Could anyone please tell me what the opening and closing dates of Atlanta’s Union and Terminal stations were?

Also, did the “Southerner” require any awkward reversals at Atlanta or did it simply bypass Terminal Station or simply use another Atlanta station? Thank you.

-- Stephen Dale (s.dale1@excite.co.uk), July 30, 2001

Answers

ref: awkward reversal of the Southerner

The Southerner actually reversed direction in Atlanta. Living on the Southern mainline between Atlanta and New Orleans the stainless steel Southerner was usually trailed by a pullman green turtletop baggage car was a common site. At Atlanta Terminal Station, the locomotives were changed out, with fresh locomotives being coupled to what was the trailing baggage car and additional passenger cars replacing the locomotives that pulled the consist from New Orleans.

Porters and trainmen went thru the coaches rotating seats to face forward.

-- Jim Dempsey (jimdempsey2000@yahoo.com), December 28, 2003.