The Gainesville Midland and Her Sister Short Lines *PIC*

Hi Jim,
My Press Release is:
“The Gainesville Midland and her Sister Short Lines” covers eight different railroads and touches on several more. This book has information mainly for the railfan, railroad historian, or the model railroader. For the non-railroad historian, the historical information contained in the maps in this book relating to the businesses and industries in the towns along the railroad is as interesting as the railroads themselves. The Sanborn Fire Insurance maps contained in the book start around 1880 and end in the 1960s. Through them, history can be traced from livery stables and cotton warehouses to motor inns and poultry industries. Some of the cities and towns focused on with maps and/or photos include Belmont, Clermont, Gainesville, Hoschton, Jefferson, Social Circle, and Winder.
The Gainesville Midland is but a remnant of a system of railroads that covered the northeastern Georgia landscape. Her predecessor the Gainesville, Jefferson & Southern tried valiantly to forge a living in the area between Gainesville and Macon. The Gainesville, Jefferson & Southern merged with the Walton Railroad. The "empire" unraveled in bankruptcy.
This book also covers the Gainesville & Northwestern which was built to tap the timber stands in and around the Robertstown-Helen area.
G. J. Baldwin Jr, a mine owner, built the Chestatee Railroad and a rail connection with the Gainesville & North Western at Clermont. He purchased the Gainesville Midland to keep rail competition alive. Once the need for pyrite was gone and the mine closed, the Gainesville Midland was sold to the same man who owned the Greene County Railroad and Georgia Car and Locomotive (a used equipment dealer).
The Gainesville Midland and her Sister Short Lines covers the Gainesville Midland Railway (1904-1936) and the Gainesville Midland Railroad (1936-1959). It also covers the Gainesville, Jefferson & Southern (1872-1904), the pre-GJ&S Walton Railroad (1872-1884), post-GJ&S Monroe Railroad (1904-1917), the Bostwick Railroad (1907-1912), the Greene County Railroad (1912-1942), the Gainesville & North Western Railroad (1912-1933), the Chestatee Railroad, the Gainesville & Dahlonega Railroad (1876-1909) and the Gainesville Railroad and Power Co.(1909-1916). The history of Georgia was and still is closely tied in with the railroads. The railroads of that era were similar to the Delta Airlines and Eastern Airlines of today. This book contains photos of the railroads I took in 1976, in 2001, and in 2004-5.
Douglas Edgar van Veelen is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with degrees in Electrical Engineering and Civil Engineering. He gets his interest in railroading and in history from his mother (Doris). Her family had 13 members work for the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successors between 1910 and 1984. He has written several articles for hobby and professional publications including Live Steam Magazine and Modeltec Magazine. He has been on national professional conferences as a faculty member for the ATE & Instrumentation Conference and the Test Engineering Conference. Articles include Civil Engineering for Live Steam Railroads, Computerizing an Atlas 6” Lathe and Using In-Circuit Testers for Functional Testing.
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Since several railroads in the book were built to Southern "Standard Gauge" (60") all the railroads in this book were Narrow gauge at one time or other " />
A sample chapter from the book is at my web site
[douglasvanveelen.home.mindspring.com]
The book is available at my e-Bay store "Doug's Railroad Stuff"
Thanks for asking.
Doug