Reprinted from The Right Way Magazine, Volume 51, No. 5
The histories of these two lines are closely tied together through mergers and consolidations. The Savannah and Western has been mentioned frequently in the story of several other railroads.
The Savannah and Columbus Railway Company was incorporated May 19, 1888, and was consolidated with the Savannah and Western June 18, 1888. This company did not construct any track.
The Savannah and Western built only one track, acquiring its other lines by purchases and consolidations. The original line of the Savannah and Western was between Meldrim and Lyons, a distance of 57.48 miles. The line was leased to the Georgia and Alabama Railway Company (now controlled by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company) in 1896.
The Savannah and Western was incorporated Oct. 9, 1885, and was sold at Judicial Sale Oct. 5, 1895. It was conveyed to the Central Dec. 2, 1895.
Before it was sold to the Central, the railroad had grown considerably. The railroad it absorbed, which hasn’t been mentioned previously, was the Columbus and Western Railway Company. This line was consolidated with the Savannah and Western July 31, 1888. And with the history of the Columbus and Western, the major story of Central’s development is completed.
The Columbus and Western eventually became the owner of the Central’s line from Columbus to Birmingham. The first construction on this line began eastward from Opelika toward Columbus.
The Montgomery and West Point Rail Road Company constructed the line between 1852 and 1855, opening the railroad to the Chattahoochee River in January 1855. It crossed the river to the depot in Columbus one year later.
The Montgomery and West Point was incorporated Feb. 13, 1843, and was merged with the Western Railroad Company of the State of Alabama Sept. 1, 1870. It was sold to the Central Rail Road and Banking Company and the Georgia Rail Road and Banking Company, a purchasing committee. The Georgia Rail Road conveyed its interest in the line to the Central May 2, 1882. It was conveyed to the Columbus and Western in 1883, finally becoming part of the Central’s system in 1895.
In the five-year period 1869–74, the Savannah and Memphis Rail Road Company built a line from Opelika westward to Goodwater, 57.13 miles. Sections of the line were opened as follows: Opelika to Camp Hill, 1869; Camp Hill to Dadeville, 1871; Dadeville to Goodwater, 1874.
The stretch from Opelika originally was operated as the Opelika and Talladega Rail Road Company, incorporated Feb. 9, 1854, and again Dec. 9, 1859. Its name was changed to the Opelika and Tuscumbia Rail Road Company Nov. 9, 1861, and its name was again changed to Savannah and Memphis Rail Road Company Feb. 20, 1866. The property was sold at Judicial Sale June 7, 1880, and merged into the Columbus and Western Rail Road Company June 10, 1888.
The line from Goodwater to Birmingham, 69.01 miles, was built in the period 1886–88, and sections were opened for operation as follows: Goodwater to Sylacauga, Nov. 27, 1887; Sylacauga to Childersburg, April 15, 1888; Childersburg to Birmingham, July 1, 1888.
This stretch was built by the Columbus and Western built this stretch. The Goodwater and Birmingham Railway Company had been organized July 7, 1886, to construct the line, but was consolidated in 1886 with the Columbus and Western.
A branch of this line connected Roanoke with the main line. The East Alabama and Cincinnati Railway Company, which was probably chartered in 1868 (exact date not known), constructed the track between E. & A. Junction (Roanoke Junction) and Buffalo, 19.27 miles, in 1871. The East Alabama Railway Company succeeded that railroad, and completed the line from Buffalo to Roanoke, 16.85 miles, in 1888. It became part of the Central in 1895.
Central’s other line in Birmingham is the Mary Lee Connecting Railroad. With a mileage of only 1.33, the track connects the Mary Lee Railroad with a downtown furnace.
Another branch near Birmingham was the line between Henry Ellen and Margaret. Constructed in 1906, the line has since been abandoned.