Georgia Marble Company Railroad Soon after it was established in May 1884, the Georgia Marble Company gained control of nearly seven thousand acres of marble-bearing property in Pickens County, opened up a number of quarries and mills, and constructed a 3.5-mile rail line that connected these facilities to the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad at Tate. Over the decades, the enterprise added new quarries, mills, and other facilities and became a major employer in north Georgia. By 1910, the company owned and operated 7.0 rail miles, according to Poors Manual. In 1896, the Marietta & North Georgia became the Atlanta, Knoxville & Northern, which was soon purchased by the Louisville & Nashville. L&N eventually was folded into CSX. In the late 1980s, the shortline Georgia Northeastern Railroad took over most of the former Marietta & North Georgia as well as the former Georgia Marble line; it continues to operate them today. Marble quarry. Spur tracks are visible on the right side of the photo. (From: The World's Work, June 1907). From: Joseph T. Derry and R. F. Wright, Advantages of Georgia for Those Desiring Homes in a Genial Climate, Atlanta, Ga.: Franklin-Turner Co., 1907. Online at HathiTrust Digital Library here. Loading marble blocks onto flat cars. The huge blocks were hauled to Georgia Marble Company plants at Tate, Nelson, and Marietta. Blocks of marble alongside tracks near Marble Hill, Pickens County. Georgia Marble Company plant at Tate. Southern Marble Works at Marble Hill. A wider view is here. In this zoomed-in view of the above photo, a saddle-tank locomotive can be seen on the right. This locomotive is at a Georgia Marble Company quarry near Tate. Loaded rail cars at a Georgia Marble Company plant near Tate. 1928 map (210K) See also Amicalola Railroad RailGa.com. Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. © Steve Storey Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home