Roswell Railroad

The Roswell Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad that ran from south of Roswell, Georgia to Chamblee from 1881 until 1921. The railroad served as a passenger and freight carrier.

Overview

Some accounts say the railroad had only a single combination passenger coach and baggage car, two box cars and four flat cars. (see Stepp citation plus garail.com citation, both below)

Since Roswell was a textile manufacturing town, the line would have brought in cotton and dry goods and shipped textile and farming products.

The Roswell terminus was located south of the Chattahoochee River near Roberts Drive and connected to the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway at its Chamblee terminus. At the South Roswell terminus, a bridge was planned, but never built. About 1/2 mile upstream, an old wagon road ran just west of the current River Landing Drive and Grimes Bridge Landing to connect to current day Grimes Bridge and Oxbo Roads and approached the textile mills from the north. Unfortunately, much of the old roadbed was destroyed when Fulton County installed a sewer line.

Ike Roberts was an employee of Southern Railway at the time the company decided to create the Roswell Railroad. Roberts participated in the grading and track laying for this new line. He also purchased of land at the northern terminus, built a train station, and leased it to Southern. After completion of the line, he stayed on as the engineer and was the only person that worked in that capacity until the closing of...
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