East and West Railroad of Alabama
| Company type | Railroad |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Predecessor | Cartersville and Van Wert Railroad, Cherokee Railroad |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Alabama, Georgia |
| Products | Rail transport services |
The East and West Railroad of Alabama operated across the states of Alabama and Georgia. Originally constructed with a narrow gauge track, it was subsequently converted to standard gauge.
Its Alabama endpoint was located in Pell City, where it connected to the Southern Railway's standard gauge system as well as the narrow gauge Talladega and Cousa Valley Railroad. The line traversed through Broken Arrow—later renamed Coal City in 1883 and Wattsville in 1929—before continuing east-northeast toward the Georgia border. Within Georgia, the railroad served Esom Hill, then Cedartown, where it linked with the Rome and Carrollton Railroad. From there, the route extended through Rockmart and Taylorsville, ultimately terminating at Cartersville, which provided a connection to the Western and Atlantic Railroad.
At its origin in Georgia, this rail line was known as the Cartersville and Van Wert Railroad, chartered in 1868 to construct a broad gauge railway stretching from Cartersville to Prior near Alabama’s border. Approximately 45 miles of roadbed were prepared, with 14 miles of track installed reaching Taylorsville before the company was reorganized as the Cherokee Railroad in 1870. Under this new management, the line was extended to Rockmart and eventually sold to the Cherokee Iron Company in 1879. During this era, the track gauge transitioned from broad gauge to narrow gauge.