Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway The now-abandoned rail line from Chattanooga to Gadsden was constructed in 1890-91 as the Chattanooga Southern Railway. Built to haul coal, iron, and timber, it entered receivership after just a few years of operation and was reorganized in 1896 as the Chattanooga Southern Railroad. In 1911 it was reorganized again, this time as the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railroad. Another receivership in 1922 resulted in the line becoming the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway. It was also known by the nickname TAG Route. In 1917 the TAG had 6 locomotives, 6 passenger cars, 6 box cars, 15 flat cars, 45 coal cars, 1 stock car, 2 cabooses, and 9 service cars. A substantial part of the railroad's early freight business came from iron ore mining on the west side of Pigeon Mountain. The Estelle mines there were the main source of ore for the Chattanooga Iron & Coal Corporation's furnace at Chattanooga. The TAG had a branch line from Menlo to Coe; it was abandoned in 1920. (The branch left the main line at Coe Junction, about 2.5 miles south of Menlo.) Southern Railway purchased the line in 1971. The middle portion of the line was abandoned in the early 1980s. The northern section of the line, from Chattanooga to Hedges, was operated for a time by the Chattooga & Chickamauga Railway, but it has been inactive since 2009. Engine no. 106. The iron ore mines at Estelle provided important shipments for the TAG line. From: R. H. Haseltine, Iron Ore Deposits of Georgia, Geological Survey of Georgia, 1924.       Maps, Timetables and Other Information: 1892 map and 1893 map at Library of Congress 1912 map of Georgia section (204K) 1915 map showing Menlo-Coe branch (47K) 1916 timetable (206K) 1917 equipment list (219K) 1921 mileage table (60K) 1929 timetable (216K) 1940s map of Georgia section (217K) 1943 freight and passenger timetable (536K) 1946 map of Georgia section (425K) 1955 map (42K) 1972 map, Chattanooga - Hedges (246K) 1972 map, Hedges - Menlo (376K) Article on The TAG at About North Georgia. TAG engine no. 101 is on display in Fordyce, Arkansas. See arkansaspreservation.com and search for "locomotive #101" This 1924 Baldwin 2-8-0 was built for passenger service on the TAG and operated there as no. 201. Sold to Chattahoochee Valley Railroad in 1935, it remained in regular service until 1946 and in standby service until 1961. It is now on display at the Southeastern Railway Museum.   A remnant of the TAG beside Hwy. 193 in Walker County. (2015 photo)   RailGa.com. Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. © Steve Storey Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home