Pigeon Mountain Tunnel (LaFayette, GA)
Pigeon Mountain Tunnel (1891-1982)
Walker County, GA
The Chattanooga Southern Railroad was completed in 1891 between Chattanooga, Tennessee and Gadsden, Alabama. The route included a 1600-foot tunnel through Pigeon Mountain between Kensington and LaFayette, Georgia. The tunnel is unlined with brick portals and a curve at the south end. Much of the railroad’s early freight business was the transport of iron ore from Pigeon Mountain to a furnace in Chattanooga. The Estelle Mining Company Railroad (with seven tunnels of its own) joined the Chattanooga Southern at Estelle just northwest of Pigeon Mountain Tunnel.
The Chattanooga Southern was reorganized as the Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia (TAG) Railway in 1911 and later sold to the competing Southern Railway in 1971. The central section of the TAG, including Pigeon Mountain Tunnel, was abandoned in 1982 when the Southern Railway merged into Norfolk Southern.
Note: This text and accompanying photos are the copyright of Christopher Muller and may not be reproduced in whole or in part on any website, message board, or other medium.
Read MoreWalker County, GA
The Chattanooga Southern Railroad was completed in 1891 between Chattanooga, Tennessee and Gadsden, Alabama. The route included a 1600-foot tunnel through Pigeon Mountain between Kensington and LaFayette, Georgia. The tunnel is unlined with brick portals and a curve at the south end. Much of the railroad’s early freight business was the transport of iron ore from Pigeon Mountain to a furnace in Chattanooga. The Estelle Mining Company Railroad (with seven tunnels of its own) joined the Chattanooga Southern at Estelle just northwest of Pigeon Mountain Tunnel.
The Chattanooga Southern was reorganized as the Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia (TAG) Railway in 1911 and later sold to the competing Southern Railway in 1971. The central section of the TAG, including Pigeon Mountain Tunnel, was abandoned in 1982 when the Southern Railway merged into Norfolk Southern.
Note: This text and accompanying photos are the copyright of Christopher Muller and may not be reproduced in whole or in part on any website, message board, or other medium.
