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50-530: The northern and southern ends of the railroad have been abandoned, but the section from Cuthbert, Georgia, to Tallahassee, Florida, remains in use by various railroads. The northern terminus of the line was at Richland, where it met the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway and the Columbus Southern Railway . It ran almost due south through Cuthbert and Edison to reach Arlington, where it crossed

100-600: A division of the South Carolina Central Railroad on a pair of former CSX Transportation lines, the railroad has since undergone a number of transformations through abandonments and acquisitions, before arriving at its current form. The railroad was formerly a RailAmerica property before going independent, and in 2008 it was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. Traffic includes chemicals, clay, grain, peanuts, plastics, stone, and wood, generating around 13,000 annual carloads. Upon its creation in 1989 as

150-1003: A division of the South Carolina Central Railroad , the Georgia Southwestern railroad operated over two lines making junction at Richland . The first ran 130.7 miles (210.3 km) from Rhine west through Richland and Omaha, Georgia before crossing over the Chattahoochee River and terminating at Mahrt, Alabama . A second line originated at Columbus , and traveled south through Cusseta and Richland, before ending at Bainbridge, Georgia , 127.9 miles (205.8 km). Both routes were sold by CSX on July 5, 1989. The original network consisted of only two lines (described below) containing 258.6 miles (416.2 km) of track. Commodities included forest products, aggregates, chemicals, fertilizer, peanuts, and paper, generating about 9,000 annual carloads. The railroad maintained its headquarters at Americus. The east–west route from Rhine to Mahrt

200-665: A nearly parallel route between Savannah and Montgomery just to the south (much of that line was historically the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway ). The company initially retained both lines in the combined network and designated the Seaboard Air Line route as the Vidalia Subdivision from Savannah to Americus, and the Americus Subdivision from Americus to Montgomery (the Savannah Subdivision designation

250-544: A new operator for the line. The Heart of Georgia Railroad was created in 1999 for the purpose of operating the line on behalf of the state. On May 22, 2000, the state purchased the remaining portion of the line not already under their ownership between Omaha, Georgia and the end of the line across the Chattahoochee River in Mahrt as well as an additional 71.13 miles (114.47 km) between Rochelle and Preston retained by

300-522: A point north of Columbus to Allie (known as the "R" line), along with an additional 12.2 miles (19.6 km) of trackage rights to the GSWR yard in Columbus. The line was abandoned in 2007. GSWR parent company RailTex was sold to RailAmerica effective February 4, 2000. Additional ownership change came in 2002 as RailAmerica passed the railroad to local interests concurrent with the sale of several lines to

350-664: Is a reference to the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway. The train is managed by the Southwest Georgia Railroad Excursion Authority with the HOG providing the locomotives and operating crews. Georgia Southwestern Railroad The Georgia Southwestern Railroad ( reporting mark GSWR ) is a Class III short line railroad company that operates over 234 miles (377 km) of track in southwestern Georgia and southeastern Alabama . Beginning in 1989 as

400-591: Is still known as the Bainbridge Subdivision and it is operated by CSX from Bainbridge to Attapulgus . CSX sold the remaining segment from Attapulgus to Tallahassee to the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad in 2019. Currently, the line's milepost numbers begin in Tallahassee at 52 and increase from there. This is due to the fact that the numbering still reflects the line's full length to Carrabelle, which

450-710: The Albany, Florida and Northern Railway which ran from the SA&;M at Cordele to Albany . At its peak, the railroad had a length of 340 miles. In 1895, the SA&M went into receivership. The lease of the Albany, Florida and Northern Railway was terminated, which then became the independent Albany and Northern Railway . The SA&M was bought by a syndicate that included the Richmond bankers John L. Williams and Sons. One of John L. Williams's sons, John Skelton Williams , became president of

500-599: The Bainbridge Subdivision . In 1948, the line was abandoned from Carrabelle to Tallahassee. The Seaboard Air Line became part of CSX Transportation by 1980. In 1983, the former GF&A line north of Bainbridge was sold off to the South Carolina Central Railroad , and in 1989 it became part of the Georgia Southwestern Railroad . In 1997, the portion of the GF&;A route from Richland south to Cuthbert

550-707: The Central of Georgia Railway . It continued through Colquitt and Bainbridge before crossing the Flint river and entering Florida . It continued through Sopchoppy and Tallahassee and on to its southern terminus in Carrabelle on the Florida Gulf Coast. Hannibal Kimball promoted the Bainbridge, Cuthbert and Columbus Railroad to run north-to-south through southwest Georgia in 1869. Although work began on construction in 1870, it

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600-599: The Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad . 1995 brought numerous changes to the Georgia Southwestern network, and the portion of the route from Cusseta to Cuthbert became redundant and was subsequently abandoned in that year, with the rails being removed in September 1997. Rails remained in place from Columbus to Cusseta in order to serve a large pulpwood yard near the latter. In 2002, the Georgia DOT acquired

650-618: The Chattahoochee River and eventually Montgomery to the west. In 1895, the SA&M was reorganized under the Georgia & Alabama and in 1900, the railroad once again changed hands into the Seaboard Air Line . Through a number of mergers, the line eventually came under the ownership of the Seaboard System in 1983, which abandoned the line between Montgomery and Mahrt on April 20, 1986. The remaining line from Mahrt to Rhine, Georgia

700-526: The Chattahoochee River to Montgomery, Alabama , which opened on December 1, 1891. During construction, the gauge of the track was converted from 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge to the 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge . By 1891, the railroad operated five riverboats on the Ocmulgee River and the Altamaha River . In 1892, the SA&M leased

750-531: The Columbus Southern Railway when it opened its line to Albany, Georgia in 1890. The railroad was absorbed by the Georgia & Alabama Railway in 1896, and later merged into the Seaboard Air Line in 1902. The second portion of the line was built by the Georgia Pine Railway ( Georgia Florida and Alabama Railroad after 1901) - and made junction with the Seaboard Air Line at Richland in 1910. In January 1928,

800-654: The Heart of Georgia Railroad . On February 7, 2017, Genesee & Wyoming purchased the Heart of Georgia (who also owns the Georgia Central Railway). The line is still in place from Preston west to Mahrt, Alabama, but that segment is out of service. The Heart of Georgia Railroad also hosts the SAM Shortline Railroad heritage train of about 45 miles between Archery, Georgia and Cordele . The name SAM Shortline

850-698: The Montgomery Subdivision from Americus to Montgomery. The Seaboard continued to operate passenger service between Savannah and Montgomery, as well as local freight trains and their Red Ball freight trains along the route. This included named freight trains such as the Alaga and the Pioneer . In 1944, the Seaboard Air Line acquired the Georgia Florida and Alabama Railway , which ran from Richland south to Florida . This acquisition generated more traffic on

900-474: The Thoroughbred Shortline Program . This South Carolina Central division crossed the Georgia Southwestern at Cuthbert. In 1995, the Georgia & Alabama was merged into the Georgia Southwestern. In 2006, the Georgia Southwestern purchased from Norfolk Southern, the entire 79 miles (127 km) of track from Smithville to White Oak that had been leased up until that point. The following year

950-630: The paddle steamer Crescent City , owned by the CT&;G, made daily round trips to Apalachicola , to which there was no road or rail access at the time. Once the Georgia Florida and Alabama Railroad acquired the CT&G, the GF&A reached its greatest extent from Richland, Georgia to Carrabelle, Florida , a distance of 180 miles. The GF&A was leased to the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1927. The Seaboard went into receivership at

1000-535: The GSWR abandoned the 4.54 miles (7.31 km) from Eufaula to White Oak. Another South Carolina Central division, the Georgia Great Southern Railroad , operated from Dawson, Georgia to Albany, 22 miles (35 km). CSX sold the line to the SCC on December 14, 1990. The GGS ceased operations in 1994. In 1995 trackage rights over Norfolk Southern into Albany made this line excess, as a result part of it

1050-749: The Georgia DOT, with the now independent Georgia Southwestern remaining as operator. Traffic on the GSWR grew from 8,600 carloads in 2002 to 13,000 in 2007. In 2008, the Georgia Southwestern network consisted of the Ochille - Americus line, the Smithville - Eufaula route, and operation on behalf of the Georgia DOT between Dawson - Sasser, Columbus - Cusseta, and Cuthbert - Bainbridge. Additionally trackage rights remained over Norfolk Southern between BV&E Junction near Americus south to Albany and over CSX between Bainbridge and Saffold. Genesse & Wyoming Inc. purchased

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1100-469: The Georgia Pine Railroad connecting Bainbridge to Arlington . The railroad had only been intended for logging, but since it provided an additional rail route from Georgia into Florida and connected with other railroads, traffic increased. By 1898, the railroad was renamed the Georgia Florida and Alabama Railroad and by 1901, it had been extended north to Richland . In 1902, the GF&A completed

1150-491: The Georgia Southwestern. The Heart of Georgia took over operations of the line from the Georgia Southwestern in 2000 and still operates from Rhine to Preston, with the segment between Preston and Mahrt out of service. A second line out of Columbus to Bainbridge was originally built by two separate railroads. The first began out of Columbus and was constructed by the Chattahoochee Brick Company , and known as

1200-468: The Georgia Southwestern. The Heart of Georgia took over operations of the line from the Georgia Southwestern in 2000. The former Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway from Savannah to Vidalia is currently operated by the Georgia Central Railway , who also operates the former Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad . From Vidalia west to a point near Preston, Georgia is still operated by

1250-749: The SAL leased the GF&A, creating a shortcut for trains destined for Florida. The Seaboard Air Line was later merged into the Seaboard Coast Line in 1967, and the SCL became the Seaboard System in 1983. CSX sold the line from Columbus to Lynn to the Georgia Southwestern in 1989, concurrently with the sale of the Rhine - Mahrt route. Initially, the GSWR exercised trackage rights over CSX to reach Bainbridge, including additional rights to Saffold, Georgia to interchange with

1300-540: The Seaboard Air Line. John Skelton Williams served as the first president of the Seaboard Air Line, and he would later serve as the United States Comptroller of the Currency . The Georgia and Alabama Railway connected to the Seaboard Air Line's main line in Savannah. Once under the ownership of the Seaboard Air Line, the line was designated as the company's Savannah Subdivision from Savannah to Americus, and

1350-603: The company could not obtain funding to build a bridge over the river. The line was reorganized as the Augusta, Tallahassee and Gulf Railroad in 1889. It was then purchased by William Clark who owned 175,000 acres of pine lands near the railroad. Clark reincorporated the line as the Carrabelle, Tallahassee & Georgia Railroad on January 5, 1891. Construction was complete to Tallahassee by October 1893. CT&G also had stops at Hilliardville , Crawfordville , MacIntyre, and Lanark (site of an elegant casino/hotel). From Carrabelle,

1400-478: The end of 1930, and the lease was revoked in 1931. The Seaboard was reformed after receiving government loans, and it agreed to operate, but not lease the GF&A. In 1944, the court that was overseeing the Seaboard's receivership authorized the company to purchase 90% of the GF&A's bonds. Once under Seaboard ownership, they designated the line north of Bainbridge as their Richland Subdivision and south of there as

1450-507: The former SA&M since it provided the Seaboard with not only an additional route to Florida, but also a direct route to Florida from Montgomery. The Seaboard Air Line discontinued passenger service from Savannah to Montgomery on the line in 1951. On June 28, 1959, a Seaboard mixed freight train derailed on the line crossing the Ogeechee River in Meldrim . Loaded LPG tank cars from

1500-526: The line was nicknamed the "Savannah Short Line" since it has the shortest route between the two cities compared to its competitors. In January 1899, John Skelton Williams 's syndicate offered to purchase a majority of shares in railroads along the east coast of the United States that would become the Seaboard Air Line Railroad . By 1900, the Georgia and Alabama Railway formally became part of

1550-522: The line, renaming it the Georgia and Alabama Railway (not to be confused with the Georgia and Alabama Railroad , a separate railroad which was based further north in Rome, Georgia ). The line was finally extended to Savannah in 1896. The Georgia and Alabama Railway would also acquire the Abbeville and Waycross Railroad . The Georgia and Alabama Railway ran a daily passenger train from Savannah to Montgomery, and

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1600-456: The previously abandoned Rochelle - Rhine route was acquired for $ 702,500. Georgia Southwestern approached the GDOT about reviving the route. The first stage of repair work was carried out in 1998, and the inaugural train ran on January 9, 1999. The Georgia & Alabama had been operating its route from Smithville, Georgia through Eufaula, Alabama to White Oak, Alabama since June 1, 1989, under

1650-418: The railroad to operating conditions NS chose to mothball the line, as the two through freight trains that regularly operated over the line had been re-routed. In August 1995, the Georgia Southwestern purchased the former Central of Georgia line and acquired trackage rights from BV&E Junction (Americus) to Albany in order to access the rest of the GSWR network in Smithville. Only one additional acquisition

1700-674: The railroad's depot in Plains, which was built in 1888, as the headquarters for his successful 1976 presidential campaign . In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System , creating the CSX Corporation . The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation . The line

1750-569: The remaining disconnected segments of the Columbus - Bainbridge line between Columbus and Cusseta, as well as Cuthbert to Bainbridge. The Georgia Southwestern remained as the operator of the line. In the mid-1990s, the Georgia Southwestern experienced a number of changes. Among these changes were the acquisition of Norfolk Southern tracks between Columbus and Americus (now abandoned), as well as trackage rights over NS to Albany. Additionally, two sister South Carolina Central Railroad divisions operating nearby were merged into Georgia Southwestern during

1800-457: The same period. In 1990, CSX sold the remaining section of its original Savannah - Montgomery route between Savannah and Vidalia to Georgia Central Railway . This left an unused section between Vidalia and the east end of the Georgia Southwestern at Rochelle. In 1994, the GSWR abandoned the segment between Rochelle and Rhine. In 1995, the Georgia DOT purchased the 51 miles (82 km) route from Vidalia to Rhine for $ 1.73 million, and in 1996,

1850-656: The section from Tallahassee to Bainbridge. In 1906, the Georgia Florida and Alabama Railway purchased the Carrabelle, Tallahassee & Georgia Railroad (CT&G), which ran from Tallahassee south to Carrabelle on the Gulf of Mexico . The CT&G from Carrabelle north was first chartered as the Thomasville, Tallahassee and Gulf Railroad in 1883. Construction began from Carrabelle to the Sopchoppy River , but it stopped there since

1900-539: The train plunged into the river below and ruptured. The resulting fire and explosion from the ruptured tanks killed 23 people along the river that day as it was a popular area to swim and picnic at. In 1967, the Seaboard Air Line merged with its rival, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , and the combined company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad . The Atlantic Coast Line operated

1950-440: Was a historic railroad located in the U.S. states of Georgia and Alabama . SA&M was built in the 1880s running between Montgomery, Alabama and Lyons, Georgia . It would be completed to Savannah, Georgia in 1896 after being renamed the Georgia and Alabama Railway . The line would notably become part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad network in 1900. The first segment of the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway

2000-484: Was abandoned between Albany and Sasser and the remainder was merged into the Georgia Southwestern. The 2002 purchase of the remaining line from Dawson to Sasser by the Georgia DOT was included with the sale of the Cuthbert - Bainbridge as well as the Columbus - Cusseta routes. Norfolk Southern suffered from a pair of large tropic storms in the mid-90s, losing services over the Ochille - Americus "O" line. After restoring

2050-410: Was abandoned between Montgomery and Mahrt, Alabama (located along the Chattahoochee River near Cottonton ) on April 20, 1986. The remaining line from Mahrt to Rhine, Georgia was sold by CSX Transportation to the Georgia Southwestern Railroad on June 5, 1989. Georgia Southwestern ended operations on the line from Preston to Mahrt in 1999, and the state of Georgia acquired the segment and sought

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2100-488: Was abandoned, and in 2002 the Georgia Department of Transportation acquired the remaining Cuthbert to Bainbridge section. The Georgia Southwestern remains the operator of the line. The segment from Cuthbert to Bainbridge segment is now owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation and operated by the Georgia Southwestern Railroad . The segment from Bainbridge to Tallahassee is still in service. This segment

2150-415: Was built in different segments over a period of several years. The Americus, Preston & Lumpkin was started in 1884 and connected its namesake cities by 1887. In 1887, further extension brought the terminus of the railroad further east to Abbeville , and in 1888, the railroad became the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery . The railroad continued to grow in 1890, reaching Lyons in the east, as well as

2200-451: Was chartered in 1884 as the 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge Americus, Preston and Lumpkin Railroad , which ran from Louvale to Abbeville . The Americus, Preston and Lumpkin Railroad was reorganized as Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway in 1888. In 1890, the line was extended from Abbeville east to Lyons . A year later, the SA&M was extended west from Louvale across

2250-464: Was made by the Georgia Southwestern, which was the line from a quarry north of Columbus to Allie , purchased from Norfolk Southern in 2005. The GSWR built a new locomotive shop at Dawson, and moved its offices from Smithville to Sasser during the same period. Originally started in 1871 by the North and South Railroad of Georgia , the line was constructed out of Columbus towards Rome . The fledgling railroad

2300-586: Was mile 0 before the track between there and Tallahassee was abandoned. A 2.4-mile part of the abandoned Tallahassee-Carrabelle segment of the GF&A is now the Tallahassee-Georgia Florida and Alabama (GF&A) Trail in the Apalachicola National Forest . Research work on the rail-to-trail project was done by Genesis Group. Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway The Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway (SA&M)

2350-416: Was never completed, and in 1872 the project was abandoned amidst financial problems and bond endorsement issues that stirred allegations of impropriety against Kimball. During the 1880s, attempts were made to revive the railroad, with some activity taking place in the middle of that decade, but this too came to nothing. Finally, in 1895 local entrepreneur J. D. Williams laid rails on part of the route creating

2400-624: Was reorganized as the Columbus and Rome Railroad in 1874, after laying only 20 miles (32 km) of track. Further expansion brought the railroad to Greenville in 1885. A few years later, the railroad was absorbed by the Savannah and Western Railroad , a subsidiary of the Central of Georgia Railroad, and formally merged into the CofG network in 1895. In 2005 the Georgia Southwestern sought to purchase 43 miles (69 km) of track from Norfolk Southern, between

2450-481: Was sold to the Georgia Southwestern by CSX Transportation in 1989. After operations on the line from Preston to Mahrt ended in 1999 the state of Georgia acquired the segment and sought a new operator for the line. On May 22, 2000, the state purchased the remaining portion of the line not already under their ownership between Omaha and the end of the line across the river in Mahrt as well as an additional 71.13 miles (114.47 km) between Rochelle and Preston retained by

2500-515: Was then reused for the company's main lines in Savannah). While the SA&M line remained in service after the merger, traffic diminished since the company favored the Atlantic Coast Line's route from Savannah to Montgomery. In the 1970s, the town of Plains, Georgia along the line would become famous for being the hometown of Georgia Governor and U.S. President Jimmy Carter . Carter used

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