County aims to attract ‘railfans’
A viewing platform could be set up in Lindale near railroad tracks.
Floyd County staffers are researching the possibility of turning Lindale into a little tourism hub for train watchers. A decision could come as early as June.
“Folkston built a rail viewing station and it brings people in,” County Manager Jamie McCord said. “There’s a real following.”
The tiny South Georgia city gets about 60 trains a day through what the hobbyists — railfans — call The Folkston Funnel. Officials used a $30,000 grant to build a covered viewing platform in 2001, and added a scanner so visitors can listen to the train engineers passing through.
The Inn at Folkston advertises that it’s right next to the site. The city hosts an annual train festival the second weekend of April. And the platform averages 4½ out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor.com.
“Where else can you watch trains that close for any price? Restrooms close by are OK. Chairs and picnic area are good. Planning on coming back again in few months, which will be our third trip to the funnel,” a train buff from Ocala, Florida, posted just last week.
Lindale is already a popular viewing site, with photos of passing trains posted regularly on RailPictures.net.
McCord said the county owns property near the railroad and could likely build a platform with a radio scanner for about $10,000 and inmate labor. Public Works Director Michael Skeen and Bruce Ivey, the county’s special projects manager, are working on a plan, he said.
“It’s a little investment for tourism, and cleanup and maybe we could even do something educational there,” he said. “If we’re asking other people to clean up, we can clean up too.”
The county has given up on getting an $800,000 state grant to fund Phase I of a massive overhaul of the old mill town. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs said plans were too broad, so McCord said they’re taking a more targeted approach.
That will start this summer with a community cleanup day, which McCord described as “an amnesty.” Residents will be able to put heavy household trash — such as old sofas, refrigerators and swing sets — on the curb for free pick-up.
“Then we’ll send Howard in,” he said, referring to building official Howard Gibson, who enforces code violations.
The sidewalks on the bridge, which do not meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act, also could get some attention.
McCord said there’s about $250,000 remaining from a $1.4 million earmark in the 2013 SPLOST for curb and gutter, sidewalk and road improvements, mostly in the old mill villages. Crews worked in Lindale in 2015, refurbishing the infrastructure from the north end of the village to Dragon Drive.