Silver Comet Trail

The Silver Comet Trail is a paved, multi-use, recreational trail in western Georgia.

Route

A rail trail, the Silver Comet Trail is named for the Silver Comet passenger train that used the identical route from 1947 to 1968. It begins in Smyrna, Georgia, runs west through Paulding and Polk counties, and connects with Alabama's Chief Ladiga Trail at the Georgia-Alabama border.

As of September 2008, the entire convert|61.5|mi|0|adj=on of the Silver Comet Trail was paved and open for riding. [cite web | title = Silver Comet Trail | url=http://www.trailexpress.com/index.php?trail_id=1 | accessdate = 2008-09-30 ] The Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trails join to form one continuous convert|94|mi|adj=on trail from Smyrna, Georgia to Anniston, Alabama. [ [http://pathfoundation.org/index.cfm?event=showNewsletter Path Foundation Newletter] ] Additionally, the Cobb County Dept of Transportation has built the Silver Comet Connector to join the Silver Comet Trail with the Cumberland-Galleria area, the largest employment Center in Cobb County.Fact|date=June 2008

Planned extensions

Future plans include extending the Georgia end of the trail into the Atlanta city limits.

History

In 1947, the Silver Comet Train was introduced by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad during the height of passenger rail use. Due to the rising popularity of airline travel, the Silver Comet was downgraded in the mid 1950s, losing its sleeper-lounger cars.

In 1969, the Silver Comet was downgraded again and finally discontinued by the end of the year.

In 1986, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's successor, the Seaboard System Railroad, merged with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N) and became part of CSX Transportation.

In 1989, the CSX Railroad informed the state of Georgia it was abandoning convert|36|mi of railroad from Cobb County through Paulding and Polk counties, the former Silver Comet Train’s route through Georgia.

Rail-trail concept

By 1990, the idea of turning the abandoned rail into a multi-use trail formed by multiple groups, including the Georgia Rails-Into-Trails group.

In 1992, the Georgia Department of Transportation bought the abandoned CSX rail line for future use as a high-speed transit route, but later that year, Ron Griffith, Director of Cobb County Parks, requested a lease agreement between Cobb County and the Georgia DOT to use the rail line as a multi-use trail. The Cobb County Board of Commissioners approved the multi-use trail plan in November.

In January 1995, the East-West Connector agreement was signed with an included requirement of Cobb County to develop a plan for converting the rail into a trail.

In 1996, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners allowed Cobb Land Trust a budget of US$30,000 for the county to acquire a consultant to help develop a design for the multi-use trail.

In 1997, a year later, the Board allocated US$900,000 for the development of a convert|2|mi|adj=on section of the rail-trail next to Heritage Park to test the multi-use trail idea.

In July 1998, construction of the Silver Comet Trail began.

By November 1998, the first section of the Silver Comet Trail opened from Nickajack Creek to Hicks Road.

In 2003, the Silver Comet Trail was recognized by the National Park Service as a National Recreation Trail.

On August 29, 2008 the final portion of the trail was completed and counting its continuation with the Chief Ladiga Trail to the west is now the longest paved trail in the US.

References

External links

* [http://prca.cobbcountyga.gov/silvercomet.htm The Silver Comet Trail in Cobb County, Georgia (official site)]
* [http://www.silvercometga.com/index.shtml Silver Comet Trail directions, facts, maps, parking, photos, videos]
* [http://www.pathfoundation.org/index.cfm?event=showSilverComet Information about the Silver Comet Trail at the PATH Foundation]
* [http://pathfoundation.org/index.cfm?event=showNewsletter PATH Foundation newsletter with construction updates]
* [http://www.trailexpress.com/silvercomet/ Information about the Silver Comet Trail at TrailExpress]
* [http://www.sethholladay.com/Silver-Comet-and-Chief-Ladiga-Trails-Map.php Silver Comet Trail Map (google mashup)]
* [http://railstotrails.us/ga_silver_comet_trail.htm Silver Comet Trail Page at RailsToTrails.us]