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Published Friday, June 12, 2009 in Local
Photo by Alex McRae
It was a sight out of the past as rail cars made their way along a long-unused section of track in Senoia Thursday. The east-west track has been abandoned some 30 years.
Runaway rail cars cruise Senoia
By Alex McRae
The Newnan Times-Herald
It's been some 30 years since railroad cars rumbled eastward through Senoia toward Griffin -- but before dawn Thursday, several freight cars that had been parked at a Senoia manufacturing facility by Norfolk Southern Railroad "escaped" and took an unguided tour of downtown.
The unscheduled trip to nowhere was halted by a heavy growth of weeds, vines and overhanging trees on the long-abandoned stretch of track just east of town near Senoia State Park. One car derailed during the incident.
Just after noon, a locomotive eased back along the same stretch of track, hooked up to the cars and pulled them westward out of town to the Winpak Films, Inc. plant on Andrews Parkway, where the cars had been parked hours earlier by Norfolk-Southern.
Winpak Films, Inc. is a manufacturer of flexible packaging. The train cars are not the property of Winpak but were delivering materials to the plant. Winpak had not taken delivery of the material on the cars and was not responsible in any way for the incident, said Kevin Byers, president of Winpak Films, Inc.
"We are just glad that no one was hurt and that no serious damage was done," Byers said.
Byers said the derailed car was owned by Westlake Polymers.
"I'm not aware of any environmental concerns," Byers said.
Senoia City Administrator Richard Ferry said that as far as he knew, the derailment was not cause for concern by any regulatory agencies, and environmental officials did not seem worried. A small amount of solid plastic material was spilled, but it was quickly cleaned up, Ferry said.
It is believed that after the cars were uncoupled by Norfolk Southern on the Winpak property, they began rolling slowly back toward town.
The most interesting story Ferry heard about the incident can't be verified but bears retelling.
Ferry said he heard that after the cars started to roll back toward town, a man from the train started running after the train cars and hollering at them as he and the freight cars went through town.
"I wish I had seen that," Ferry said. "But I don't know what he thought he was going to do if he caught those cars."
Local businessman Donald Brandenburg heard about the incident while he was eating breakfast. He said that at lunch time a big crowd gathered near the railroad tracks by Senoia Coffee Company when the locomotive slowly came by, hooked up the loose cars and pulled them back through town.
"When that train whistle blew the first time people didn't know what to think," Brandenburg said. "You don't hear that sound downtown any more. But those railroad folks worked hard getting the track fixed, and everybody enjoyed watching the whole thing. It was pretty exciting for Senoia."
Senoia is located at the end of the Norfolk-Southern rail line that runs from Senoia through Newnan, Carrollton, Rome, Dalton and into Tennessee.
The stretch of abandoned track running east-west through downtown Senoia was once owned by Central of Georgia Railroad and ran east from Senoia to Experiment, Ga., just north of Griffin.
The Senoia/Experiment line was abandoned in the late 1970s or early '80s, according to a local resident. Since that time, heavy vegetation has largely covered that portion of the track east of Bridge and Clark streets near a north/south CSX Railroad line.
Ferry said no city infrastructure was damaged.
"We're glad it turned out all right and nobody was hurt," he said. "We're not happy for anyone when these things happen, but it sure does make things interesting."
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That feller running after the train was Gomer Pyle. He was a hollerin` "Citizen`s Arrest, Citizen`s Arrest" .
Posted by Andy Taylor at 6:04 AM
Dear Times-Herald; I live in Hubertus, Wisconsin and received the runaway 4 railroad cars from my nephew that works at the plant where the cars were headed for. He Made My Day with that story. Great story, and I was more worried about the clean up than the accident. But after reaidng your paper on the itnernet, found out I do not have to worry anynore. Love the story, just ahd to let you know. I wil be eading Your paper, here in Wisconsin. Regards. Lorraine Hrovat P.S, The mental picture of that man running after the cars is Priceless.
Posted by Lorraine Hrovat at 6:53 PM
Ya'll are funny and obviously bored out there in no mans land, but it is better than reporting any bad news,,ha ha ha
Posted by Teresa at 12:47 AM
There is no way that those railcars were the same one as the ones in Senoia. For those train cars to get to Franklin road they would have had to jump the track and come all the way to the otherside of town and get back on the rails. Nothing trying to make you look stupid but it just isn't possible. I do agree that the train was blocking the the road on Thursday nite.And the incident in Senoia happened before dawn. So are you saying railcars were allowed to roam the town til 9PM? Yeah right.
Posted by C at 4:03 PM
One more time...I don't know about the different tracks, or trains I only know what we saw late Thursday night (would have been after 9PM)in Newnan. There were four railcars, no engine, sitting on the tracks at the RR crossing on Franklin Hwy where it intersects with Temple Ave. Directly across from Hardees, and Rite Aid. The crossing bars were down, the lights blinking, and yes the traffic light was suspended on red to prevent traffic from backing up. We were sitting at the traffic light on Hospital Rd. and could not go because the signal was holding on red. The railcars sat there for around 20 minutes then an engine pulled up, locked up to them and pulled them all the way across the road. At which time the bars went up, traffic signal returned to normal operation and traffic moved on. The cars (vehicles) that were backed up were on the west side of the tracks. I know what we saw and we weren't the only ones there. Please don't imply I'm too stupid to know the difference between Newnan, and Senoia, as well as the time of day. It may be "highly doubt" (I assume you mean highly doubtful) but it did occurr.
Posted by wondering (as in curious) at 9:38 PM
Those are several different rail-lines that run through Coweta county. Its highly doubt those are the same trains cars here on the west side of town. The train crossing at Franklin Hwy is supposed to have a stop light to prevent people from getting stuck at the intersection. It was put there because trains are known to stop there for up to an hour.
Posted by C at 7:38 PM
Yes, I know it's wOndering, not wandering, I'm having a mental pause day. But I still know where those railcars were Thursday night. My husband assures me we absolutely were in Newnan. Pardon my misspelling.
Posted by wondering (as in curious) at 7:23 PM
NO, exasperated the railcars I'm talking about were in Newnan. Late Thursday night, on the tracks at the intersection of Franklin Rd. and Temple Ave. Right across from Hardees. We sat there at the traffic light and watched them for over 30 minutes. Finally an engine showed up and pulled them away. There were at least a dozen other vehicles there at the same time we were. I may be a little crazy but I'm not stupid and I know the difference in Newnan, and Senoia.
Posted by wandering (as in curious) at 7:18 PM
To Newnan Headlines - At least it is finally something worth laughing over or at least smiling about! I'm tired of hearing about all the bad things! Thanks!
Posted by Happy Headlines at 5:59 PM
Only in Coweta County would a big crowd gather together to watch a train! How I miss it!
Posted by Soldier's Wife at 5:19 PM
Poor coweta county, nothing else better to write about?
Posted by aroundtown at 11:58 AM
That's one way to clear weeds on the stretch of tracks east of Broad Street. That section of rails has been choked with vines and brush as long as Ive lived in Coweta County. Oh, and "Wandering1," these rail cars were in Senoia, not Newnan.
Posted by exasperated at 11:58 AM
The man running after the railcars was probably going to try to set the hand brakes.
Posted by resident2 at 10:21 AM
Would these be the same cars that had traffic backed up at the RR crossing at the intersection of Franklin Hwy and Temple Ave. late Wednesday night? We were out running an errand when we saw them just sitting there like little (well okay BIG) lost sheep. Too funny. Wished we'd had our camcorder. I can just see that one on AFV.
Posted by wandering1 at 7:05 AM
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The railroad should've tied those railcars down by putting wheel chocks down an setting the handbrakes. This is very unusual to happen and thank gosh nobody got injured.
Posted by Michael Appleby at 8:51 PM