Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad

Last updated

The Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad (W&T) was chartered in 1883 with the purpose of building a connection with the Central of Georgia Railroad at Tennille, GA to Wrightsville, GA. The line started construction, and by March 1884, 1.5 miles had been completed, however grading work was delayed at that time by heavy rains. [1] In April 1884, they acknowledged the use of convict lease labor for the construction of the rail line, citing that there were 43 men that were working on the line. [2] By June of 1884, 2.5 miles had been completed, and an additional 3.5 miles had been graded, the average cost was cited as $1,200-$1,500 a mile. [3] Later that same year, in a push to build the line faster, 80 additional men who were part of the convict lease labor force at the farm of Honorable J M Smith of Oglethorpe were sent to work on the line for 40 days. [4] The line was completed in March1885, and in May 1885 there were over 1,700 ticketed passengers on the line. [5] Prices had been posted in February 1885 which cited each passenger's cost at 4 cents per mile. [6]

Since 1884, there had been questions around if the line would expand through to Dublin, GA and Cochran, GA, these continued in 1885 in public venues. [7] In 1886, the W&T merged with the Dublin and Wrightsville Railroad and gained a through line to Dublin, GA. [8] This was sanctioned by a vote by investors in both firms, [9] however, was unpopular for some investors in the W&T. [10] Despite this outcry, the merger went ahead, adding 35 miles of track to the W&T. [11] The W&T reported earnings of $30,985.56 for 1886, with expenditures of $24,378.46, and cited that investors could expect to see the net earnings of $6,607.10 double in the next year with the expansion that had been completed. [12] By August of 1887 they reported a 20% return on investment. [13]

In 1887 the W&T moved their offices from Wrightsville to Tennille. [14] With this move, they also expanded the infrastructure along their routes, installing telegraph lines, and building rail houses for the engines at the ends of their route. [15]

In 1896 the line was extended to Hawkinsville, GA through a purchase of a branch of the Oconee and Western Railroad. Then in 1907, the W&T acquired the Dublin and Southwestern Railroad which ran from Dublin to Eastman, GA. Service west of Dublin ended in 1941 through abandonment of two branch lines.

The remainder of the W&T was merged into the Central of Georgia on June 1, 1971. The line currently serves Norfolk Southern as a storage track for excess autoracks due to the slow down in the U.S auto business. The former Wrightsville & Tennille headquarters is still intact as a private residence in Tennille, Georgia.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester, Georgia</span> Town in Georgia, United States

Chester is a town in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,596 at the 2010 census, up from 305 in 2000, due to inclusion of Dodge State Prison within the town limits. By 2020, its township population was 525.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrightsville, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

Wrightsville is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,195 at the 2010 census, down from 2,223 at the 2000 census. By 2020, its population grew to 3,449. The city limits include Johnson State Prison on the northeast side of town. Wrightsville is part of the Dublin Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond and Danville Railroad</span>

The Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D) Company was a railroad that operated independently from 1847 until 1894, first in the U.S. state of Virginia, and later on 3,300 miles (5,300 km) of track in nine states.

Algernon Sidney Buford was a Virginian businessman, politician, and lawyer best known for his 22-year presidency of the Richmond and Danville Railroad, during which he was responsible for growing the line from 140 miles in length to 3,000 miles in length. Born in North Carolina to parents of Virginia stock, Buford grew up in Pittsylvania County, Virginia and attended the University of Virginia from 1846 to 1848, graduating with a Bachelor of Law. For the next decade, he practiced law in Pittsylvania and Danville and became the owner and editor of the Danville Register. These occupations were interrupted by a year's service in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1853.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitchburg Railroad</span>

The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900. The main line from Boston to Fitchburg is now operated as the MBTA Fitchburg Line; Pan Am Railways runs freight service on some other portions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Railroad and Banking Company</span> Historic American railroad and banking company

The Georgia Railroad and Banking Company also seen as "GARR", was a historic railroad and banking company that operated in the U.S. state of Georgia. In 1967 it reported 833 million revenue-ton-miles of freight and 3 million passenger-miles; at the end of the year it operated 331 miles (533 km) of road and 510 miles (820 km) of track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad</span> Historic railroad system

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant System</span> Historic railroad system

The Plant System, named after its owner, Henry B. Plant, was a system of railroads and steamboats in the U.S. South, taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The original line of the system was the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, running across southern Georgia. The Plant Investment Company was formed in 1882 to lease and buy other railroads and expand the system. Other major lines incorporated into the system include the Savannah and Charleston Railroad and the Brunswick and Western Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central of Georgia Railway</span> Railroad constructed to join Macon, Georgia, and Savannah, Georgia

The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constructed to join the Macon and Western Railroad at Macon, Georgia, in the United States, and run to Savannah. This created a rail link from Chattanooga, on the Tennessee River, to seaports on the Atlantic Ocean. It took from 1837 to 1843 to build the railroad from Savannah to the eastern bank of the Ocmulgee River at Macon; a bridge into the city was not built until 1851.

The Augusta and Knoxville Railroad (A&K) was a railroad company that operated on 66 miles (106 km) of track between Augusta, Georgia, and Greenwood, South Carolina, from 1882 to 1886. It was merged with three other companies to form the Port Royal and Western Carolina Railway, which was reorganized in 1896 as the Charleston and Western Carolina Railway.

The Dublin and Southwestern Railroad was founded in 1904 and began operating in 1905. Originally planned to operate between Dublin, GA and Abbeville, GA, it never got further than Eastman, GA. In 1907, the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad acquired the property of the D&S. The ex-D&S was abandoned in 1941.

Organized in 1892 in Georgia, United States, the Oconee and Western Railroad was founded to take over operations of the failed Empire and Dublin Railroad. The E&D had built a line from Dublin to Hawkinsville, and in 1896 the O&W had started to extend the line to Grovania. It was unclear if the line was never finished or if it was completed and immediately abandoned, as the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad purchased the O&W in 1896 but apparently only used the Dublin to Hawkinsville section. The merger was completed in 1899.

The Dublin and Wrightsville Railroad was built in 1886 and ran 19 miles (31 km) between the cities of Dublin and Wrightsville in the American state of Georgia. It was almost immediately acquired by the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad upon its completion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Central Railway</span>

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 Macon and Brunswick Railroad ran from Macon, Georgia to Brunswick, Georgia. Its construction was interrupted by the American Civil War, and initially only ran from Macon to Cochran, Georgia. The 5 ft gauge line was completed and extended to the Georgia coast when it opened in its entirety in December 1869. Construction of the line stimulated the lumber industry along its path, and the founding of new towns and counties.

Charles E. Choate was a U.S. architect who worked in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. He designed numerous buildings that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Railroad (New Hampshire)</span>

The Northern Railroad was a U.S. railroad in central New Hampshire. Originally opened from Concord to West Lebanon in 1847, the Northern Railroad become part of the Boston and Maine system by 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birdsboro station (Reading Railroad)</span>

The Reading Company used two passenger railway stations in or near Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad built a station on its Main Line in Exeter Township, on the opposite side of the Schuylkill River from Birdsboro. The Wilmington and Northern Railroad established a freight line to Birdsboro in 1870, but it was not until after its merger with the Reading Company that its passenger station was built in the borough.

Brewton is an unincorporated community in Laurens County, in the U.S. state of Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad</span>

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.

References

  1. "Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad". The Macon Telegraph. 1884-03-09. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  2. "Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad - Lease Labor". The Macon Telegraph. 1884-04-29. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  3. "Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad - Cost per mile 1884". The Savannah Morning News. 1884-06-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  4. "Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad - Lease Labor 2". The Macon Telegraph. 1884-08-30. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  5. "Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad - Opening". The Atlanta Constitution. 1885-05-24. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  6. "Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad Tariff". The Savannah Morning News. 1885-02-02. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  7. "Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad - Expansion". The Macon Telegraph. 1885-06-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  8. "Wrightsville & Tennille Consolidation with Dublin & Wrightsville". The Savannah Morning News. 1886-10-14. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  9. "Wrightsville & Tennille and Dublin & Wrightsville Consolidation 2". The Savannah Morning News. 1886-11-13. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  10. "Wrightsville & Tennille and Dublin & Wrightsville Consolidation 3". The Macon Telegraph. 1886-11-19. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  11. "Railroad consolidation". The Macon Telegraph. 1886-12-03. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  12. "Earnings W&T 1886". The Macon Telegraph. 1886-12-28. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  13. "W&T 20% increase in return". The Savannah Morning News. 1887-06-09. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  14. "move of W&T office to Tennille". The Macon Telegraph. 1887-01-11. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  15. "Install of telegraph W&T". The Savannah Morning News. 1887-02-09. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-03-09.