Early years The first segment of the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway was chartered in 1884 as the
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
narrow gauge to the . 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.
Receivership 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.
Later years 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 later reused by successor CSX 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 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. ==Current conditions==