TRAVEL All aboard! Trains offer a different way to see the countryside

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By Kathy Dean

Most Georgians stayed close to home during 2020 because of COVID-19. But as lockouts loosen and virus vaccinations increase, some are seeking new ways to get out and about again. There are many road trips that make for fun weekend getaways from Atlanta by car. But another, often overlooked, way to travel is to ride the rails. “I love traveling by train,” said Jeff Morrison, an Atlanta resident and author of Atlanta Underground: History from Below. “It’s more relaxing than going by plane and it’s a great way to see the country.”

The Crescent is the only Amtrak line that provides service to Atlanta. It travels nearly 1,400 miles from New York to New Orleans and along the way, according to Amtrak, the quasi-public corporation that operates many of the country’s passenger trains, “gives travelers a unique window to the beauty and heritage of the American South.”

Kimberly Woods, public relations manager for Amtrak, said that since last October, the Crescent had been operating three days a week. “Due to COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting decrease in travel demand, most Amtrak longdistance routes began operating tri-weekly,” she said.

The Crescent was to resume its daily schedule on June 7. And it’s worth remembering that Amtrak offers a 10% discount to riders 65 years old and older on most trains.

Morrison has traveled on Amtrak’s Crescent and shared what he knows. “The train leaves Atlanta early in the day, and you arrive in New Orleans in the evening,” he said. “It’s the same for the ride home: you leave New Orleans in the morning and get to Atlanta in the evening.”

Riders should keep in mind that they’ll be traveling for two days, he said. Morrison said riders get a good glimpse of the towns along the way as they travel through them.

The Amtrak Crescent schedule lists the stations on Atlanta-New Orleans route. They include Anniston, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa in Alabama; Meridian and Hattiesburg in Mississippi and Slidell in Louisiana, before reaching the Big Easy’s Union Passenger

Terminal. “You can also go north to Washington, D.C.,” Morrison said. “In that case, the train leaves Atlanta in the evening and travels through the night to arrive in D.C. in the mid-morning.” The return trip follows the same schedule, leaving D.C. in the evening and arriving in Atlanta early in the day, he said. And again, it’s two days of travel.

“You don’t get any scenery, since it’s dark,” Morrison continued. “You can ride coach or get a roomette and sleep through the journey.” He suggested that travelers consider leaving Atlanta on Friday night, spend the night sleeping in a roomette on the train and arrive Saturday morning ready to tour the sights in Washington. It may even be worthwhile to stay in a hotel Saturday night and enjoy Sunday in D.C. before heading home that night, he said.

Again, there are lots of options for stopovers along the way. Amtrak stations include Gainesville and Toccoa in Georgia; Greenville and Spartanburg in South Carolina; Charlotte and Greensboro in North Carolina; and Lynchburg, Charlottesville and Alexandria in Virginia.

From Washington, D.C., the Crescent runs to New York’s Penn Station. Stations on the way include Baltimore in Maryland; Wilmington in Delaware; Philadelphia in Pennsylvania; and Trenton and Newark in New Jersey.

“For a town [such as Atlanta] that is known as the center of train lines, it’s odd that there’s only one [passenger] train line that travels through it,” Morrison said. “And there’s no direct way to get to Chicago — or Chattanooga or Florida. You have to connect through Washington, D.C.”

In the 1970s, U.S. train lines were consolidated into the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, the entity also known as Amtrak, he said. While it operates as a nonprofit, Amtrak receives state and federal subsidies; its service covers 500 destinations in 46 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.

Woods stressed that Amtrak is working on plans to expand, which could mean more rail connections with Atlanta. “We recently announced our vision to grow service and connect new city pairs across America to rise to the urgent challenges of our time by providing new and improved train service for 20 million more riders,” she said.

“This vision includes increasing rail options with service from Atlanta to Charlotte, Nashville and even Savannah,” Woods said, adding that it’s too early to determine specific stops and other details of the routes. “If Congress provides sufficient funding to Amtrak, we will work with state and local partners, as well as with the [the federal Department of Transportation], to improve existing and to build new corridors.”

While the Amtrak Crescent offers the only multi-state passenger train service, there are some other places scattered around Georgia that offer a chance to try at more localized passenger train rides.

“In middle Georgia, there’s the SAM Shortline,” Morrison said. “And there’s the Blue Ridge train. You have to drive to it, but it’s scenic and goes through woods.”

The SAM Shortline Railroad runs 1949 vintage train cars from Cordele to Archery, Ga., and offers events and ride packages on select weekends. For example, the Sumter Explorer is a full-day trip that runs from Georgia Veterans State Park in Cordele to Plains, Ga. and back. It includes layovers at Plains and Americus and at the Rural Telephone Museum in Leslie, Ga.

The cost ranges from coach seats at $39.99 for adults, $36.99 seniors (62+) and $29.99 for children (ages 2-12) to deluxe seats at $49.99 per person, which include a drink ticket and snack seating at tables and chairs.

Another popular SAM Shortline trip is The Presidential Flyer. The route includes a layover in Plains, Ga., and a visit to President Jimmy Carter’s boyhood farm. Prices run from Coach, $39.99 for adults and $29.99 for children, to $119.99 per person for the Chairman’s Class, which includes business class seating, lunch, snacks and drinks. Go to the company’s website for information on other events and trips.

The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway travels a round-trip of 26 miles along the Toccoa River and through the Chattahoochee National Forest. It stops at Blue Ridge and McCaysville, Ga., and Copper Hill, Tenn. The railway has a variety of trips planned through 2021.

Morrison made sure to mention the Tennessee Valley Railroad in Chattanooga. “They have some weekend trains that go a few miles in Chattanooga,” he said. “A few times a year, they offer rides on a steam engine train to Summerville, Ga.”

The Tennessee Valley Railroad has a list of rides planned for 2021, including the Chickamauga Turn, a six-hour ride that takes passengers to the historic Civil War town of Chickamauga, Ga., where they can tour and shop during the 90-minute layover. There are several ticket options, from Coach with a boxed lunch for $55 per seat to Pullman Compartment for $190, which includes two tickets, snacks, beverages and a dining car luncheon.

The Summerville Steam Special is a nine-hour trip on a steam locomotive train from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Summerville, Ga. and back. Costs range from $70 per person for coach with no meal to $115-$130 (depending on season) for Pullman Compartment Rider, which includes breakfast and lunch in the dining car.

Other Tennessee Valley Railroad trips include the Hiwassee Loop and Missionary Ridge Local.

A little further east, The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad starts in Bryson City, N.C., and winds through western North Carolina to various destinations.

Their Steam of the Smokies offers two excursions, Tuckasegee River and Nantahala Gorge, aboard a train pulled by a #1702 locomotive that dates to 1942. Prices range from open air gondola and coach seats for $65 per adult and $40 per child (2-12 years old) to adults-only First Class for $113 per seat. Upcharges of $2 to $4 are common in October.

Other Great Smoky Mountain Railroad trips include diesel excursions and the Carolina Shine Moon Shine Experience.

For more information on travel on various nearby train lines, check their web pages: ■ Amtrak: www.amtrak.com ■ Blue Ridge Scenic Railway: brscenic.com ■ Great Smoky Mountain

Railroad: gsmr.com ■ The SAM Shortline: samshortline.com ■ Tennessee Valley Railroad: tvrail.com