Original Atlanta Mass Transit Plans (Marietta, Tucker: how much, live, train)

[waronxmas]

After years of searching, I have finally found a website detailing the original plans for rail in Atlanta. These scans are all pre-MARTA, but oddly enough, many current MARTA stations are on these maps.



This was the first map put out by the city planners. As you can see, the line from Lindbergh to Doraville remained the same, with the addition of a station in Norcross. Five points is there, and a south line going to the Airport. That's where it similarities end. There would have been a line running along the proposed Stone Mountain freeway instead of the east line. The current Green LIne would have gone all the way to Marietta, with no west line. And a line going east from Lindbergh down North Druid Hills. The train would have traveled north up Piedmont.

Oddly enough, there appears to be no line running up Peachtree and only one station in Downtown.

http://upperpinnacle.us/images/atl/rail/raildetail.tif

In this map, the rail was expanded to include most of the current MARTA service area, with the addition of the lines going to Marietta, Norcross, and Clayton County. Oddly enough, there still would have been only one station downtown, with no line up Peachtree.

So it appears that the original plan only called for 6 stations outside Dekalb and Fulton. No doubt these would have served only as a commuter purpose, and despite how much people complain about it today, I don't see how this plan would have changed much with traffic with the exception of the line to Marietta. The line to Gwinnett would have stopped only a mile or two from Doraville Station. Granted, we don't know how this could have been expanded, but given how long it took to build the current MARTA, some of those stations on the outer edges probably wouldn't have opened until the 1990s.

Anyway, just fun to imagine. Especially the cool 1960s mod architecture of the stations:


Five Points Station


Ponce De Leon Station (Future site of a Beltline Station)

[antiquesmountainapache]

Thank you for posting these. It's so interesting to look at them.

[afonega1]

This is so COOL.I wish they had that line thru Briarcliff and Emory.

[Brian]

I remember seeing the second picture somewhere - perhaps in the AJC when I lived in Tennessee?

Just curious here, what were the pink circles? Stations without?

[rackensack]

Originally Posted by Brian

I remember seeing the second picture somewhere - perhaps in the AJC when I lived in Tennessee?

Just curious here, what were the pink circles? Stations without?

I assumed "with/without parking".

[LovinDecatur]

Originally Posted by afonega1

This is so COOL.I wish they had that line thru Briarcliff and Emory.

Yes, very intertesting, waronxmas.
A later revision on the Emory Line had it running as a spur out of East Lake Station. Having limited funds to expand, they threw this plan out in favor of implementing the Bankhead Line, which I thought was a mistake.
It seems like it would be easy enough to utilize the existing track that runs up through Emory, Northlake and into Tucker.

[Atlantasfinest]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Yes, very intertesting, waronxmas.
A later revision on the Emory Line had it running as a spur out of East Lake Station. Having limited funds to expand, they threw this plan out in favor of implementing the Bankhead Line, which I thought was a mistake.
It seems like it would be easy enough to utilize the existing track that runs up through Emory, Northlake and into Tucker.

Hopefully Marta can find the monies to get that line going (Emory, Northlake, Tucker) along with extending the line from Bankhead to the Cobb County Line (With a few spots in between as demonstrated on that map) at 285. That would alleviate tons from both outlying areas.

Thanks for posting this Waronxmas...very nice.

[PKCorey]

Very interesting especially the marietta line. I think 75 would be different today. Vinings would be even better location with a MARTA station..

The Emory Spur not being built was abad idea..

Hopefully Marta can find the monies to get that line going (Emory, Northlake, Tucker) along with extending the line from Bankhead to the Cobb County Line (With a few spots in between as demonstrated on that map) at 285.

I doubt it. If I'm not mistaken, the feds won't even pay for heavy rail anymore. It would have to be light rail or the sort...

[JPD]

Originally Posted by Atlantasfinest

Hopefully Marta can find the monies to get that line going (Emory, Northlake, Tucker) .

I'd like that, too. I think we're more likely to see the Brain Train become reality through that area. Both would be ideal, but either one would suit my needs.

[atlantagreg30127]

Those were the days when they also told us we've have bubble cars that drove themselves and robot maids by now. Dang it.