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Athens, Georgia, once boasted a robust streetcar network, and streetcars operated in the college town of Athens, Georgia, for about 45 years.

For this first episode of “People and Places of the Western & Atlantic Railroad,” we’re in the historic Smyrna Memorial Cemetery in Smyrna, Georgia, not far from the Western & Atlantic Railroad.

In an earlier episode, I introduced my talk on “Death on the Rails,” a look at the many ways death might befall people on the rails, whether they were workers, passengers or innocent bystanders.

I had the opportunity to speak with author Edward Segal, whose new book highlights the history of campaign trains. Segal has compiled a fascinating narrative, giving insight into one of the most overlooked aspects of railroad and political history: how candidates traveled.

Recently, I gave a presentation titled “Death on the Rails.” It was an interesting look at railroad calamities across the years. It’s the kind of topic one could talk about for hours. I had 45 minutes.

Earlier this year, I spoke to the Georgia Archives about my book on the Atlanta Northern Railway. I took an opportunity to focus on some happenings that I researched at the state archives and the difficulty in determining the facts of history.