Саванна, Америкус и Монтгомери: История железной дороги

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 3ft 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 the Chattahoochee River to Montgomery, Alabama, which opened on December 1, 1891. During construction, the gauge of the track was converted from 3ft narrow gauge to the 4ft8.5in. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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). 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 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 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 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 mile (114 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.

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 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 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.

StateMilepostCity/LocationStationConnections and notesGASL 501.6SavannahSavannah Union Stationjunction with:SL 506.2WilliamsSL 513.8MeldrimSL 520.4Ellabellspelled Ellabelle on some timetablesSL 523.5Lanierjunction with Savannah and Southern RailwaySL 528.5PembrokePembrokeSL 531.7RekaSL 535.8GrovelandSL 541.2DaisyDaisySL 545.4ClaxtonClaxtonjunction with Shearwood RailwaySL 547.2HaganHaganSL 549.6BellvilleBellvilleSL 552.3ManassasManassasSL 557.7CollinsCollinsjunction with:SL 559.9DantonSL 564.8OhoopeeSL 571.2LyonsLyonsSL 575.4StacersSL 576.8VidaliaVidaliajunction with:SL 580.5HiggstonHiggstonSL 582.8McGregorSL 586.5AileyAileySL 588.2Mount VernonMount VernonSL 591.2OchwalkeeSL 593.1GlenwoodGlenwoodSL 595.5VerbenaSL 597.4StuckeySL 600.3AlamoAlamoSL 604.0ErickSL 609.4McRae–HelenaMcRae Junctionjunction with McRae spurSLD 610.5McRaelocated on McRae spurSL 610.7Helenajunction with Macon and Brunswick Railroad (SOU)SL 615.3AultsSL 620.9MilanMilanSL 625.1CalvinSL 629.6RhineRhineSL 632.2CopelandSL 636.1AbbevilleAbbevillejunction with Abbeville & Waycross Railroad (SAL)SL 640.8KramerSL 645.3RochelleRochellejunction with Ocilla SouthernSL 648.2Pine CitySL 650.4PittsPittsjunction with Hawkinsville and Florida Southern RailwaySL 654.2SevilleSL 655.4WillifordSL 657.1ListoniaSL 660.2PeniaSL 665.2CordeleCordelejunction with:SL 671.3Coneylocated near Georgia Veterans State ParkSL 675.1FlintsideSL 677.8CobbSL 682.2DeSotoDeSotoSL 683.6LeslieLeslieSL 687.0ParkersSL 688.2HuntingtonSL 691.7GatewoodSL 694.9AmericusShopsSL 695.9Americusjunction with Central of Georgia RailwaySL 700.1New PointSL 704.1SaltersSL 705.8PlainsPlainsSL 708.5ArcherySL 712.6DumasSL 715.9PrestonSL 724.1RichlandRichlandjunction with:SL 727.9RandallSL 732.7LumpkinLumpkinSL 737.9CharlesSL 740.2LouvaleSL 744.0UnionSL 751.1OmahaSL 751.6Omaha Brick YardALSL 754.1Mahrtjunction with Mobile and Girard RailroadSL 754.5CottontonSL 756.1McLendonSL 758.1HirschSL 761.0Pittsvieworiginally PittsboroSL 766.8HooksSL 770.9RutherfordSL 777.7Hurtsborojunction with Central of Georgia RailwaySL 784.8HannonSL 788.7RobaSL 795.6Fort DavisSL 799.8DownsSL 800.5BurginSL 804.6HardawaySL 808.9ChessonSL 813.9Ceciloriginally SledgesSL 815.1McDadeSL 820.0Merrylocated in Mount MeigsSL 825.1MityleneSL 830.6MontgomeryKilbySL 834.0Clisby ParkSL 834.9Montgomery Union Stationjunction with: