Georgia Northeastern Railroad In 1987, as part of a complicated sale involving rail lines in Georgia and Tennessee, the Georgia Northeastern, a new short line, acquired from CSX 68 miles of former Louisville & Nashville track between Marietta and Ellijay. Georgia Northeastern purchased the tracks from Marietta to Tate and leased the tracks from Tate to Ellijay. CSX retained the tracks north of Ellijay, which connected that city with Blue Ridge and McCaysville (with a short branch ending at Mineral Bluff). In August 1990, the Georgia Northeastern was sold (minus the Tennessee trackage) to Wilds Pierce, an Atlanta businessman and owner of Railcar Management, Inc. In the mid-1990s, the Georgia Department of Transportation purchased the line north of Ellijay and began working with Georgia Northeastern to put these long-neglected tracks back to use. GNRR freight trains now run on a limited basis between Blue Ridge and Ellijay. A particularly notable success has been the establishment of a passenger excursion line, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, which began operating between Blue Ridge and McCaysville in the spring of 1998. (Photo by Leamon Scott). Reporting marks: GNRR. 2000 map (204K) Georgia Northeastern website. Blue Ridge Scenic Railway website.   Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Copyright, Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home