Why Does the Train Stop on DeKalb Avenue??
Decatur Metro | September 21, 2011If you’ve ever wondered why a train sometimes comes to a complete stop across DeKalb Avenue in the morning, this “FAQ About the Train” from the East Lake Neighborhood blog is for you!
Here’s a piece…
Why does the train stop, blocking East Lake Rd and Dekalb Ave?
Today, the only train that regularly stops is the morning southbound intermodal train, which comes in between 8 and 10. This train, loaded with shipping containers, is headed for Hulsey Yard, which is near Oakland Cemetery and Cabbage Town. The train stops a few hundred yards shy of Hulsey so the engineer can climb down from the train and throw a manual track switch, lining the train up for Hulsey. Then he climbs back to his cab and moves the train forward. From stopping to starting up again, the whole process usually takes about three minutes. (Considering that the alternate routes around the train are already full of cars in the morning, it’s questionable whether turning around and taking one of those makes any sense.)
The post by Bob Ballou also answers questions like: “What is the actual name of this line?” “How many trains are scheduled to run on the line each day?” and “What is the status of the train quiet corridor, which will include quiet zones at Dekalb Ave., East Lake, Coventry, Frazier, and Montreal?”
Great info!
Thanks! I was stopped by that train this morning (when he was stopped right before crossing) and wondering why he did that.
Excellent information, thanks! Atlanta (and Decatur) is a town created by and for train travel, which is largely hidden to the everday eye now. It’s always a fascinating exploration to look at the workaday details of our rail infrastructure. I’ve talked to several older Seaboard and Southern railway employees who have great stories about the passenger service in Atlanta and the local freight routes along the (now) Beltline corridor.
During my run this past Saturday morning on East Lake was the first time I encountered the train. It came to a dead stop for well over 3 minutes. It was more like 8-10 minutes! Frustrating as heck!
I had to run a quick errand up at Northlake Mall the other day and on Montreal Road I watched the train slow, and come to a dead stop across the tracks. I waited more than five minutes for it to start moving again, but finally had to give up. I figured it was also blocking Frazier Road, so I had to do a U-turn, get back on Lawrenceville Highway, then 285, to get where I needed to go. Annoying!! I seem to get caught on Montreal or Frazier about every other time I go that way.
“What is the actual name of this line?” the rail line is informally known as “The Park Line” by railroaders for some unknown reason. It connects via a “Y” intersection with the tracks going past Emory and the tracks heading to Athens via Tucker and Lawrenceville. The line to Athens passes over Clairmont Rd at the bottom of the hill near the VA hospital.
“How many trains are scheduled to run on the line each day?” don’t know exactly, but quite a few since the line to Athens is CSX’s main route to the northeast from Atlanta. Note that many of these run to/from the Emory route, though, since CSX has a large yard in that direction. The trains crossing DeKalb Ave are the ones running to the Hulsey intermodal yard. Many trains from that yard also run through Decatur on the line that runs to Augusta, Savannah and Charleston.
“What is the status of the train quiet corridor, which will include quiet zones at Dekalb Ave., East Lake, Coventry, Frazier, and Montreal?” I’m not aware of any proposal to make that line a quiet zone. It would involve replacing the street crossing all along that line with a type that would preclude driving or walking around. The only discussion I’ve heard is about a quiet zone through Decatur, which is still in the discussion stage.
I always thought the engineer, that dirty rounder, stopped so’s he could steal my girl and my jellyroll (don’t worry, I’ll leave the bluegrass yodeling to Doc Watson). Now I can rest easy. Thanks DM!