[7b][4k] Heritage Railroad: Trains on the Hartwell Railroad, Bowersville - Toccoa, GA 05/12/2020

In this video, we watch almost all operational power of the Hartwell Railroad (HRT) on the move. Hartwell is a bridge short line that connects with CSX in Elberton, GA and Norfolk Southern in Toccoa, GA. Much of the track between Elberton and Bowersville, GA is inactive and used for storage. There's also a branch from Bowersville to Hartwell (the original Hartwell line), but it is rarely used either. Disconnected from these lines, Hartwell currently also operates the Athens Line from Athens, GA and Center, GA. Hartwell Railroad belongs to the Great Walton Railroad. Here, we concentrate on a work day's action between the Rose Acres Feed Mill in Bowersville and the interchange with Norfolk Southern in Toccoa. We chase the northbound HRT manifest 25 miles, watch it interchange with NS, and then follow it back to Bowersville. The all EMD power HRT operates includes an interesting mix of diesel engines from all over the country - most still in the paint scheme of one of the previous owners. There's the 60+ year old GP9 (HRT #4556) once built for the Rock Island and still in Chicago & Northwestern livery, the GP38-2 HRT #5130 of former owner Southern Railway, the GP38 HRT #1973 once moving freight for Penn Central and Conrail, and "The J" HRT #654 (SD38) - still looking quite pretty in its original Elgin, Joliet and Eastern colors. These heritage units (and several other remarkable engines HRT owns) are not artificially made up - they are real. Enjoy pure, rural short line action and watch the engines and cars sway in this nice corner of Northeast Georgia!