring in building materials. Later the Southern purchased this line and it became the Morgan Falls Branch. The Bull Sluice used a steamer named "Dinkey". (Diane R. Stepp, "Atlanta Journal & Constitution," page H-11, 5/26/95)
This contributor guesses both lines were standard-gauged to facilitate the transportation of construction materials to the dam site.
In 1905, the line hauled U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
to Roswell to visit Bulloch Hall
, the childhood home of his mother Martha Bulloch Roosevelt. http://garail.com/roswell.html
Roswell, Georgia
Roswell is a city located in northern Fulton County; it is a suburb of northern Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The 2010 Census population was 88,346. It is the eighth largest city in Georgia...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
to Chamblee
Chamblee, Georgia
As of the 2010 Census Chamblee had a population of 9,892. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 45.0% white , 7.0% black or African American , 2.1% Native American , 1.8% Vietnamese, 1.6% Asian Indian, 4.6% other Asian, 33.5% from some other race and...
from 1881 until 1921. The railroad served as a passenger and freight carrier.
Overview
Some accounts say the railroad had only a single combination passenger coach and baggage car, two box cars and four flat cars. (see Stepp citation plus garail.com citation, both below)Since Roswell was a textile manufacturing town, the line would have brought in cotton and dry goods and shipped textile and farming products.
The Roswell terminus was located south of the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
near Roberts Drive and connected to the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway at its Chamblee terminus. At the South Roswell terminus, a bridge was planned, but never built. About 1/2 mile upstream, an old wagon road ran just west of the current River Landing Drive and Grimes Bridge Landing to connect to current day Grimes Bridge and Oxbo Roads and approached the textile mills from the north. Unfortunately, much of the old roadbed was destroyed when Fulton County installed a sewer line.
Ike Roberts was an employee of Southern Railway
Southern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
at the time the company decided to create the Roswell Railroad. Roberts participated in the grading and track laying for this new line. He also purchased 650 acres (2.6305 km²) of land at the northern terminus, built a train station, and leased it to Southern. After completion of the line, he stayed on as the engineer and was the only person that worked in that capacity until the closing of the line. His home still remains on Roberts Road (his namesake
Namesake
Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
in the Dunwoody
Dunwoody, Georgia
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...
community.
So the reader is not confused, "Dunwoody" is at Mt. Vernon Highway and Chamblee-Dunwoody Road in DeKalb County. The northern terminus of the railroad on Roberts Road is in present day "Sandy Springs" in Fulton County. To call the location "Dunwoody" is due to a policy of the U. S. Post office. The mail for southern Sandy Springs was delivered from the Brookhaven branch, which carried "Atlanta" addresses. The mail for northern Sandy Springs was delivered from the Dunwoody branch, which was not considered an "Atlanta" address. Today, northern Sandy Springs has its own Northridge branch, which is an "Atlanta" address. Northern Sandy Springs is NOT Dunwoody, although at one time the mail was delivered from that Post office, so a lot of people still call it Dunwoody. Dunwoody is approximately at the mid-point of the railroad, not its northern terminus.
As there was no facility to turn around in (South) Roswell, the engine traveled in reverse on the return trip to Chamblee.
Absorption
The Roswell Railroad operated as an independent road until, in 1894, it was absorbed into the newly created Southern Railway. They had one narrow-gauge steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
numbered 815, an 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
-arranged Baldwin
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
1878 steamer named "Buck" (builder construction number 4321). In 1894, Buck was renumbered N815 in the Southern numbering system. In 1905, the line was standard-gauged and Buck was sold to the S.I.&E. Co. (Richard E. Prince, "Southern Railway Syatem, Steam Locomotives & Boats," 1970)
In 1902, the Bull Sluice Railroad built a 2.7 miles (4.3 km) line from a junction with the Roswell Branch, just north of Dunwoody, to the Georgia Railway and Power Company's construction site for its hydroelectric Morgan Falls Dam (built to supply electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
to Atlanta's streetcar system, and creating Bull Sluice Lake
Bull Sluice Lake
Bull Sluice Lake is a small reservoir located along the Chattahoochee River in northern Georgia, in the northern suburbs of metro Atlanta. It is , and is impounded by Morgan Falls Dam. Besides the hydroelectric power produced by the dam, the lake's primary use is recreation, including fishing and...
). The line was built to bring in building materials. Later the Southern purchased this line and it became the Morgan Falls Branch. The Bull Sluice used a steamer named "Dinkey". (Diane R. Stepp, "Atlanta Journal & Constitution," page H-11, 5/26/95)
This contributor guesses both lines were standard-gauged to facilitate the transportation of construction materials to the dam site.
In 1905, the line hauled U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
to Roswell to visit Bulloch Hall
Bulloch Hall
Bulloch Hall is a Greek Revival mansion in Roswell, Georgia built in 1839. It is one of several historically significant buildings in the city and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is where Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, mother of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President, lived as...
, the childhood home of his mother Martha Bulloch Roosevelt. http://garail.com/roswell.html