Great Walton Railroad The Great Walton is a short line railroad company operating a 10-mile line between Monroe and Social Circle since 1987 and a 28-mile line between Machen and Covington since 1989. (Machen is a tiny community in Jasper County less than a mile south of slightly larger Shady Dale.) The railroad’s offices are in Social Circle. The Monroe-Social Circle line was constructed in 1880 as the Walton Railroad. It later became a branch of the Georgia Railroad. The Machen-Covington line was built by the Middle Georgia and Atlantic Railway Company in 1890-94 as part of a 64-mile line from Milledgeville to Covington. The Great Walton also operates the Hartwell Railroad and the former Norfolk Southern line between Toccoa and Elberton (built as Elberton Air-Line Railroad). In December of 2001, the Great Walton leased from Norfolk Southern a section of former Central of Georgia track between Madison, Athens, and Center (a community in Jackson County). This is now operated as the Athens Line using Hartwell Railroad equipment. Reporting marks: GRWR. 2000 map (48K) For recent information on the status of the Covington Branch, see athensrails.com.   Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Copyright, Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home