Good evening all. I was wondering if anyone here has recently railfanned in Austell, GA. I've read it's a great place to go, but the all information/posts I can find on it are at least a few years old. We are GA residents & frequent the Folkston funnel quite often. Last summer we made the trip to Cordele for my daughter's birthday. She would like to go to Austell this year, however, we are also traveling with my step-dad, who unfortunately, is not in the greatest health. I worry about him being in the south GA heat with no shade (we would be making the trip in July). I can't find a picture of the platform. Does anyone know if it's covered? Are there ceiling fans? Is it a safe place to be? Any & all tips or information would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
There is an older topic here, but unfortunately no photos. It does mention a "gazebo", which should indicate a covered place for viewing. Hopefully someone will add photos, as I know there have been railfanning outings described here. https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/railfanning-austell-ga.22299/
Good day GAcknlady, Welcome to TrainBoard. Austell is a busy place for trains and even though its all NS, you will see a variety of motive power from other railroads pass through. Amtrak usually goes south/west between 9 and 10am. The gazebo mentioned in the thread above by Boxcab has been gone since shortly after that thread was posted. There really isn't a good covered area to sit. If you go on YouTube and search "Austell Railcam" you can see the main area. At Austell, the NS main coming north/west out of Atlanta splits with one line heading north to Chattanooga TN and the other west to Birmingham AL. While you may see folks do it, I highly recommend not parking in the gravel area between the tracks. The area may look a tad run down but is safe. The Austell Police station is just down the street so that keeps the area more secure. I live about 20 miles north of Austell and used to railfan there all the time but not so much of late. Still a good spot to see action on the NS. If you decide to visit, I hope you will share how your experience was and some pictures with us.
As an alternate, you probably know of the covered railfan platforms at Jesup, GA. In fact, I think there are three covered platforms now. For the record, I've not stopped there, but it's on my list. https://waynetourism.com/?page_id=171 https://www.railfanguides.us/gregarious/ga/jessup/index.html
