The ''Airline Belle'' or ''Air-line Belle'' was a steam passenger train running between

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and

Toccoa, Georgia Toccoa is a city in far Northeast Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia near the border with South Carolina. It is the county seat of Stephens County, Georgia, Stephens County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, located about from Athens, Geo ...

, on the

Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway The Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway emerged from the 1877 re-organization of the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway. Later, in 1894, it became part of the Southern Railway. It was finally merged into the Norfolk Southern Railway in 1996. ...

(later the Southern Railway) between 1879 and 1931. Its route was long with 39 stops including (not all in order):

39 stops

Terminal Station (Atlanta) Terminal Station was the larger of two principal train stations in downtown Atlanta, Union Station being the other. Opening in 1905, Terminal Station served Southern Railway, Seaboard Air Line, Central of Georgia (including the '' Nancy Hanks ...

* Easton, a settlement located in today's

Ansley Park Ansley Park is an intown residential district in Atlanta, Georgia, located just east of Midtown and west of Piedmont Park. When developed in 1905-1908, it was the first Atlanta suburban neighborhood designed for automobiles, featuring wide, win ...

neighborhood of Atlanta * Armour Station, mile 6.1 *Ottley, mile 9.8 *Goodwin's Crossing (or "Goodwin's" or "Goodwin Station"), in today's Brookhaven area, mile 11 *Roswell Junction, mile 13 *

Doraville Doraville is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 10,623. History Doraville was incorporated by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, approved December 15, 1 ...

, mile 15 *

Chamblee Chamblee ( ) is a city in northern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. The population was 30,164 as of the 2020 census. History The area that would later become Chamblee was originally dairy farms. During the late nin ...

* Norcross, mile 19 *

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, mile 25 * Suwanee, mile 31 *

Buford Buford may refer to: Places United States *Buford, Arkansas *Buford, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Buford, Georgia *Buford Highway corridor, in Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett Counties in Georgia * Buford, North Dakota *Buford, Ohio *Bufo ...

, mile 38 *

Flowery Branch Flowery Branch is a city in Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 9,391. It is part of the Gainesville, Georgia metropolitan area, and lies on the shores of Lake Lanier. History Flowery Branch wa ...

, mile 44 *Odell's, mile 47 * Gainesville, mile 53 *White Sulphur Springs, mile 60 * Lula, mile 65 *Bellton, mile 66 *Rabun Cap Junction, mile 78 * Mt. Airy, mile 80 * Ayersville, mile 86 * Carolina * Mechanicsville (Gwinnett County) *

Beaver Dam A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers to create a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way t ...

* Carolina * Sugar Hill * Oakwood * Cagle * Raoul *

New Switzerland New Switzerland is an unincorporated community in Habersham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. History A post office called New Switzerland was established in 1882, and remained in operation until 1889. The community was named after Switzerland ...

Alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

Toccoa Toccoa is a city in far Northeast Georgia near the border with South Carolina. It is the county seat of Stephens County, Georgia, United States, located about from Athens and about northeast of Atlanta. The population was 9,133 as of the 2020 ...

, mile 93

References

"The Airline Belle Makes Final Run in North Georgia", ''Atlanta Journal'', July 26, 1931

Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, 1880s-1930s, by Franklin M. Garrett.

Living Atlanta: An Oral History of the City, 1914-1948, by Clifford M. Kuhn.

Vardeman, Johnny. "Riders loved to commute on Airline Belle rail line". Gainesville Times, September 2, 2012.
{{Named Trains of the Southern Railway Named passenger trains of the United States Passenger trains of the Southern Railway (U.S.) Passenger rail transportation in Georgia (U.S. state) Railway services introduced in 1879 Railway services discontinued in 1931