When was the C of G line through Vidalia Georgia built? Was it built as a C of G line, or was it bought out by C of G? From what towns did the line run to and from?

Thanks-

J. Lally

-- J. Lally (lallyjo@hotmail.com), May 30, 2000

Answers

Ran across this site while searching for Midville stuff. I grew up in the 40s and 50s on the Magruder Farms plantation, 7 miles north of Midville, on the G&F rail line. Lots of good memories of the trains; the attention the engineers and conductors would give us kids; the excitement of the first diesel locomotive; the time our warehouse caught fire in middle of night and the way the engineer kept blowing the steam whistle 'til he got someone's attention - can still hear that sound. At 65, living in Atlanta, I still get a charge watching the Classic Tractors show and Trains and Locomotives on the RFD-TV channel.

I can tell you the G&F ran north from Midville to Magruder, Rosier, Vidette, Gough, Keysville, Hephzibah, Augusta. Don't know when G&F went to C of G, but do have memories of C of G running the Nancy Hanks from Savannah thru Millen, Midville, Wadley, and on to Atlanta (the Richs Shoppers Special).

-- James Elton Pennington (jepenn@bellsouth.net), August 15, 2002.

I worked the Train Order operator's job at Vidalia GA the last day the station was open, this was in 1982 or 1983, will have to check notes, the original G&F line ran from Greenwood SC thru Augusta- Vidette-Midville-Summertown-Swainsboro-Kirby-Vidalia-Alston- Hazlehurst-Douglas-Willacoochie-Nashville-Douglas-Madison FL. I also worked at Swainsboro-Douglas-Nashville in the last days the stations were open. Track is still on the ground from Augusta to Hephzibah, My brother lives near McBean in an old Central of Georgia foremans house and has an original shed in his yard. Track is also operable from Midville to Kirby, currently operated by Ogeechee Railroad, with a grant from state to put line back in service to Vidalia. Last time I passed through south of Vidalia track was there but had trees on it. Met lots of nice people on the G&F, mostly had fathers, then son's working there. Cartretts, Simmons, Sammons, Carver, Fagler, Yow to name a few that I remember. I have some old train orders and other scraps of paper, even some cancelled 8 cent passenger tickets from Douglas.

-- Chris Jeselnik (jcjeselnik@aol.com), February 17, 2001.

The G&F at its longest point ran from Greenwood, S. C., to Madison, Fla., with a number of branches in eastern Georgia. The G&F through Douglas has been gone for several years. The old G&F depot there has just been renovated and has a nice local museum with a lot of G&F photos and paper items on display.

-- Larry Goolsby (LGoolsby@aphsa.org), June 06, 2000.

This line was a part of the Georgia and Florida prior to being included in the Central of Georgia. The line linked Midville (in Burke County) with Nashville (in Berrien County). I vaguely remember being told that the line once extended to Augusta, but was pulled up. My map shows a C of G line between Nashville and Valdosta, so it is possible that it extends that far. I know for a fact that there was a branch line through Canoochee, in Emanuel County (probably coming off of the Midville-Nashville line at Summertown and leading to Statesboro. The line through Canoochee (for which I would appreciate any information that anyone has) was taken up in 1950.

It is my understanding that the segment of the Nashville-Midville line between Douglas and Wesley (south of Swainsboro) has been out of service for some time. However, I have no information whether the track is still in place.

I am not aware how the Georgia and Florida came to be included in the Central of Georgia. It is possible that it was bought by the Southern and then included within the corporate shell of the Central of Georgia at a later time.

-- Lee Gorday (lee.gorday@parsons.com), June 06, 2000.