Atlanta's Pullman Yard

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1087

Saporta Report, an online-only newspaper, recently published an article about Atlanta's Pullman Yard:

Quote:

Atlanta is taking steps to protect the historic integrity of a property best known as Pullman Yard. It’s a collection of 11 commercial buildings located on the largest single tract of land in the rapidly redeveloping Kirkwood neighborhood, east of Little Five Points.

There’s no indication the 26.8-acre site is currently in play.

The state owns the property. It’s a rectangle of land at 225 Rogers St. that abuts the east side of Rogers Street and, to the north, abuts the CSX tracks that flank DeKalb Avenue. DeKalb County’s tax commissioner has set its value at $7.4 million.

Link to the rest of the article:
Saporta Report - Atlanta may designate Pullman Yard an historic site to regulate any redevelopment (November 14, 2016, 4:31 pm)

The property, owned by the State of Georgia, has been vacant since the state stopped running the New Georgia RR excursions in 1993. Sadly, in May of this year, a 19-year old trespasser was killed when he fell through the roof of a building, dropping 40 feet to the concrete floor:
Reporter Newspapers: Dunwoody teen dies in Pullman Yard accident (May 18, 2016)

Bob Lyndall · **Posted:** Sun Nov 20, 2016 6:37 am

Back in 2013 I was contacted by the Editor of Atlanta's Creative Loafing Magazine about using several photos of mine in an article they were doing in the spring/summer of that year. The article was based on Atlanta's Kirkwood Neighborhood which includes the old Pullman Yard area.

At that time I created a photo album of those images which I've titled "750 & 290 - The New Georgia Railroad". The album exists today as a part of Google Photos. I'd suggest viewing the images as a slideshow.

https://goo.gl/photos/7CK5k2vpjH1TVpbY7

You may activate the slideshow function by clicking on the three dots which appear in the upper right hand corner of the opening image. The first option in the drop down menu should be "SlideShow". Click, to begin the Slideshow.

The Pullman Yard photos commence at image #25 within the album. There are some 58 photos in the album. The remainder cover steam engines #750 & #290 at various locations during their all too brief return to service.

Son of a Coast Liner · **Joined:** Fri Aug 26, 2016 11:06 am **Posts:** 28

Wasnt this property used as the Sanctuary in The Walking Dead?

scarabbrian · **Posted:** Mon Nov 21, 2016 11:16 am

Son of a Coast Liner wrote:

Wasnt this property used as the Sanctuary in The Walking Dead?

The only thing this property gets used for is TV/Movie locations these days, and it gets used a lot. Most people around here think it will eventually be sold to a developer, torn down, and turned into a mixed use development as most abandoned industrial buildings in Atlanta have been lately. The property is just too valuable to sit as it has been. Single family homes only a block or two away are selling for $750,000.

bigjim4life · **Posted:** Mon Nov 21, 2016 12:21 pm

Son of a Coast Liner wrote:

Wasnt this property used as the Sanctuary in The Walking Dead?

I believe you're thinking of "Terminus" - and the answer is no, that was filmed in a separate area in Atlanta, with an active NS yard alongside.

TimReynolds · **Joined:** Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:11 pm **Posts:** 287

The Walking Dead scenes were shot at the old Pegram Shop facility next to the fromer Southern RR's "South Yard".

Pullman has been used as an closed/abandoned industrial backdrop for many Movies most notably "The Hunger Games" - "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay"

http://www.movpins.com/big/MV5BMjAwOTAz ... fire-(2013)-large-picture.jpg

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/imag ... 084308.jpg

http://www.hungergamesdwtc.net/wp-conte ... rict-8.png

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1087

As predicted above:

Quote:

The state of Georgia, which owns the collection of beautiful yet dilapidated brick buildings in Kirkwood, has officially put the nearly 27-acre property up for sale.

The State Properties Commission, the agency that handles the state's real-estate portfolio, put the the former munitions factory and railcar service facility released its "invitation to bid" today. Interested parties have until April 2017 to submit their "highest and best" offer for the land, one of intown Atlanta's largest untapped pieces of property. Oh, and the minimum bid is $5.6 million.

Link to the full article: Creative Loafing - Pullman Yard is now officially for sale (December 7, 2016)

scarabbrian · **Posted:** Mon Jan 09, 2017 6:29 pm

Georgia to Atlanta: Drop historic preservation at Pullman Yard, or else

Knowing the local politics, someone's cousin/campaign donor has already closed the deal, drawn up the plans and permits, and we're just going through the motions.

Dale Grice · **Joined:** Wed Jan 12, 2005 4:55 pm **Posts:** 86

[quote="bigjim4life"][quote="Son of a Coast Liner"]Wasnt this property used as the Sanctuary in The Walking Dead?[/quote]

I believe you're thinking of "Terminus" - and the answer is no, that was filmed in a separate area in Atlanta, with an active NS yard alongside.[/quote]

Part of Fast & Furious 5 was filmed at Pullman. I got paid as a "consultant" to move the transfer table. My really really small claim to fame. :>)

Dale

Rainier Rails · **Posted:** Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:30 am

As I posted 2 years ago in the Al Nippert & New Georgia: What Did They Own? thread, one of the cars from the New Georgia fleet, specifically nee-RF&P sleeper buffet lounge #410 Colonial Beach (built by P-S in 1949 for the ACL pool), later Amtrak #3228 William A. Griffin, Jr., never left the property after the auction. The reason? Because the car was on jacks in the shop at the time of the auction, and therefore the body was sold seperately from the trucks. If there were any takers for the body of this car (which I suspect there were), something happened afterwards and the car was never moved; so, i.e., who knows who the actual owner might be now. As of October 2011, the body was still up on stilts of some sort inside one of the buildings. I posted about this in January and February 2015. I don't know if there's been any change in status since.

Anyways, here are links to the 2 photos I found back then on Flickr of the car still in the building, heavily vandalized with graffiti (but not set ablaze!):

Taken by "regularjoe" on 8/12/2007: https://www.flickr.com/photos/regularjoe/1095662120/

Taken by Jay (handle "builder24car") on 10/20/2011: https://www.flickr.com/photos/builder24car/6897747304

_________________
Additions and corrections are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1087

An update:

Quote:

Anyone losing sleep over thoughts of Pullman Yard being wiped clean for Mega Target and flimsy carbon-copy apartments can probably rest a little easier. Documents obtained by Curbed Atlanta indicate a number of developers and architects with experience in adaptive-reuse projects have keen interest in buying the Pullman site.

Bids aren’t due for another two months, but there’s no shortage of interest already.

With development encroaching from all sides, the Georgia Building Authority announced in December it will sell Pullman Yard — one of Atlanta’s largest dormant properties. The abandoned Kirkwood rail facility spans 27 acres and includes five century-old warehouses.

The GBA has set a minimum bid at $5.6 million.

Two dozen developers, architecture firms, acquisition teams, and others are listed as attendees at a pre-bid conference held downtown last month. They include development heavyweights with track records of historic preservation.

Link to the full article, dated February 9, 2017: Competition for Kirkwood’s Pullman Yard property already fierce

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1087

Two more updates:

Quote:

It’s official. Atomic Entertainment is now the owner of the Pullman Yard property in Kirkwood.

According to Georgia Building Authority officials, the sale closed on June 13.

Link to full article on Decaturish, published on June 15, 2017: Sale of Pullman Yard closes

and

Quote:

Kirkwood's Pratt-Pullman Yard has a brand new owner, and it soon it might get awarded landmark status as well.

Atlanta Urban Design Commissioner Executive Director Doug Young nominated the old rail yard as a landmark site on June 20 due to its historic, cultural and architectural significance. Pullman Yard is located at 225 Rogers Street.

On July 12, a public hearing on the designation will be held in Atlanta City Hall's council chambers. If the Atlanta Urban Design Commission decides to nominate Pullman Yard as a landmark site, it will have to go through the city's regular procedures for zoning papers. A public hearing before the Zoning Review Board will take place, and city council will make the final decision based on the Zoning Committee's recommendation.

For the next 180 days, no alterations, renovations, additions, new construction, demolition or work can take place on the nearly 26-acre site.

Link to the full article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, published on June 30, 2017:
Pratt-Pullman Yard nominated as a landmark site (SLIDESHOW)

Frisco1522 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 03, 2017 7:42 pm

What caused the 290 to be shut down? The last time I saw her was in 94 when we had 1522 in Atlanta and she was at a museum north of town. In pieces.
Haven't heard anything about her in years. Great looking engine.

TimReynolds · **Joined:** Sat Aug 31, 2013 4:11 pm **Posts:** 287

Frisco1522 wrote:

What caused the 290 to be shut down? The last time I saw her was in 94 when we had 1522 in Atlanta and she was at a museum north of town. In pieces.
Haven't heard anything about her in years. Great looking engine.

In short Money, the end of the NS Steam program and its RR heritage. The New GA RR quit operating steam after 1992 so there was no longer a lessee with the funds to maintain and operate 290. The Atlanta Chapter NRHS - Southeastern RR Museum desired having her fit for service to the NS specifically the 94 convention (I still have my coffee mug from the 94 convention that features 290). 1522 as you know filled in very nicely for 290 that year. Then came the end for NS Steam. Last point Heritage. The A&WP is a CSX Heritage RR. This coupled with the rarity of organizations that have successfully rebuilt and kept operating mainline steam places 290 in a club with many other fine steam locomotives. As you know fully operational steam is a hard business.

As a child I dreamed of riding behind 290. Native to Atlanta and rail buff I was honored to do some volunteer work getting her back in operation for that all too short period from 89 to 92. Had 290 not gotten hung up in the 1970s by the injunction filed by the retired president of the A&WP, she would have had a fairly long excursion career with the southern steam program. (That story is covered in detail here viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33654&p=202569&hilit=Atlanta+and+west+point+route#p202569 )

Nuff for now Hope this gives some insight.

Tim Reynolds

Andrew Durden · **Posted:** Wed Jul 05, 2017 10:07 am

Frisco1522 wrote:

What caused the 290 to be shut down? The last time I saw her was in 94 when we had 1522 in Atlanta and she was at a museum north of town. In pieces.
Haven't heard anything about her in years. Great looking engine.

Tim covered it pretty well. After returning from the New Georgia the intention was to run during the convention and hopefully run subsequent trips. 290 was due for a cap inspection and had wear issues on the drivers and needed several other items addressed in order to be able to continue operating. Lack of manpower and money prevented it from coming together in time for the convention. The drivers were turned and eventually reinstalled in order to move the locomotive to the new museum site. A group of volunteers led by Bill Purdie finished re-installing the running gear, when Bill was still able to come out and work. We're getting the point of having a proper spot prepared in which to display her, so at least she'll be brought out (following some cosmetic work), but for now she's safe and sound in the shop.