Hook and Eye Line

This line is the old L&N line (built by the Marietta & North Georgia, from the south, ad the Knoxville Southern, from the north, meeting at Hiwassee Loop), that served the Copper Basin of southeast Tennessee, and is now owned by the State of Tennessee  and operated by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (as far as the state line). In Georgia, the line is owned by the State of Georgia and operated by the Georgia Northeastern railroad and its subsidiary, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad.

Etowah to Blue Ridge (47 miles)

The line diverges from the L&N main line to Atlanta (which is heading south-southwest at this point), on the east side, south of the Etowah yard at South Etowah (MP 335.2), turning south to Cambria, south-southwest to the 836 ft. siding at Wetmore (MP 339.4), southeast, past the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum's boarding point at Gee Creek (MP 340.8, el. 748 ft.), with a paved path to the boarding point and a paved road alongside to the southwest, in the woods, as it reaches the valley of the Hiwassee River to run (initially) on the northeast side of that river, turning curvily south past a dirt road grade crossing, with a meadow alongside to the west, past the 924 ft. siding at Oswald Dome (MP 342.7) to Reliance (MP345.4, el. 750 ft.), where there is a grade crossing (and a road bridge over the river), and the line crosses the river on a deck girder bridge, heading southeast, curvily east along the south side of the river, bridging over two side rivers, curvily north, following the river past the 2,420 ft. siding at Hiwassee (MP 347.7), curvily east-southeast, curvily south, curvily east to Smith Creek, and Appalachia Power House (MP 351.4), where there is a power house on the river and large water penstocks on the hillside to the south, passing above the rail line, curvily northeast, curvily east-southeast, south, east-northeast, south and then east to the 1,892 ft. siding at McFarland (MP 355.0), east-northeast, southeast, east, southeast, east-northeast, northeast, and curving around to the south-southeast to the 2,244 ft. siding at Apalachia (MP 360.1, el. 1,139 ft.).

Here, the line starts the climb up Bald Mountain (426 feet in less than six miles, with a maximum grade of 1.55%), starting out just north of due east, still along the south bank of the river, then east followed by a clockwise loop (Hiwassee Loop, MP 362.0, 8,000 ft. in length, el. 1,220 ft (bottom), 1.400 ft. (top), the 'eye' of the Hook and Eye) back west around Bald Mountain, just west of the North Carolina state line, northwest, passing beneath an upcoming segment of the line and continuing clockwise inside and above the earlier segment of the line (i.e. further up Bald Mountain), until it crosses over itself, now heading just south of due west, on a three-deck wooden trestle that is 62 feet high and 195 feet long, and then makes a tight counter-clockwise horseshow back to the east, another clockwise horseshoe back to the west.

The line turns curvily southwest past a dirt road grade crossing, the 792 ft. siding at Farner (MP 366.1, el. 1,580 ft.), and a grade crossing, west-southwest and then south-southwest, with the river now alongside to the west past a grade crossing, the 1,320 ft. siding at Turtletown (MP 368.7), a dirt road grade crossing, a road alongside to the west, west-southwest past a grade crossing, an angled grade crossing, the 704 ft. siding at Harbuck (MP 372.3), a dirt road grade crossing, a bridge over a gulley, a dirt road grade crossing, a dirt track grade crossing, southwest and then south through the woods, past a bridge over drainage, MP 375, a bridge over a gulley, a dirt road grade crossing, the 1,012 ft. siding at Ducktown (MP 376.6), where the valley of the Ocoee River is reached, a grade crossing, a dirt track grade crossing, and MP 377.

The trees here are all less than forty years old, because the sulfuric acid resulting from the copper smelting killed the previous generation of trees. The original trees were chestnuts, destroyed by the chestnut blight in a twenty year span starting in 1893. The line curves west-southwest, past the 792 ft. siding at McHarg (MP 380.2) south, southwest, counter-clockwise to east, clockwise to south, past a road bridge overhead (US 64), then east and east-southeast, with the Ocoee River alongside to the west, past a bridge over a gulley, to Copperhill (MP 382.1, el. 1,460 ft.), where the 20-mile Tennessee Copper line once trailed in on the east side (and two sets of spurs, across the road alongside to the east, remain today, and there is a siding on the west side of the line where the Farner Block ends. The copper smelter that closed in the early 1990s, but many of its buildings, and large mounds of copper tailings, remain in place on the east side of the line.

Crossing the state line into Georgia, the line continues east-southeast, south past a dirt track grade crossing, a grade crossing where the road to the east (now SR 6) crosses to the west side, McCaysville (which is basically the same town as Copperhill, except for crossing the state line), where the Blue Ridge Scenic has a boarding platform on the west side of the line, a street alongside to the west, a grade crossing, a pedestrian crossing, a road alongside to the west, a grade crossing (Skyles Street), a grade crossing with a highway, SR 6 alongside to the west, a grade crossing, a through truss bridge over what is now the Toccoa River (same river, but its name changed at the state line) at MP 384, east past Kyle (MP 385.6), along the south/west side of the river, with big vacation houses alongside to the south/west, and southeast past an old native fish trap (1500 years old) in the river to the northeast (MP 387).

The line curves southwest past a road alongside to the west, a bridge over a side river, Galloway (MP 388.6), east-southeast past  the 792 ft. siding at Curtis Switch (MP 389.7), southeast past a grade crossing, south past a dirt track grade crossing and two bridges over streams, east, and south again past a dirt track grade crossing and a spur heading away southeast, to  the 792 ft. siding at Murphy Junction (MP 393.9), where a Marietta & North Georgia (the original railroad in the area) line once trailed in from the northeast and the line turns southwest past two grade crossings, a dirt track grade crossing, dual road bridges overhead, a grade crossing, and a street alongside to the east, to reach Blue Ridge (MP 395.5, el. 1,680 ft.), where the depot is on the east side of the line, next to a 616 ft. siding siding on the east side of the line.

Blue Ridge to Tate (41 miles)

From Blue Ridge (MP 395.5), the line passes a grade crossing south of the depot, a street alongside to the west, and three grade crossings in town, and the line heads curvily south-southwest, past a grade crossing, a road bridge overhead, a road alongside to the west in a wooded area, Maxwell, a dirt track grade crossing, a pond on the west side, a bridge over a stream, a dirt track grade crossing, two dirt road grade crossings, a dirt track grade crossing, the 836 ft. siding at Lucius (MP 401.0), a grade crossing (Dent Avenue), a wooded area, a grade crossing, an old depot on the east side at the 440 ft. siding at Cherry Log (MP 402.6), an angled grade crossing, a grade crossing, a divided highway alongside to the east, and a stream alongside to the west in the woods.

The Ellijay Block starts at the 440 ft. siding at White Path (MP 405.1), past a dirt track grade crossing, a road alongside to the west, Northcott, a grade crossing, an embankment in the woods, a stream to the west, a bridge over a stream, a dirt road grade crossing, an angled dirt road grade crossing, a bridge over a dirt road and a stream, a street alongside to the west, a road alongside to the east, a road bridge overhead in the woods, an embankment in the woods, a dirt track grade crossing, an angled grade crossing, a depot on the west side at the 1,276 ft. siding at Ellijay (MP 410.8), an angled grade crossing, extra track trailing in on the west side, and a through truss bridge over the Carlicay River.

There is a highway alongside to the east, that then crosses at grade, a road alongside to the east, the line turns west and then curvily south past a grade crossing, a dirt road grade crossing, a grade crossing, Kiker, an angled grade crossing, three dirt road grade crossings, a grade crossing, Elk Camp, an embankment, an angled dirt road grade crossing, the 792 ft. siding at Talona (MP 418.0), a spur on the west side to a quarry, a dirt road grade crossing at the quarry, two dirt road grade crossings, a bridge over a stream, industry on the west side, an angled dirt road grade crossing, a dirt road to the west, a dirt road grade crossing, an old platform shelter on the east side at the 616 ft. siding at Whitestone (MP 420.9), a dirt road alongside to the west, and a cement quarry alongside to the east, with a dirt road grade crossing at the quarry, quarry buildings on the west side, and an angled grade crossing from the road to the west.

Reverse curves to the west and then south again (once 15-degree curves) were once sharp enough to give rise to the nickname 'hook', with the line continuing south past a river alongside to the west, MP 423, a grade crossing, a grade crossing in town at Carns Mill, a curve to the southeast, in the woods, a grade crossing, the 792 ft. siding at Talking Rock (MP 425.1), a long curve northeast, a highway alongside to the north, two grade crossings, and then a curve sharply clockwise to the south, a road named Kudzu Trail alongside to the south/west, a grade crossing, and a turn curvily southeast past a road bridge overhead, a grade crossing, the 572 ft. siding at Westbrook (MP 429.2), two grade crossings, a road alongside to the west, the 1,232 ft. siding at Ruden (MP 430.9), a wide road bridge overhead, a grade crossing, and the 660 ft. siding at Jasper (MP 431.5), where the depot is on the west side, and then south-southeast  past a grade crossing, and an embankment, and finally south past a grade crossing (with a road on a steep hill), a road alongside to the west, a dirt road grade crossing, a grade crossing, a yard limits sign, an embankment, a road alongside to the west, a grade crossing, and extra track on the west side, to the 1,188 ft. siding at Tate (MP 436.9), where a spur from Marble Hill Georgia Marble trails in on the east side, the refurbished depot is on the east side, and there is a grade crossing just south of the depot.

Tate to Elizabeth (40 miles)

From Tate (MP 436.9), the line continues south, east, south past the 1,188 ft. siding at Nelson (MP 439.2) to the 880 ft. siding at Ball Ground (MP 442.7), south-southwest past the 792 ft. siding at Gober (MP 445.4) to the 880 ft. siding at Keithsburg (MP 448.9), south, west, southwest across the Etowah River and west-southwest to the 1,144 ft. siding at Canton (MP 454.3), south-southeast, southwest past Univeter (MP 457.9), curvily south past the 792 ft. siding at Holly Springs (MP 459.9) and Lebanon, south-southwest past the 836 ft. siding at Toonigh (MP 462.0), south across the Little River, southeast, southwest and then curvily south again past the 1,232 ft. siding at Woodstock (MP 465.8) and Blackwells (MP 470.6), and then south-southwest past the 792 ft. siding at Westoak (MP 474.2), west to the junction with the former NC&StL line (built by the Western & Atlantic) at North Elizabeth, and south on that line to the yard on the west side at Elizabeth (MP 476.6).