Charleston and Savannah Railway

Charleston and Savannah Railway

Company type	Railroad
Industry	Rail transport
Predecessor	Charleston and Savannah Railroad (1854–1866), Savannah and Charleston Railroad (1866–1880)
Founded	1854
Defunct	1901
Successor	Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Headquarters	Charleston, South Carolina , United States
Area served	South Carolina, Georgia
Key people	Thomas Drayton (president 1853–1856), Henry B. Plant (owner in 1880s)
Products	Rail transportation

The Charleston and Savannah Railway was a railroad operating in the 19th century along the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia, traversing the South Carolina Lowcountry. Its designation changed throughout its history as follows:

• Charleston and Savannah Railroad (1854–1866)
• Savannah and Charleston Railroad (1866–1880)
• Charleston and Savannah Railway (1880–1901)

History

Established in 1854 under the name Charleston and Savannah Railroad, this company managed a rail connection between the prominent port cities of Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. From 1853 to 1856, the railroad was presided over by South Carolina state senator Thomas Drayton.

Throughout the Civil War, this railroad played a vital role in transporting supplies to Confederate forces stationed near Savannah. In December 1864, Union troops commanded by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman sought to disrupt the line during his March to the Sea campaign; however, significant destruction was only achieved later during the 1865 Carolinas campaign.

Following reorganization in 1866 as the Savannah and Charleston Railroad, operations recommenced by 1870 with a track gauge of . Financial difficulties led to a loan default in 1873, causing bankruptcy. Subsequently, industrialist Henry B. Plant acquired the railroad during the 1880s. The line was then renamed Charleston and Savannah Railway and incorporated into Plant's growing Plant System network.

In 1877, another component of the Plant System, the Ashley River Railroad, connected Johns Island with North Charleston, replacing a ferry service. During the 1880s, Plant also constructed the Yonges Island Branch, diverging from the main line at Ravenel; this branch has since been abandoned.

The Plant System was purchased by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902, integrating the Charleston and Savannah Railway into ACL’s primary route stretching from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa, Florida. Additionally, the segment between Hardeeville and Savannah accommodated Southern Railway traffic traveling from Columbia to Florida.

The portion of track east of Johns Island became known as the Croghans Branch after service commenced on the Ashley River Railroad; this branch has been discontinued and transformed into the West Ashley Greenway.

Following ACL’s merger with Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1967 to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, further consolidation occurred in 1980 when its parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating CSX Corporation. By 1986, CSX Transportation unified these systems into one operation. Presently, the track from Johns Island to Savannah remains active as part of CSX’s A Line (Charleston Subdivision).

Historic stations

Charleston to Savannah

State	Milepost	City/Location	Station	Connections and notes
SC	AM 408.0	Charleston	Croghans	near Albemarle Point
	AM 406.4		St. Andrews
	AM 404.3		Wappoo
	AM 403.9		DuPont	junction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Charleston Subdivision
			Melvin
	AM 398.7 A 398.7	Johns Island	Johns Island	junction with Ashley River Railroad (ACL)
	A 402.0		Rantowles
	A 403.2		Berry Hill
	A 406.7	Ravenel	Ravenel	junction with Yonges Island Branch
	A 409.1		New Road
	A 412.9	Adam's Run	Adam's Run
	A 415.8	Parkers Ferry	Parkers Ferry
	A 418.1		Pon Pon
	A 419.2	Jacksonboro	Jacksonboro
			Edash
	A 424.9		Ashepoo
	A 428.7	Green Pond	Green Pond	junction with Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad
	A 432.3		White Hall
			Blakes
	A 440.8	Salkehatchie	Salkehatchie
	A 443.0	Yemassee	Yemassee	'\'Amtrak\ Silver Meteor, Palmetto station partially rebuilt in 1955 junction with Charleston and Western Carolina Railway (Atlantic Coast Line Railroad)

State	Milepost	City/Location	Station	Connections and notes

State	Milepost	City/Location	Station	Connections and notes

State	Milepost	City/Location	Station	Connections and notes

State	Milepost	City/Location	Station	Connections and notes

State	Milepost	City/Location	Station	Connections and notes

State	Milepost	City/Location	Station	Connections and notes

State	Milepost	City/Location	Station	Connections and notes

See also

• Charleston Subdivision

External links

• Tenth Annual Report presented to shareholders
• Charleston and Savannah Railroad archives, Special Collections, College of Charleston

Further reading

• Stone, H. David, Vital Rails: The Charleston & Savannah Railroad and the Civil War in Coastal South Carolina, University of South Carolina Press, 2008.