Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway is a sightseeing trip through one of the most beautiful places in the South. The train route consists of a 26-mile trip through historic Murphy Junction along the beautiful Toccoa River. This railroad was built over 100 years ago and is the only mainline railroad excursion service based in Georgia. Each trip begins at the depot in Blue Ridge, GA and includes a stop in McCaysville which permits passengers to disembark and stretch their legs while exploring the downtown communities of McCaysville, GA and Copperhill, Tennessee. Each trip takes approximately 4 hours.

The last passenger train to operate over this line was a one-time special trip that ran in the 1960's. The route was originally built as the narrow-gauge Marietta & North Georgia Railroad. Construction began in Marietta in 1877 and reached Blue Ridge in 1886.

At Talking Rock, Georgia, the line originally made an unusal 80-degree change in direction through a very sharp horseshoe-shaped curve dubbed "the hook" by train crews. The curve was so sharp that crews claimed that if the conductor's cigar went out in the caboose, he had only to wait until the train got to the 'hook", because he could merely lean out and get a light from the engineer. The railroad was sold and purchased several times over the early 1900's and in 1990 the line was put up for sale once again. A group of local investers stepped in to preserve rail service into North Georgia. As a result, passager trains are operating once again into the beautiful North Georgia Mountains.

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
241 Depot Street
Blue Ridge, GA 30513
(706)632-8724
http://brscenic.com/