Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railroad
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad |
| Predecessor | Chattanooga Southern Railway |
| Founded | 1922 |
| Fate | Acquired by Southern Railway in 1971 |
| Headquarters | Chattanooga , United States |
Area served | Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia |
| Owner | Norfolk Southern (subsidiary) |
The Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railroad originated from the reorganization of the Chattanooga Southern Railway in 1911. It was renamed the Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway in 1922 and became commonly referred to as the TAG Route. This railroad extended roughly from Chattanooga, Tennessee through the northwestern region of Georgia to Gadsden, Alabama. The final steam locomotive was retired by the railroad in 1952.
During the 1960s, ownership under Mose and Garrison Siskin of Chattanooga's Siskin Steel Company utilized the TAG line to move steel goods between their facility and Republic Steel located in Gadsden. This efficient operation made TAG the sole profitable short line railroad in the United States throughout that period.
In 1971, Southern Railway acquired the TAG. The segment furthest north, terminating at Kensington, Georgia, was managed by the Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway until the Dow Chemical plant's shutdown in 2009. Starting in 2010, Norfolk Southern began removing portions of this northern stretch.
Most railway infrastructure south of Kensington has been dismantled except for notable remnants such as the Pigeon Mountain Tunnel near Kensington and the piers of the Yellow Creek Bridge close to Leesburg, Alabama on Lake Weiss. The steel bridge that once crossed Yellow Creek is now located at the former terminal site in Gadsden. The company continues as a subsidiary of Norfolk Southern, which intends to commemorate TAG with a Heritage unit, GE AC44C6M #4851, planned for release in November 2024.
External links
- Tennessee, Alabama And Georgia Railway: The Tag Route at American-Rails.com