Engine 209 Park
Engine 209, the caboose and the tender had their home in Downtown Gainesville until 2021 when they were moved to a new home on the Midtown Greenway.
Engine 209 historical park in Gainesville, GA featured benches and gardens centered around Train Engine 209, a coal car, and a red caboose. This was also part of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce's Adopt-A-Park program.
The vintage train has been preserved for the benefit of the public. Built in 1930, Engine 209 saw service until 1959. The engine, baggage car, and caboose have been housed in the park since 1991, on the original line of the Gainesville Midland Railway.
That was a train line that ran from Gainesville to Athens. Gainesville, Jefferson, and Southern Railroad changed its name to Gainesville Midland Railway in 1904. The railway began transporting passengers in 1906 and mail the following year. Gainesville Midland Railroad was formed in 1936 after the corporation was reformed.
The railroad was exceptional in 1959 since it still ran seven steam locomotives, a technology that was considered antiquated at the time when compared to more efficient diesel engines. Six of these locomotives have been preserved and can currently be found at North Carolina's Jefferson, Duluth, Winder, Charlotte, and Spencer. Engine 209 was the centerpiece of a downtown Gainesville city park.
Between 2004 - 2005, a $75,000 restoration project managed to restore the engine by fixing broken sections, cleaning asbestos, and reinstalling pieces that had been removed, and in 2021 finally moved to the new location as the Gainesville Redevelopment Authority who owned that land the park was on, sold it so it can be redeveloped.
You can still see Train 209 at the new location:
Engine 209 Park
878 Grove St, Gainesville,
GA 30501
(770) 531-2680
Engine 209 historical park in Gainesville, GA featured benches and gardens centered around Train Engine 209, a coal car, and a red caboose. This was also part of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce's Adopt-A-Park program.
The vintage train has been preserved for the benefit of the public. Built in 1930, Engine 209 saw service until 1959. The engine, baggage car, and caboose have been housed in the park since 1991, on the original line of the Gainesville Midland Railway.
That was a train line that ran from Gainesville to Athens. Gainesville, Jefferson, and Southern Railroad changed its name to Gainesville Midland Railway in 1904. The railway began transporting passengers in 1906 and mail the following year. Gainesville Midland Railroad was formed in 1936 after the corporation was reformed.
The railroad was exceptional in 1959 since it still ran seven steam locomotives, a technology that was considered antiquated at the time when compared to more efficient diesel engines. Six of these locomotives have been preserved and can currently be found at North Carolina's Jefferson, Duluth, Winder, Charlotte, and Spencer. Engine 209 was the centerpiece of a downtown Gainesville city park.
Between 2004 - 2005, a $75,000 restoration project managed to restore the engine by fixing broken sections, cleaning asbestos, and reinstalling pieces that had been removed, and in 2021 finally moved to the new location as the Gainesville Redevelopment Authority who owned that land the park was on, sold it so it can be redeveloped.
You can still see Train 209 at the new location:
Engine 209 Park
878 Grove St, Gainesville,
GA 30501
(770) 531-2680
This article is presented to you by Atlanta Landscaping Matters LLC
See other things to do in Gainesville, GA: North Hall Community Center & Park
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