The route of the Central of Georgia from Lyerly to Rome
Old grocery at Holland, Ga., along the Central of Georgia
photo by John Wilson
Old store at Holland, Ga.
photo by John Wilson
Tall railroad crossing sign, but no rails, at Old Holland Road
photo by John Wilson
Scenic section of the Central of Georgia line has been converted to the Simms Mountain Trail
photo by John Wilson
Depot at Hill City, Ga., near Resaca on the way to Rome
photo by Wes Schultz
Another view of the Hill City depot
photo by Wes Schultz
Park at the site of the old Kingston train station
photo by Wes Schultz
Kingston, Ga., mansion near the railroad tracks
photo by Wes Schultz
Calhoun, Ga., depot on the way to Rome
photo by Wes Schultz
Caboose by the Calhoun, Ga., train station
photo by Wes Schultz
Southern Railway depot was in East Rome on Callahan Street
NC&StL station was on the south side of Broad Street at First Avenue
Rome depot and visitor center was originally at Reeves, Ga., 18 miles to the northeast
photo by Wes Schultz
Caboose at the visitor center
photo by Wes Schultz
Bell used during the steam era is on display at the Rome Visitors Center
photo by Wes Schultz
DeSoto Theatre in downtown Rome
photo by Wes Schultz
Statue of the Capitoline Wolf with Romulus & Remus was a gift of Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini
photo by Wes Schultz
Historic clock tower is on one of Rome's seven hills
photo by Wes Schultz
Courthouse with distinctive tower
photo by Wes Schultz
Lines converge near Decatur Street
photo by John Wilson
End of the rails near Carter Avenue
photo by John Wilson
Old house by the tracks
photo by Wes Schultz
Central of Georgia bridge was near merger of Etowah and Oostanaula rivers to form the Coosa River
photo by Wes Schultz
Old Central of Georgia bridge is now a popular walking bridge
photo by Wes Schultz
Old rail yards near the Etowah River downtown
photo by Wes Schultz
Rail cars near Southeastern Mills at E. 1st Avenue
photo by Wes Schultz
Trains still travel down the middle of Glenn Milner Boulevard
photo by Wes Schultz
Rome, Ga., is a city of both rivers and railroads. Four railroads at one time served the city that is centered around the confluence of the Oostanaula and the Etowah rivers that form the Coosa River.
Rome, which has seven hills like its Italian namesake, got rail service in 1848 when tracks were laid to Kingston on the east. The line, that came to be known as the Rome Railroad, gave the county seat of Floyd County a connection to the new Western and Atlanta Railroad that went between Chattanooga and Atlanta. The Rome Railroad was later acquired by the Nashville Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad and operated until 1943. Today, there is little trace that the line existed. A park in Kingston near the main line tracks to Atlanta mark the depot site. The depot, with a unique log cabin look, stood on Broad Street. It was demolished in 1974 despite an effort to save it.
Another rail line to south Rome came up from Cave Spring, Ga. The Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad began at Selma, Ala. The tracks on this railroad were taken up after service was discontinued in the late 1970s.
The only line still operating at Rome is the train that comes down from the Ooltewah Cutoff through Dalton. The East Tennessee and Georgia line built a connection to Rome after it acquired the Macon and Brunswick Railroad. The line, which later was acquired by Southern Railway, comes down from Dalton through Calhoun, which still has its old train station. The tiny depot at Hill City near Resaca is also still standing. The spacious Southern Railway depot was in east Rome on E. Callahan Street. The depot, which dated to about 1900, burned on Nov. 15, 1974.
The Central of Georgia Railroad that came down from Chattanooga passed through Rome. After Lyerly, Ga., the line veered toward Simms Mountain at the little settlement of Holland, Ga. It went directly south before heading east toward Rome through a narrow pass. It negotiated its way on a scenic route surrounded by Simms Mountain, Turnip Mountain and Lavender Mountain. A station was at Lavender, Ga. The Central of Georgia entered Rome near Garden Lakes. It had a river crossing where the rivers converge downtown. The Central of Georgia depot was just after the river crossing. The rails have been taken up on the Central of Georgia south of Lyerly. The mountain pass is in use as the Simms Mountain Trail. The railroad bridge downtown has been converted to a walking bridge.
Southern built a line that still operates to a large lumber mill west of Rome. The Central of Georgia also ran a line down to this facility.
The depot at the Rome Visitors Center on Jackson Hill is from Reeves, Ga., 18 miles northeast of Rome.