In looking through some old track profile maps I noticed something of an oddity. Starting at the MP J299 and going westward on the Dothan line to the MP J342 there is only 1 curve in the entire 43 mile distance. The only curve, at the MP J323, is a few miles west of Leary and is only a very slight curve at that. West of Blakely there are numerous curves. A quick glance through the profiles of other lines doesn't show a line with near the same length of straight track. Undoubtedly the straight nature of the track owes itself to the fact that when the line was laid, there were few things in the way or few towns to try and travel through as this was probably mostly unsettled land.

My question is this, my track profiles are limited to the old Southwest district and I don't have profile maps for other divisions of the CofG. Does anyone know of a section of the old CofG that can come near the straight nature of the Dothan line???

Bryan Smith

-- Bryan Smith (bsmith3608@aol.com), February 23, 2003

Answers

According to the CofG's December 1958 edition of "The Right Way", the company magazine, the section from Albany to Arlington was completed in 1873 and the section from Arlington to Blakely in 1881.

Bryan Smith

-- Bryan Smith (bsmith3608@aol.com), February 23, 2003.

Bryan, When was that line built? Glynn

-- Glynn Hartley (hartleyg@mindspring.com), February 23, 2003.