Mining Man suggested this topic. Once it is going, do not hesitate to add any tidbits you want to add.
Yes, there were many short lines in the South; some were succesful, others were not. Very few exist today, either because they were swallowed up by larger roads or else died a natural death.
One of the more successful ones was the Atlanta & St. Andrews Bay Railway–which never came closer to Atlanta than Dothan, Alabama, where it had a connection with the Central of Georgia, and did have, for many years, overnight sleeper service to/from Atlanta. However, with the general growing favor of air transportation, this service was dropped, and the road, now is freight only, is known as the Bay Line Railroad, and is a part of the Genesee and Wyoming holdings.
Two other short lines were a part of an important passenger route and together were known as “The West Point Route,” for they met in West Point, Georgia. They were, of course, the Atlanta and West Point, and the Western Railway of Alabama though most of its track was east of Montgomery; there was also a line connecting Montgomery with Selma. As built originally, the WRA ran to Columbus, Georgia from Opelika, Alabama; this line somehow became a part of what became the Centgral of Georgia’s line between Birmingham and Columbus.
I am not certain about the operation of freight crews; I do not doubt that it was like that of the passenger crews, which I believe ran all the way between Atlanta and Montgomery–no one asked me for my ticket when passing through West Point. In the fifties, when I became aware of its exis
There was a group of short lines in Southwest Georgia that was known as the “Pidcock Roads” because members of the Pidcock family were associated with them. Back in 1943, these roads had several trains with passenger service, some of which were mixed trains.
The Georgia Northern ran 68.0 miles from Boston to Albany (and its original name was “Boston and Albany”–perhaps the name was changed because people called to buy tickets from Chicago to Boston?
In Albany, it connected with the Albany and Northern, which ran 35.73 miles to Cordele–and together these two roads ran a through diesel motor train from Boston to Cordele. In Cordele, this train connected with the SAL’s Savannah-Montgomery train, making it possible to go between Boston and Savannah or Montgomery with one change of trains. It was also possible to connect with the southbound Ponce de Leon and the northbound Valdosta-Macon mixed of the Southern Railway. There were other trains on both roads. In Albany, both roads connected, of course with the ACL and CG, there were probably few passengers who took advantage of the connections.
Another was the Georgia, Ashburn, Syvester and Camilla, which ran 49.98 miles from Ashburn on the Southern to Camilla on the ACL’s line from Albany to Thomasville, crossing the GN at Bridgeboro. However, there was no coordination between the GN and the GAS&G.
The fourth road was the Flint River and Northeastern, which ran 23.31 miles from Pelham on the ACL’s Albany-Thomasville line to Ticknor on the GN; again there was no coordination
Could you go West from a major Southern city, say Jacksonville or Atlanta to New Orleans or anywhere else in Louisiana? Would this be a direct route or convoluted?
Could you travel by rail to Houston from a major Southern city, say the same as mentioned?
Was New Orleans a “hub” or a terminus? It was the end point for trains from the North, Illinois Central and GM&O, but was it for trains from the East heading West or could you go through?
Where and how did that Frisco line get to where it got to? Was the Frisco a major player?
Did the Little Rock get into the South? I could probably Goggle this one easy enough but I’d rather hear it from someone who has the real knowledge.
As to service between Jacksonville and New Orleans, the SAL and L&N ran an overnight train, the Gulf Wind, which left each city in the late afternoon and arrived by about nine the next morning. It had sleepers, coaches, dining service, and–after the Crescent lost its observation car, a real observation lounge car until late in 1966. This route went west from Jacksonville to Pensacola, up to Flomaton, Alabama, and on to New Orleans through Mobile; which as direct as you could get it.
Atlanta-New Orleans had two routes: Atlanta & West Point/Western Railway of Alabama to Montgomery and L&N to New Orleans going theough Mobile was one; the other was Southern to Birmingham then down through Meridian, Mississippi.
The Southern had through service Washington-New Orle
Aside from Midwest to Florida and New Orleans services, which were varied and complex, the only addition I can think of is that you could travel at the same fare from New York to New Orleand via the PRR through Harrisburg and then down the N&W to Roanoke, joining the Pelican’s route through Bristol to New Orleans. Thru sleeper NY - Roanoke and then a sleeper on the Pelican to N O.
Dave, that looks like a good routing–but it would work only if the passenger wanted to spend a night in Roanoke, for the N&W train from Hagerstown arrived in Roanoke after the Pelican had left; indeed, the Pelican was getting close to Bristol by the time the train with the overnight car from New York arrived in Roanoke.
Yes. And at one time the Southern ran a New York - Jacksonville service, I think at one time with a through sleeper, or at least a Washington - Jacksonville sleeper. But I forget the exact route. Defeinitely did not go so far west as Atalnata.
It would have gone down to Columbia, S.C. from Charlotte. Depending upon when it ran, it would either have been carried on to Jacksonville by the Seaboard Air Line or gone down to Hardeeville, S.C. and then on to Jacksonville via trackage rights on the ACL.
There was a time when the Skyland Special operated over the SAL from Columbia to Jacksonville.
Two shortlines in Georgia that no longer operate under their old names were the Savannah and Atlanta and the Gainesville Midland.
The Savannah and Atlanta ran 144.7 miles from Savannah to Camak, where it connected with the Georgia RR. In 1943, it still had a mixed train from Savannah to Waynesboro (MP 96.1), which used the S&A station in Savannah (there were two other stations there, the CG station and the Union station which was used by both the SAL and the ACL).
On the way out of Savannah, all four roads, except for the SAL’s line from Hamlet, N.C. , through Charleston passed through Central Junction–which made it easy for the CG to use the S&A’s line up to Ardmore for its passenger trains after it bought the S&A in 1951.
The S&A connected with the Sylvania Central at Sylvania, the Georgia and Florida at Waynesboro, and the Augusta Southern near Wrens.
Some time after the CG bought the S&A, it built a connecting track from about two miles below Oliver to the former S&A at Ardmore–and abandoned its track between Central Junction and the new connection just below Oliver. Thus, the S&A gained a streamlined passenger train, the Nancy Hanks II, which ran from Savannah in the morning and left Atlanta in the late afternoon.
In 1962, the track between Sylvania and East Waynesboro was abandoned, and the track between Ardmore and Sylvania is now operated by the Ogeechee Railroad.
Also rather enjoyed the pictures in the new Gallery featuring Central Of Georgia. That is until I came to this one. Now that is a glum looking, very unhappy bunch. It is a bit puzzling.
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CofG
Man O’ War
Visitors and CofG officials in Atlanta–Columbus, Ga., Man O’ War’s tavern-observation car at Columbus before entering service, June 1947.
Well maybe in all fairness they are not unhappy, just stern, all business, no nonsense. A few of them are wearing very light coloured suits, would they be white? , I suppose so,…Hot down there. Several have white shoes as well. There seems to be a style of hat that is quite popular, looks like it is white as well with a broad dark band. Most wear thin “Wire” glasses. I’m sure they are all Southern Gentleman Railroaders with VIP guests.
Was hoping to find one dashing Rhett Butler in the group but I don’t see it.
Also in the image gallery, the first one, is a picture of CofG 4-8-4 #458, a pretty big brute. Did not know, or remember, that CofG had any 4-8-4’s. Thats a fairly substantial train it is hauling as well. The caption says 1950, but the loco looks to be in a bit of rough shape. Assume they dieselized pretty early?
Two other short lines that had several different names during their histories were the Tallulah Falls and the Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia–both of which met their names, unlike several class ones.
The Tallulah Falls connected with the Southern at Cornelia, Georgia and went north, 57.2 miles to Franklin, North Carolina, stopping at, among other places, Habersham (near the source of the Chattahoochee River), Tallulah Falls, Tiger, Clayton, Mountain City, Rabun Gap (all in Geogia), and Otto, North Carolina.
The railroad began as the Northeastern Railroad with a plan to build from Athens to Clayton, opening the track from Lula to Athens (which became Southern’s line to Athens from Lula) in 1876–and the Richmond and Danville purchased the stock in 1881. In 1882, the line reached Clayton, at mile 24.7 from Cornelia. (I found no mention of how the line went from Lula to Cornelia; perhaps it was intended to use the Richmond and Danville?)
After being chartered in 1887, the Blue Ridge and Atlantic Railroad bought the northern section (Cornelia to Clayton), and planned to build towards Knoxville, so as to connect Savannah and Knoxville. Being in financial difficulties, it built no new track, and in 1897 it was taken over by the Tallulah Falls Railway, which, with the help of the Southern Railroad, reached Franklin in 1907.
The Southern had a plan to build beyond Franklin, going down to the Sout
The service in the fifties that provided for sight-seeing in New Orleans came into New Orleans from New York on the Piedmont Limited (morning arrival), and not on the Crescent, which arrived in the late afternoon.
Two short lines in Georgia that no longer operate under their old names were the Savannah and Atlanta and the Gainesville Midland.
The Savannah and Atlanta ran 144.7 miles from Savannah to Camak, where it connected with the Georgia RR. In 1943, it still had a mixed train from Savannah to Waynesboro (MP 96.1), which used the S&A station in Savannah (there were two other stations there, the CG station and the Union station which was used by both the SAL and the ACL).
On the way out of Savannah, all four roads, except for the SAL’s line from Hamlet, N.C. , through Charleston passed through Central Junction–which made it easy for the CG to use the S&A’s line up to Ardmore for its passenger trains after it bought the S&A in 1951.
The S&A connected with the Sylvania Central at Sylvania, the Georgia and Florida at Waynesboro, and the Augusta Southern near Wrens.
Some time after the CG bought the S&A, it built a connecting track from about two miles below Oliver to the former S&A at Ardmore–and abandoned its track between Central Junction and the new connection just below Oliver. Thus, the S&A gained a streamlined passenger train, the Nancy Hanks II, which ran from Savannah in the morning and left Atlanta in the late afternoon.
In 1962, the track between Sylvania and East Waynesboro was abandoned, and the track betw
There was a group of short lines in Southwest Georgia that was known as the “Pidcock Roads” because members of the Pidcock family were associated with them. Back in 1943, these roads had several trains with passenger service, some of which were mixed trains.
The Georgia Northern ran 68.0 miles from Boston to Albany (and its original name was “Boston and Albany”–perhaps the name was changed because people called to buy tickets from Chicago to Boston?
In Albany, it connected with the Albany and Northern, which ran 35.73 miles to Cordele–and together these two roads ran a through diesel motor train from Boston to Cordele. In Cordele, this train connected with the SAL’s Savannah-Montgomery train, making it possible to go between Boston and Savannah or Montgomery with one change of trains. It was also possible to connect with the southbound Ponce de Leon and the northbound Valdosta-Macon mixed of the Southern Railway. There were other trains on both roads. In Albany, both roads connected, of course with the ACL and CG, there were probably few passengers who took advantage of the connections.
I believe that Georgia Northern and GAS&C were among the last operators of FT’s, secondhand from Southern. There was an article in TRAINS in the late 1960’s about these gems.
Memorable for the crotchety engineer who yelled something like “I don’t want my pitcher took!” and threw an apple core at the photographer. Reminiscent of all too many of the modern concerns about railroaders vs. railfans!
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