Gainesville Midland Railroad’s first passenger run between Gainesville and Athens came in October 1906.The trip one-way would take five hours at first, but would shorten eventually with “settling” of the tracks. The train would leave Gainesville at 6:40 a.m. arriving in Athens at 3 p.m. Another would leave Gainesville at 12:30 p.m., arriving in Athens at 9 p.m.