In Decatur, just above the overpass where Columbia Drive intersects College Ave. is a wonderful old building right alongside the tracks. I think the actual street it's on is Trinity (??). I've always been enchanted by this building as a kid as I was taken past it on the way to the place where I took music lessons. Well, the lessons paid off and now I'm in the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Symphony. I went back there recently and really snooped around for the first time. There's an old unloading trestle there (from before the overpass was built)and all sorts of other track/operations remnants. Along the wall facing College Ave. is the name, spelled out in raised letters and hidden by vegetation "Atlantic Star Coal and Ice."

Does anyone have any information or pictures about this building and company and how it interacted with the CoG?

Also, before MARTA was even a dream, and before the above mentioned overpass was built, there was a grade level track crossing about a mile east of the Atlantic Star building that was called "Sam's Crossing." It was your basic picture-perfect RR crossing with a shanty and a really neat fence company. There would be times we would have to sit for 15 or more minutes waiting for the trains to clear the tracks (hence the demand for the overpass). I remember seeing one SW-1 (?) that was on it's last legs (this is ca. 1965), belching smoke like it was a steamer. The name is there even now, but it's an overpass over the MARTA tracks at Avondale Station.

Any other recollection about Sam's Crossing out there?

Thanks

Bruce

Are there any recollections about this??

-- Bruce Curlette (bcurlette@cornerstone.edu), June 22, 1998

Answers

The line going through Decatur where you are talking about was Georgia Railroad trackage (now CSX). I have seen the building you are talking about. It's pretty neat! Not something you see everyday.

-- Wes Thompson (CofGeorgia@aol.com), August 28, 1999.

Atlantic Ice and Coal had "Ice Shoot", also at Inman yards, was used to ice cars back before refrigeration., cars were lined up along iceing platform,and ice was shoved into cars., believe they were also in the selling of coal to the locals, nc&stl also had same thing at Hlls Park Yard, marietta road.

David

-- David Gray (dagray3531@aol.com), July 19, 1998.

Unless I'm badly mistaken, Sam's Crossing in the Decatur/Avondale area was on the Georgia Railroad, not the Central of Georgia. The crossing I have in mind is about a mile east of the Decatur Depot and has been more or less obliterated by MARTA's Avondale facility.

As to the interaction of Atlantic Ice & Coal with the railroad, I cannot answer. They had little or none when I worked for the GaRR/A&WP in the 1970's.

Bob Hanson

-- Robert H. Hanson (RHanson669@aol.com), June 28, 1998.