Georgia & Alabama

Company History: The G&A . (they had the rather unfortunate reporting marks of “GAAB”) was a 1989 spin-off of Norfolk Southern running from Smithville, Georgia 79 miles to White Oak, Alabama. This was a former Central Of Georgia route. The G&A was a subsidiary of the South Carolina Central which itself was in the RailTex shortline group.

Operations began with a GP9 #21 named “The Spirit of Eufaula.” Eufaula is a city in Alabama near the west end of the line. A GP7u with a chopped nose called “The Pride of Dawson” also worked the line. After a few years, the #21 was swapped for another chop nose GP7u #2078. “The Spirit of Eufaula” name was moved to the new unit. The G&A’s sister railroad Georgia Great Southern also used this paint scheme although with their own lettering and it was common to see each others locomotives on either railroad.

In 1995, The Georgia & Alabama and Georgia Great Southern were merged into another connecting shortline, the Georgia Southwestern.

Successor/Parent History: The GSWR began in 1988 as a division of the South Carolina Central Railroad but operating under the Georgia Southwestern name. This was a spin off of Norfolk Southern. The initial route linked Rhine, Georgia and Mahrt, Alabama on one axis and Columbus and Bainbridge, Georgia on the other. GSWR’s parent company was a part of the RailTex shortline group.

In 1996, Georgia Southwestern was merged with Georgia & Alabama and their sister line Georgia Great Southern with Georgia Southwestern being the surviving name. In 2000, RailTex was bought by RailAmerica but two years later, RailAmerica sold the Georgia Southwestern to local interests. GSWR’s mileage varied considerably over the years as lines were bought and sold. It appears to have maxed out at about 350 miles. The current routes are of Seaboard Air Line and Central Of Georgia ancestry. In 2008, GSWR joined the Genesee & Wyoming family of shortlines. Traffic includes chemicals, clay, grain, peanuts, plastic, stone and forest products. Under Genesee & Wyoming, GSWR now has a 234 mile system.

In addition to freight service, GSWR ran passenger excursions and acquired a pair of former VIA FP-9’s to pull them. A contract renegotiation with NS caused them to end the excursion service and the FP-9’s were then transferred to freight service.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.