Upon its creation in 1989 as a division of the
South Carolina Central Railroad, the Georgia Southwestern railroad operated over two lines making junction at
Richland. The first ran from
Rhine west through Richland and
Omaha, Georgia before crossing over the
Chattahoochee River and terminating at
Mahrt, Alabama. A second line originated at
Columbus, and traveled south through
Cusseta and Richland, before ending at
Bainbridge, Georgia, . Both routes were sold by CSX on July 5, 1989.
Original system The original network consisted of only two lines (described below) containing of track. Commodities included forest products, aggregates, chemicals, fertilizer, peanuts, and paper, generating about 9,000 annual carloads. The railroad maintained its headquarters at Americus.
Rhine – Mahrt The east–west route from Rhine to Mahrt was built in different segments over a period of several years. The
Americus, Preston & Lumpkin was started in 1884 and connected its namesake cities by 1887. In 1887, further extension brought the terminus of the railroad further east to
Abbeville, and in 1888, the railroad became the
Savannah, Americus & Montgomery. The railroad continued to grow in 1890, reaching
Lyons in the east, as well as the
Chattahoochee River and eventually
Montgomery to the west. In 1895, the SA&M was reorganized under the
Georgia & Alabama and in 1900, the railroad once again changed hands into the
Seaboard Air Line. Through a number of mergers, the line eventually came under the ownership of the
Seaboard System in 1983, which abandoned the line between Montgomery and Mahrt on April 20, 1986. The remaining line from Mahrt to
Rhine, Georgia was sold to the Georgia Southwestern by
CSX Transportation in 1989. The
Heart of Georgia took over operations of the line from the Georgia Southwestern in 2000 and still operates from Rhine to Preston, with the segment between Preston and Mahrt out of service.
Columbus – Bainbridge north of Bainbridge, Georgia in 2021 A second line out of Columbus to Bainbridge was originally built by two separate railroads. The first began out of Columbus and was constructed by the
Chattahoochee Brick Company, and known as the
Columbus Southern Railway when it opened its line to
Albany, Georgia in 1890. The railroad was absorbed by the Georgia & Alabama Railway in 1896, and later merged into the Seaboard Air Line in 1902. The second portion of the line was built by the
Georgia Pine Railway (
Georgia Florida and Alabama Railroad after 1901) - and made junction with the Seaboard Air Line at Richland in 1910. In January 1928, the SAL leased the GF&A, creating a shortcut for trains destined for Florida. The Seaboard Air Line was later merged into the
Seaboard Coast Line in 1967, and the SCL became the Seaboard System in 1983. CSX sold the line from Columbus to Lynn to the Georgia Southwestern in 1989, concurrently with the sale of the Rhine - Mahrt route. 1995 brought numerous changes to the Georgia Southwestern network, and the portion of the route from Cusseta to Cuthbert became redundant and was subsequently abandoned in that year, with the rails being removed in September 1997. Rails remained in place from Columbus to Cusseta in order to serve a large pulpwood yard near the latter.
Expansion and mergers In the mid-1990s, the Georgia Southwestern experienced a number of changes. Among these changes were the acquisition of
Norfolk Southern tracks between Columbus and Americus (now abandoned), as well as trackage rights over NS to Albany. Additionally, two sister South Carolina Central Railroad divisions operating nearby were merged into Georgia Southwestern during the same period.
Georgia & Alabama Division The
Georgia & Alabama had been operating its route from
Smithville, Georgia through
Eufaula, Alabama to
White Oak, Alabama since June 1, 1989, under the
Thoroughbred Shortline Program. This South Carolina Central division crossed the Georgia Southwestern at Cuthbert. In 2006, the Georgia Southwestern purchased from Norfolk Southern, the entire of track from Smithville to White Oak that had been leased up until that point. The following year the GSWR abandoned the from Eufaula to White Oak.
Georgia Great Southern Division Another South Carolina Central division, the
Georgia Great Southern Railroad, operated from
Dawson, Georgia to Albany, . CSX sold the line to the SCC on December 14, 1990. Further expansion brought the railroad to
Greenville in 1885. A few years later, the railroad was absorbed by the
Savannah and Western Railroad, a subsidiary of the Central of Georgia Railroad, and formally merged into the CofG network in 1895. In 2005 the Georgia Southwestern sought to purchase of track from Norfolk Southern, between a point north of Columbus to
Allie (known as the "R" line), along with an additional of trackage rights to the GSWR yard in Columbus. The line was abandoned in 2007. ==Georgia Southwestern becomes independent==