The steam-powered locomotives chugged 37 miles between Gainesville and Helen, helping to forge a connection and commerce among rural North Georgia communities in the early part of the 20th century.
But progress crept in, with the advent of the automobile and roads and highways to support them, leading to the abandonment of the railroad in 1934.
Today, nearly 80 years later, the iron rails and wooden ties are gone. Beaten-down pathways serve as the lone reminder of that era.
However, forces are at work to bring new life to the former Gainesville Northwestern Railroad, with the concept forming to perhaps some day turn at least some of those stretches into bike and pedestrian trailways.
“This is an area that’s big on tourism and outdoor recreation, so anything you can create that feeds into that is likely going to succeed,” said Adam Hazell, planning director for the Gainesville-based Georgia Mountains Regional Commission.
“We think the idea of bona fide bikeways, preferably paved, would be very strong tourist draws.”
Hazell and Sarah McQuade, regional planner for the GMRC, have both
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