Hook and Eye Line L&N's route between Marietta, Georgia and Etowah, Tennessee was nicknamed the "Hook and Eye Line" because of two memorable curves along the route. The "Hook" was a tight double reverse curve at Tate Mountain, between Whitestone and Talking Rock, while the "Eye" was an 8000-foot loop up Bald Mountain near Farner, Tennessee. At the Eye, better known as the Hiwassee Loop, the tracks encircled the mountain nearly twice before crossing back over themselves via a 60-foot-high trestle. The 1.50% grade loop was built in 1898 to replace a set of switchbacks. L&N later bypassed the Hook, but the Eye/Loop remained in operation until 2001 when L&N successor CSX abandoned the 43 miles of line between Etowah and Copperhill (in Polk and McMinn counties, Tennessee). In July, 2002, the Southeast Local Development Corporation, a regional improvement organization, reached an agreement with CSX to acquire the abandoned line and convert it into a scenic recreational trail. In recent years, however, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, in partnership with the Tennessee Overhill Association, has been running passenger excursions from Etowah, TN along the Hiwassee gorge and over the Loop. Some of these trips continue beyond the Loop to Copperhill, TN and McCaysville, GA for a 94-mile roundtrip excursion. The Hiawassee Loop, also known as the "Eye," at Bald Mountain, Tennessee. (From an old postcard).   Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Copyright, Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home