Hi,
What I know (in a long thumbnail):
The first discussion about the need for a rail or corduroy road was needed for the Roswell Manufacturing CO (RMC) came in 1854. The original goal was for a study of a rail or corduroy road tot he Nearest point on the Western & Atlantic (aka The State Road) - some 15-odd miles.
About 1859-1860, the RMC authorized the Atlanta and Roswell (also referred to as the Roswell and Atlanta) and the charter was altered for a route from Roswell and Atlanta be also evaluated for a railroad. This was some 20-odd miles.
Some slaves were purchased and intermittent grading started. By 1962, the need by the CSA for uniforms pushed the grading into high gear for the Atlanta & Roswell. By the time of Sherman's visit, the grade had been completed to the south end of the Current Oglethorpe University and culverts on the grade were in. The bridging for Nancy Creek and Little Nancy Creek were not yet in place.
Grading had been from the north side of the Chattahoochee River to the RMC buildings in Roswell. The station sites in Roswell and Atlanta had been purchased.
The grading picked up on the south side of the river (a high trestle was planned) through what was the Dunwody Plantation to the before mentioned Oglethorpe location. (Dunwody was the original spelling. A recording error in the records for the sale of the what became the Dunwody plantation from the Kings had a spelling error and Dunwody changed the spelling of his name to Dunwoody as the easiest way to resolve the spelling error in records).
The USA used part of the Roswell grade to march towards Atlanta. Culverts were destroyed on the march.
The planned route was from Roswell to the Chattahoochee: across the Chattahoochee: Down through Dunwoody to Nancy creek: across Nancy Creek: on to Chamblee: down the ridge to Peachtree Creek (paralleling Peachtree Road): across Peachtree Creek and on into Atlanta. Basically Southern Rwy from Chamblee to Howell Wye. This required three major bridges (probably why this longer route was chosen over a shorter route to the W&A at Marietta - fewer bridging needs.)
Negotiations with the A&CAL / R&D / Sou occurred between about 1872 and 1880. Basically, the result was the ROW along the ridge to Atlanta from Gainesville was occupied by the Roswell RR. In exchange for the ROW, Sou would build the Roswell.
The line was narrow gauge. It ran from the south bank of the Chattahoochee to Roswell Junction (now Chamblee).
The desired bridge across the Chattahoochee never was built and was probably a big factor for the early demise of the Roswell.
The first locomotive for the Roswell was a small 0-4-0t #1 according to National Locomotive Works (Dawson & Bailey) records.
blt 6-1871
c/n 170
9x14 cylinders
9 tons
Painesville & Youngstown #1
Roswell Railroad #1[1881]
This may have been the construction locomotive. The Roswell was built and opened in 1881.
The second locomotive was a Baldwin 0-6-0t #815.
blt 5-1878
c/n 4321
Washington City, Virginia Midland & Great Southern, #1 "FRANKLIN" []
Southern Iron & Equipment []
Roswell Railroad, 815 []
Southern Railway, N815 [1906]
Franklin & Pittsylvania Railroad, 1, VA []
Fitzhugh Lumber Co., Auburn, SC []
SI&E, 516 []
Tilghman Lumber Co #5 / Mullins Lumber Co. (dual ownership), Mullins, SC, 5 [1.31.1908]
From Baldwin and National builder's records and Southern Iron & Equipment records.
The line had two box cars (150, 151), three flats (and maybe a fourth) numbered between 325 and 328 (in the 1900 ORER, there were four numbers in the range and a total of three on line), and one combine #15.
As this is long, I'll cut off this post and post more later.
Doug vV
