Chief Ladiga Trail - Day 2: Piedmont to Anniston

We rode the remaining 19 miles of the Chief Ladiga Trail on the fourth overall day of riding from Atlanta in November 2014. While the eastern portion of the trail is a grade through mountains, the western portion is nearly level through fields and almost always closely followed by major highways. This portion of the trail also bisects the campus of Jacksonville State University, including on sidewalks around the fraternity houses on Village Street.

Eubanks House - The Piedmont Welcome Center

A single tree guards the fields near Alabama 21

Flat and straight

Remnant foundations of an old railroad facility, possibly a coal tipple

A couple of the bridges over Tallasseehatchee Creek

Jacksonville provides a local mileage chart

The slow moving Tallasseehatchee Creek

A turtle sunning on a stump in Tallasseehatchee Creek

A dammed portion of Tallasseehatchee Creek

A typical signpost along the trail

The Jacksonville Train Depot is immediately south of JSU

Another view of the Depot

Less than a mile separates the end of Jacksonville from the beginning of Weaver along the trail

The reverse of this sign is another Welcome to Weaver

Only about the final 1/4 mile of the trail is in Anniston

Hopefully not the permanent end of the trail

A small park and gazebo are located at the end

Use of the Chief Ladiga Trail is free. Parking at designated trailheads is also free.

A useful trail website is http://www.chiefladigatrail.com/.

Chief Ladiga Trail - Day 1: Georgia State Line to Piedmont

Our November 2014 bicycle riding continued as the Silver Comet Trail of Georgia met the Chief Ladiga Trail of Alabama. The Chief Ladiga Trail is 32.7 miles of asphalt paved trail suitable for any non-motorized activities. Construction began in 1990 and was completed in 2007.

After having biked 10 miles from Cedartown, Georgia, we only biked another 13.7 miles to the Eubanks Welcome Center in Piedmont, Alabama to complete day three.

Pavilion near the state line

The trail climbs about 40 feet before topping out at a cut through the side of  Wheeler Hill

Some autumn colors still remained into mid-November

Sunlight filters through the late afternoon fog near Warner Swamp

Reflections

Trail bridge over Warner Swamp

It is easy to pick up speed on the straight downhill run to Borden Springs

The trail blazes through the northern end of the Talladega National Forest

The first of several encounters with Terrapin Creek

Another crossing of Terrapin Creek

Reflections in an old farm pond

Sunset skies over Wolf Ridge

Bridge over Nances Creek on the outskirts of Piedmont

Late afternoon arrival in Piedmont

Use of the Chief Ladiga Trail is free. Parking at designated trailheads is also free.

A useful trail website is http://www.chiefladigatrail.com/.

Little River Canyon National Preserve

We visited Little River Canyon National Preserve again in mid October 2014.  The canyon is located on Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, Alabama.  Details of our previous trips can be found here and here.

Little River Falls

Little River Falls

Martha's Falls

Martha's Falls

Low water flow reveals the river channel

Rippled reflections

Entrance to the Little River Canyon national Preserve is free.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/liri/index.htm.

Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum

The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum is located just south of Birmingham in Calera, Alabama.  From Interstate 65 exit 228, head west just over ½ mile and turn left (south) onto Ninth Street.  The museum is about ¼ mile down the street. While there are billboards along the Interstate, directional signage at the exit and in town would be beneficial.

The museum includes a rail yard, two depots, a collection of steam and diesel locomotives, maintenance-of-way equipment, passenger cars and signaling equipment.  In addition, offices, restrooms and a large gift shop are onsite.  The museum is the official railroad museum of the state and conducts excursions on several days throughout the year along six miles of its own track between Calera and Springs Junction.  The museum owns another four miles of right of way to the old Shelby Iron Works in Shelby, Alabama.

We visited on a Saturday in early November, 2013.  No trains were scheduled to run on that day, so we could roam throughout the complex.

The Calera Depot houses the ticket office and is the former Wilton Depot of the Southern Railway from the early 1900s

The Woodlawn Depot is a former L&N Freight Depot originally built in 1904

This Davenport 0-4-0 fireless locomotive was built in 1953 for the Barry Generation Plant of Alabama Power

This Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation was constructed in 1924 for the  Battson-Hatten Lumber Company in Mississippi

The Lima 0-6-0 was built in 1944 for the US Army Transportation Corps

EMD SW-8 2019 was built in 1951 for the US Army and saw service in Korea

Locomotive 2022 is another 1951 SW-8 that was used in Korea

Locomotive 2 is a 1951 Whitcomb 25-ton light switcher built for the US Air Force in 1951

EMD SW-1 904, built in 1942 for Memphis Union Station, was badly damaged by a fire set by vandals

Another US Army veteran is this Fairbanks-Morris H12-44 built in 1953

Passenger cars include open-air converted flat cars

This Sante Fe Chair Car was used on the El Capitan between Chicago and Los Angeles beginning in 1950

Chicago and North Western bi-level Gallery Car 7710

Restored interior of C&NW 7710

Built by the Budd Corporation in 1953 for the Santa Fe, the car was named by Chooch & Warbucks in 2007

Burlington Northern extended-vision caboose 10522 was built in 1970 by International Car Company

Wheelsets stored outside the shop

"Philadelphia Turntable Company No. 384"

150 ton derrick built for Southern Railway in 1926

Working collection of crossing signals

A visitor center, gift shop, offices and rest rooms are housed in this modern building

There is no admission charge to visit the museum, but there is a charge for train excursions.  Contact the museum for current schedules and prices.  Memberships are available and donations are accepted.

The museum website is http://www.hodrrm.org/.