This may be true of this structure, but you never really know. When I,
along with a handful of others, tried to get something done with the tunnel
about 20 years ago, no one was interested. We only got a few articles in
the local newspapers, but no action. Then, in 1992, CSX came along and
decided to do some drainage work near the "new tunnel" (1928) through which
their line still runs. Since no one had ever done anything with the old
tunnel, they decided that this was a good place to dump the dirt they dug
out of the drainage ditches, can't say I blame them since at that time you
could barely see the tunnel for the kudzu during all but the months of Jan.
through March. This work woke the local people up and the work was stopped
within two days. A week later I received a call from the mayor to bring my
research paper on the tunnel, which I had written for a college class only
six months earlier, to a meeting with the railroad.
Here comes the funny part: The six railroad people were sitting at the
large table with the city council, in the TUNNEL HILL city hall. The leader
of the railroad group started his presentation and the first words out of
his mouth were that the tunnel was NOT that important a structure! He
apparently didn't realize for some reason that the city was NAMED for the
structure he said was not important! He should have gathered that the
tunnel was at least important to the city of Tunnel Hill, after all, the
city was named for it! The mayor turned to me and asked me to bring up my
research. I did so and, as I was telling them about some of the history of
the structure, I started laying out some of the pictures I had taken of the
structure for my report. I knew we had them when three of the six came
around the table to get a closer look at the pictures and started commenting
on different features of the construction! The other three "railroad" men
were apparently pencil pushers, but these three were real railroad men! The
leader of the group just sat there in silence, knowing he had lost when he
saw the interest of his own people in this structure.
--
Steve Hall
Commander - Lt. Col. Wm. M. Luffman Camp #938 SCV - Chatsworth, GA
Moderator - Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans E-mail groups
Post by Silas WarnerPost by Steve HallIf they would only realize that these old structures bring TOURIST, which
also means MONEY, to the town, they would protect them.
I sincerely doubt that the Gary South Shore station would draw
any tourists. It;s a very plain wooden clapboard house surrounded
by a large high platform practically a twin to the new concrete
structure across the street.
Noth stations stand between the Suth Shore teacks, and that's one
reason the old station will never reopen. Trains now tear past
the platforms at moderate speed: tourists on those platforms
would be in grave danger. In fact, I'm surprised that eitheer
NICTD or the city hasn't torn it down.
Silas Warner