On an old Southern timetable in my possesion, the stations listed south of Inman Yard include a station called Bellwood Avenue. I have worked for the Southern, (and now NS) in the Atlanta Terminal for 24 years and I still can't figure out where this might be. I know it has to be somewhere between what is now Howell interlocking and the signal at Grinell. If anyone knows where this might have been and what railroad intersected with the Southern there please let me know. I think it was the former ACL but I am not sure.

-- Tony Skeen (cnductr1@aol.com), February 24, 2001

Answers

Tony - I think you are referring to an interlocking that was used by the ACL passenger trains coming into Atlanta. This interlocking was located where Northside drive bridge crosses over the NS/CSX lines today. From the railroad level, you can see the separate single line portal in this bridge where the ACL line weered off to the west and headed to their main. I have walked onto the now closed old Bankhead hwy bridge and observed this myself. The line is long gone. I understand the ACL used Union station, thus making it necessary to cross over the Southern and onto the L&N/NC&StL line. This was Bellwood interlocking. I am told the Prince ACL book has a photo of this location. Bellwood yard was just to the west and still exists to a limited degree today as an industrial area served by CSX.

I asked this question a couple of years ago at the ACL/SAL site, and got the following answer at: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002EQz

more ACL/SAL info at: http://aclsal.org/

Tom Randall W&A mp 25, Kennesaw/Marietta, GA

-- Tom Randall (tkrandall@mindspring.com), March 19, 2001.