Atlantic and Birmingham Railway
| Company type | Railroad |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Defunct | 1906 |
| Fate | Acquired by Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway |
| Headquarters | Waycross, Georgia , United States |
| Products | Rail transport services |
The Waycross Air Line Railroad was established in 1887 and commenced service in 1890, initially operating between Waycross and Sessoms. By 1901, the line had extended to Fitzgerald, Georgia, prompting a charter amendment and a name change to the Atlantic and Birmingham Railroad to reflect its planned extension toward Birmingham, Alabama. In 1903, it expanded its network by acquiring the Tifton and Northeastern Railroad along with the Tifton, Thomasville and Gulf Railway, subsequently adopting the name Atlantic and Birmingham Railway. The following year, the railroad was acquired by the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway, which continued pushing the line northwestward toward Birmingham.
In 1926, the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway underwent reorganization and emerged as the Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad, operating as a subsidiary of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. The original main route of the Waycross Air Line survived through several corporate consolidations: the 1967 merger of ACL and SAL forming the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, its incorporation into the Seaboard System Railroad in 1982, and ultimately its integration into the Chessie System which contributed to creating CSX in 1987. As of 2022, this corridor remains operational under CSX Transportation, designated as the Fitzgerald Subdivision.
Formation
The Waycross Air Line Railroad was chartered on October 24, 1887, by the Waycross Lumber Company, which operated a sawmill near Waltertown, Georgia. Initially designed to link the mill with Waycross via approximately , it officially opened in 1890 with a track length of between Waycross and Sessoms. After being acquired by Stilwell, Miller and Company, the railroad extended service to Bolen, Georgia and later to Nicholls, Georgia, facilitating regional development and expanding its commercial reach.
Expansion
Construction commenced on August 15, 1900, to extend the railroad line to Fitzgerald, Georgia. Service began there on February 26, 1901; a passenger depot was completed shortly thereafter with a freight station planned for soon after. At this time, management announced intentions to push further northwest beyond Fitzgerald.
Atlantic and Birmingham Railroad
On October 25, 1901, reflecting its strategic vision of connecting Birmingham, Alabama with Atlantic ports, the company changed its name to Atlantic and Birmingham Railroad. The route had grown from an initial seven miles to . By May 25, 1902, tracks reached Cordele, Georgia, then extended further to Montezuma, Georgia by 1903 where it connected with the Central of Georgia Railway. Surveys were underway for completing the remaining segment toward Birmingham.
In 1903, acquisitions of both the Tifton and Northeastern Railroad and the Tifton, Thomasville and Gulf Railway added an additional of track mileage. Following these purchases, it rebranded as the Atlantic and Birmingham Railway. The railroad further expanded its system by acquiring the Brunswick and Birmingham Railroad in 1904.
Strike
In December 1905, employees represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, including locomotive engineers and firemen on the Atlantic and Birmingham Railroad, initiated a strike demanding higher wages, reduced working hours, and improved job security. The company refused these demands which led to a work stoppage beginning December 10, 1905.
Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway
In 1906, the Atlantic and Birmingham was consolidated into the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway (AB&A), an entity established in 1905 to acquire and extend the rail line. The AB&A's charter permitted construction from Montezuma to Birmingham, including a branch reaching Atlanta. By mid-1908, the railroad had extended to Birmingham. Nevertheless, financial troubles forced the company into receivership in 1909; it reemerged in 1915 under the same name. Additional fiscal challenges led to foreclosure in 1922, followed by a reorganization in 1926 as the Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad, operating as a subsidiary of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). Two decades later, ACL completed its acquisition of ABC.
Atlantic Coast Line and successors
The corridor originally developed by the Waycross Air Line Railroad and its successors continued operation under ACL, surviving subsequent mergers that resulted in the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (1967), Seaboard System Railroad (1982), and ultimately CSX Transportation (1986). Although CSX discontinued certain branch lines during the 1980s and 1990s, the majority of the track remains in service. The original Waycross Air Line Railroad combined with AB&A’s extension to Birmingham now constitutes CSX’s main route connecting Florida with the Midwest, featuring enhancements such as double tracking and concrete railroad ties.
Historic stations
| Milepost | City/Location | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANB 586.5 | Waycross | Waycross | junction with: |
| ANB 591.1 | Jamestown | ||
| ANB 593.1 | Waltertown | ||
| ANB 598.6 | Haywood | ||
| ANB 602.5 | Bolen | Bolen | |
| ANB 606.4 | Beach | Beach | |
| ANB 609.4 | Murray | ||
| ANB 613.0 | Sessoms | Sessoms | junction with Brunswick and Birmingham Railroad (AB&C/ACL) |
| ANB 615.9 | Nicholls | Nicholls | |
| ANB 620.3 | Saginaw | ||
| ANB 623.5 | Chatterton | ||
| ANB 629.5 | Douglas | Douglas | junction with Georgia and Florida Railroad (CoG/SOU) |
| ANB 632.0 | Upton | ||
| ANB 636.4 | Bushnell | Bushnell | |
| ANB 640.7 | Ambrose | Ambrose | |
| ANB 643.9 | Wray | Wray | |
| ANB 649.8 | Osierfield | Osierfield | |
| ANB 653.6 | Ashton | Ashton | |
| ANB 659.7 | Fitzgerald | Fitzgerald | junction with: |
| Milepost | City/Location | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abba | Abba | ||
| Arp | |||
| Rebecca | Rebecca | ||
| Double Run | Double Run | ||
| Hatley | Hatley | ||
| Musselwhite | |||
| Cordele | Cordele | junction with: | |
| Ross | |||
| Vienna | Vienna | ||
| Lilly | Lilly | ||
| Byromville | Byromville | ||
| Dooling |
Dooling | | ||
Fields | | |||
Bartlett |
|||
Southland | | |||
Manchester |
External links
- Defunct Georgia (U.S. state) railroads
- Predecessors of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
- Railway companies established in 1887
- Railway companies disestablished in 1906
- 1887 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
- 1906 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment
- American companies established in 1903