- Central of Georgia Railway
Infobox SG rail
railroad_name = Central of Georgia Railway
logo_filename =
logo_size =
system_
map_caption =
map_size =
marks = CG
image_size =
image_caption =
locale = Georgia,Alabama
start_year = 1895
end_year = 1963
predecessor_line =
successor_line = Southern Railway
length = convert|1944|mi in 1929
hq_city =Savannah, Georgia History
This railroad 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 [http://oldrailhistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=112 (map)] . This railroad was constructed to join the
Macon and Western Railroad atMacon, Georgia and run toSavannah, Georgia . This created a rail link fromChattanooga on theTennessee River toseaport s on theAtlantic Ocean .It took from 1837 to 1843 to finish this railroad all the way to Macon and until 1851 to get a bridge built across the
Ocmulgee River . [ [http://railga.com/cofg.html Georgia's Railroad History and Heritage] ] Over the years, this railroad steadily acquired other railroads by either lease or purchase: ["RAILROADS IN NORTH AMERICA; Some Historical Facts and An Introduction to an Electronic Database of North American Railroads and Their Evolution" by M. C. Hallberg (April 24, 2006) [http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/m/c/mch/railroad/] ]*Augusta and Savannah Railroad 1862
**Augusta and Waynesboro Railroad 1857
*Eatonton Branch Railroad 1855
*Milledgeville and Eatonton Railroad 1855
*Milledgeville and Gordon Railroad 1855
*Mobile and Girard Railroad 1886
**Girard Railroad 1857
*Savannah and Tybee Railroad 1890
*Savannah and Western Railroad 1890
**Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus Railroad 1891
***Rome and Carrollton Railroad 1887
**Columbus and Rome Railroad 1888
***Columbus and Atlanta Air Line Railroad 1879
****North and South Railroad of Georgia 1877
**Columbus and Western Railroad 1888
***Savannah and Memphis Railroad 1880
**East Alabama Railroad 1888
***East Alabama and Cincinnati Railroad 1880
*Savannah, Griffin and Northern Alabama Railroad 1890
*Southwestern of Georgia Railroad 1869
**Montgomery and Eufaula Railroad 1879
**Muscogee Railroad 1868
**Vicksburg and Brunswick Railroad 1879
**Southwestern Railroad 1869
*Upson County Railroad 1891
**Barnesville and Thomaston Railroad 1860Troubles began in 1888 when the
Richmond Terminal Company gained control of the railroad. The financial problems of the parent company forced this railroad into bankruptcy and it was sold at foreclosure three years later. It was reorganized as Central of Georgia Railway on November 1, 1895.Central of Georgia Railway
The famous passenger train the "Nancy Hanks", ran from
Atlanta to Savannah, via Lovejoy, Griffin, Macon and Millen. Another from its famed fleet was the Man o' War, aColumbus, Georgia -Atlanta route, operated via Pine Mountain, Raymond and Newnan, Georgia. Note that both of these famous Central of Georgia trains were named after prize winning steeds.In 1907,
E. H. Harriman gained control of the railway, and later sold it the theIllinois Central Railroad , which he also controlled. The Illinois Central lost control in 1948, and the Central of Georgia was bought by theSt. Louis-San Francisco Railway (“Frisco”) in 1956. TheInterstate Commerce Commission did not approve the purchase, and so the Frisco sold the railway in 1961.The C of G became a Southern Railway subsidiary on
June 17 ,1963 . In 1971, the Southern formed the Central of Georgia Railroad to merge the Central of Georgia "Railway", theSavannah and Atlanta Railway , and theWrightsville and Tennille Railroad .Today, the Central of Georgia exists only as a
paper railroad within theNorfolk Southern Railway group. Forty-two miles of the CG's former mainline are currently leased by theChattooga and Chickamauga Railway from the State of Georgia.References
*cite book |author = Drury, George H. |year = 1985 | title = The Historical Guide to North American Railroads |location = Milwaukee, Wisconsin |publisher = Kalmbach Publishing Company | pages = pp.53–56 | isbn = 0 89024 072 8
ee also
*
Roundhouse Railroad Museum External links
* [http://www.CofG.org Central of Georgia Historical Society]
* [http://www.railga.com/cofg.html Extensive history at RailGA.com]
* [http://www.oldrailhistory.com U.S. Railroads 1826-1850]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.