Overview | |
---|---|
Reporting mark | SA&M |
Locale | Georgia and Alabama |
Dates of operation | 1888–1900 |
Predecessor | Americus, Preston and Lumpkin Railroad |
Successor | Georgia and Alabama Railroad Seaboard Air Line Railroad Seaboard Coast Line Railroad CSX Transportation Heart of Georgia Railroad Georgia Southwestern Railroad |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
The Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway (SA&M) 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 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. [1] In 1890, the line was extended from Abbeville east to Lyons. A year later, the SA&M was extended west from Louvale across the Chattahoochee River to Montgomery, Alabama, which opened on December 1, 1891. [2] 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 the Albany, Florida and Northern Railway which ran from the SA&M at Cordele to Albany. [3] 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 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. [4] The Georgia and Alabama Railway ran a daily passenger train from Savannah to Montgomery, and the line was nicknamed the "Savannah Short Line" since it has the shortest route between the two cities compared to its competitors. [2]
Savannah and Montgomery Subdivisions | |
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Overview | |
Status | Segments still operating under successor company |
Owner | Seaboard Air Line Railroad |
Termini | |
Technical | |
Line length | 335.2 mi (539.5 km) |
Electrification | No |
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 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 the Montgomery Subdivision from Americus to Montgomery. [5] 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. [2] This included named freight trains such as the Alaga and the Pioneer. [5]
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 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. [6]
On June 28, 1959, a Seaboard mixed freight train derailed on the line crossing the Ogeechee River in Meldrim. Loaded LPG tank cars from 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. [7] [8]
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 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 was then reused for the company's main lines in Savannah). [9] 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 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 was abandoned between Montgomery and Mahrt, Alabama (located along the Chattahoochee River near Cottonton) on April 20, 1986. [10] The remaining line from Mahrt to Rhine, Georgia was sold by CSX Transportation to the Georgia Southwestern Railroad on June 5, 1989. [11] Georgia Southwestern ended operations on the line from Preston to Mahrt in 1999, and the state of Georgia acquired the segment and sought 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. [12] 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 the Georgia Southwestern. The Heart of Georgia took over operations of the line from the Georgia Southwestern in 2000. [13]
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. [14]
From Vidalia west to a point near Preston, Georgia is still operated by the Heart of Georgia Railroad. On February 7, 2017, Genesee & Wyoming purchased the Heart of Georgia (who also owns the Georgia Central Railway). [15] The line is still in place from Preston west to Mahrt, Alabama, but that segment is out of service. [16]
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 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. [17]
State | Milepost | City/Location | Station [5] [18] [19] | Connections and notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
GA | SL 501.6 | Savannah | Savannah Union Station | junction with:
|
SL 506.2 | Williams | |||
SL 513.8 | Meldrim | |||
SL 520.4 | Ellabell | spelled Ellabelle on some timetables | ||
SL 523.5 | Lanier | junction with Savannah and Southern Railway | ||
SL 528.5 | Pembroke | Pembroke | ||
SL 531.7 | Reka | |||
SL 535.8 | Groveland | |||
SL 541.2 | Daisy | Daisy | ||
SL 545.4 | Claxton | Claxton | junction with Shearwood Railway | |
SL 547.2 | Hagan | Hagan | ||
SL 549.6 | Bellville | Bellville | ||
SL 552.3 | Manassas | Manassas | ||
SL 557.7 | Collins | Collins | junction with:
| |
SL 559.9 | Danton | |||
SL 564.8 | Ohoopee | |||
SL 571.2 | Lyons | Lyons | ||
SL 575.4 | Stacers | |||
SL 576.8 | Vidalia | Vidalia | junction with: | |
SL 580.5 | Higgston | Higgston | ||
SL 582.8 | McGregor | |||
SL 586.5 | Ailey | Ailey | ||
SL 588.2 | Mount Vernon | Mount Vernon | ||
SL 591.2 | Ochwalkee | |||
SL 593.1 | Glenwood | Glenwood | ||
SL 595.5 | Verbena | |||
SL 597.4 | Stuckey | |||
SL 600.3 | Alamo | Alamo | ||
SL 604.0 | Erick | |||
SL 609.4 | McRae–Helena | McRae Junction | junction with McRae spur | |
SLD 610.5 | McRae | located on McRae spur | ||
SL 610.7 | Helena | junction with Macon and Brunswick Railroad (SOU) | ||
SL 615.3 | Aults | |||
SL 620.9 | Milan | Milan | ||
SL 625.1 | Calvin | |||
SL 629.6 | Rhine | Rhine | ||
SL 632.2 | Copeland | |||
SL 636.1 | Abbeville | Abbeville | junction with Abbeville & Waycross Railroad (SAL) | |
SL 640.8 | Kramer | |||
SL 645.3 | Rochelle | Rochelle | junction with Ocilla Southern | |
SL 648.2 | Pine City | |||
SL 650.4 | Pitts | Pitts | junction with Hawkinsville and Florida Southern Railway | |
SL 654.2 | Seville | |||
SL 655.4 | Williford | |||
SL 657.1 | Listonia | |||
SL 660.2 | Penia | |||
SL 665.2 | Cordele | Cordele | junction with: | |
SL 671.3 | Coney | located near Georgia Veterans State Park | ||
SL 675.1 | Flintside | |||
SL 677.8 | Cobb | |||
SL 682.2 | DeSoto | DeSoto | ||
SL 683.6 | Leslie | Leslie | ||
SL 687.0 | Parkers | |||
SL 688.2 | Huntington | |||
SL 691.7 | Gatewood | |||
SL 694.9 | Americus | Shops | ||
SL 695.9 | Americus | junction with Central of Georgia Railway | ||
SL 700.1 | New Point | |||
SL 704.1 | Salters | |||
SL 705.8 | Plains | Plains | ||
SL 708.5 | Archery | |||
SL 712.6 | Dumas | |||
SL 715.9 | Preston | |||
SL 724.1 | Richland | Richland | junction with: | |
SL 727.9 | Randall | |||
SL 732.7 | Lumpkin | Lumpkin | ||
SL 737.9 | Charles | |||
SL 740.2 | Louvale | |||
SL 744.0 | Union | |||
SL 751.1 | Omaha | |||
SL 751.6 | Omaha Brick Yard | |||
AL | SL 754.1 | Mahrt | junction with Mobile and Girard Railroad | |
SL 754.5 | Cottonton | |||
SL 756.1 | McLendon | |||
SL 758.1 | Hirsch | |||
SL 761.0 | Pittsview | originally Pittsboro | ||
SL 766.8 | Hooks | |||
SL 770.9 | Rutherford | |||
SL 777.7 | Hurtsboro | junction with Central of Georgia Railway | ||
SL 784.8 | Hannon | |||
SL 788.7 | Roba | |||
SL 795.6 | Fort Davis | |||
SL 799.8 | Downs | |||
SL 800.5 | Burgin | |||
SL 804.6 | Hardaway | |||
SL 808.9 | Chesson | |||
SL 813.9 | Cecil | originally Sledges | ||
SL 815.1 | McDade | |||
SL 820.0 | Merry | located in Mount Meigs | ||
SL 825.1 | Mitylene | |||
SL 830.6 | Montgomery | Kilby | ||
SL 834.0 | Clisby Park | |||
SL 834.9 | Montgomery Union Station | junction with: |
The Alabama Midland Railway was incorporated in Alabama and Georgia in 1887, and built a line from Bainbridge, Georgia, to a point near Montgomery, Alabama. The route was completed in 1890. It became part of the Plant System in 1894, and in 1901 it was merged into the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway.
The Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad was the final name of a system of railroads throughout Florida, becoming part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900. The system, including some of the first railroads in Florida, stretched from Jacksonville west through Tallahassee and south to Tampa. Much of the FC&P network is still in service under the ownership of CSX Transportation.
The Georgia Southwestern Railroad 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 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.
The Columbus Southern Railway is a historic railroad that operated in the U.S. state of Georgia. The railroad operated an 88-mile line from Columbus to Albany that opened in 1890.
The Wiregrass Central Railroad is a shortline railroad operating 19.5 miles (31.4 km) of track from a CSX Transportation connection at Waterford, near Newton, to Enterprise, Alabama via the south side of Fort Rucker. The company was initially a subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways and began operations in 1987 following the purchase of the Enterprise Subdivision branch line of CSX Transportation.
The Georgia Central Railway operates about 174 miles (280 km) of former Seaboard Coast Line track from Macon, Georgia through Dublin, Georgia and Vidalia, Georgia to Savannah, Georgia. It also operates about 20 miles (32 km) of trackage between Savannah and Riceboro, Georgia, switching Interstate Paper LLC. It connects with CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. The Georgia Central Railway is owned by Rail Link, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
The Heart of Georgia Railroad is a shortline railroad created in 1999 to lease and operate 177 miles (285 km) of track owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation between Mahrt, Alabama and Vidalia, Georgia, in the United States. The railroad has since expanded to include more than 233 miles (375 km) of track, reaching as far as Midville, Georgia. Initially only the portion from Rochelle to Preston, Georgia was utilized, with the Preston-Mahrt and Rochelle-Vidalia lines out of service. The Heart of Georgia also hosts the SAM passenger excursion train and is owned by parent company Atlantic Western Transportation Company.
The Riceboro Southern Railway began operations in 2004 operating on about 33 miles of track, some of which is leased from CSX Transportation. The track on which it operates is part of the ex-Seaboard Air Line route from Savannah, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida. It runs generally from Ogeechee, Georgia, where the line splits from the CSX Savannah Subdivision, which is the former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Savannah-Jacksonville route, and Riceboro. It does not have any of its own locomotives; it uses Georgia Central power.
The First Coast Railroad is a class III railroad operating in Florida and Georgia, owned by Genesee & Wyoming. The name is derived from its area of operations around the First Coast of Florida.
The Abbeville Southern Railway was incorporated in Alabama in September 1892 for the purpose of building a railroad line from Grimes, Alabama northeast to Abbeville, Alabama. The route was completed in December 1893, totaling 26.9 miles (43.3 km), and was operated by the Alabama Midland Railway.
The Southwestern Alabama Railway (SWA) was incorporated in Alabama, United States, in 1897 and tasked with the construction of a branch line from a connection with the Alabama Midland Railway near Newton, Alabama towards Elba, Alabama. The route was completed to Elba in October 1898, totaled 37.2 miles (59.9 km), and was operated by the Alabama Midland Railway.
The Jesup Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in Georgia. The line runs from Jesup, Georgia to Folkston, Georgia for a length of 72.7 miles. It notable passes through Waycross, Georgia, a major CSX freight terminal and CSX operates numerous freight trains over the line. The Jesup Subdivision was once a major route for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, one of CSX's predecessors.
The Savannah Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Georgia. Through the middle of Savannah, the Savannah Subdivision splits into an east route and a west route. The East Route runs from Savannah, Georgia, to Ogeechee, Georgia, for a total of 15.6 miles (25.1 km). At its north end it continues south from the Charleston Subdivision and the Columbia Subdivision both of the Florence Division and at its south end it continues south as the Nahunta Subdivision. The West Route is located in Savannah, Georgia, and is 9.7 miles (15.6 km) in length. At its north end it branches off of the Savannah Subdivision East Route and at its south end it comes back into the Savannah Subdivision East Route.
The Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad, known as the Sumatra Leaf Route, and colloquially as the Gopher, Frog & Alligator was a 180 miles (290 km)-long railroad from Richland, Georgia to Carrabelle, Florida. It was founded in 1895 as a logging railroad, the Georgia Pine Railway.
The Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad is a Class III railroad owned and operated by RailUSA in the Florida Panhandle. The line consists of 430 miles of track running from Baldwin, Florida west through Tallahassee to Pensacola. The line also has a short branch from Tallahassee north to Attapulgus, Georgia. The line connects to CSX lines in Baldwin, Pensacola, and Attapulgus.
The Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad was chartered in 1885 as the Macon and Dublin Railroad. It was built to connect its namesake towns, Macon and Dublin. Eventually, it became a 96-mile short line operating between Macon and Vidalia.
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad’s Main Line was the backbone of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's network in the southeastern United States. The main line ran from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa, Florida, a distance of over 800 miles. Along its route it passed through Petersburg, Raleigh, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Ocala, Florida. While some segments of the line have been abandoned as of 2022, most of the line is still in service and is owned by the Seaboard Air Line's successor, CSX Transportation as their S Line.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Waycross—Montgomery Line was one of the company's secondary main lines running from Waycross, Georgia west to Montgomery, Alabama, a distance of over 300 miles. It was built in the late 1800s by the Atlantic Coast Line's predecessor companies. The line is still in service today and is now the Thomasville Subdivision and Dothan Subdivision of CSX Transportation, the Atlantic Coast Line's successor company through various mergers.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Albany—Thomasville Line was a historic railroad line in southern Georgia. Built in 1869 by the company's predecessors, it carried some of the Atlantic Coast Line's passenger trains on their routes from the Midwest to the Southeastern United States. The line is still in service today and is now operated by the Georgia and Florida Railway.