The Resurrection of an Abandoned Railroad

A group of Narcoa volunteers has resurrected a long abandoned Georgia railroad exclusively for motorcar excursions. Once the line was the route of high speed passenger and heavy freight trains that ran between Montgomery, AL and Savannah, GA, but the track has been out of service for many years.

The line has an interesting history. In 1884, several Americus, GA investors led by Samuel Hawkins, a legendary Georgia railroad builder, chartered the narrow gauge Americus, Preston and Lumpkin Railroad. By 1887, the line reached from Americus through Richland to Lumpkin and Louvale. An extension from Louvale to Chattahoochee River was completed in 1890. The line was also extended eastward from Americus to Abbeville on the Ocmulgee River, on which the company operated steamboats to Savannah and Brunswick. It was the only railroad in Georgia to be constructed using only local capital.

In 1888 the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery Railway (often abbreviated to SAM) was establish to take over the line and provide a direct rail route between Savannah, GA and Montgomery, AL. The new Company upgraded the original narrow gauge track to standard gauge, constructed a bridge over the Chattahoochee River, and obtained trackage rights into Savannah. The completed railroad covered 340 miles. Over the years, the line survived during booms and depressions, but changed ownership several times. In 1895, the SAM railroad was sold under foreclosure and this section of track became a portion of the Georgia and Alabama Railroad, which was acquired by the Seaboard in 1900, the Seaboard Coast Line in 1967 and CSX in 1980.

The line was transferred to a short line holding company in 1989. When abandonment became inevitable, the line was purchased by the Georgia Department of Transportation and leased to the Heart of Georgia Railroad Inc. which never operated on this track. The policy of State of Georgia is to keep abandoned rail lines in tact.

The section of track on which excursions operate is located just to the west of Richland, GA, a friendly small town with a proud history. Until the late 1960s, Richland was a crossroads for a vast rail network. Long trains often blocked one side of town from the other, causing local residents to rush to crossings before they were cut off from accomplishing their daily tasks. At one time Richland was a stopping point for 12 passenger trains each day. The last train over the rails west of Richland ran about 1985.

The Narcoa portion of the story begins during a 2008 Narcoa Excursion on another Georgia railroad. During the lunch stop at Eufaula, AL, Will and Connie Thompson were discussing the rail line that had extended from Richland, GA to the Alabama line with some other Narcoa members. Later that day, Will asked his friend and fellow motorcar operator, Larry Crowe, who lived in the area, if the track had been removed. Larry thought it was gone.

Out of curiosity, the following weekend, Will and Connie explored the area by road and found the track, although severely overgrown, was still in place. When Will told Larry of his find, they decided to see if the long abandoned track might be used for motorcar excursions. Further exploration revealed the track was basically in very good condition in most places with heavy rail which had at one time permitted a 45 mph track speed. Many of the ties had been replaced just before service ended. This portion of the railroad is isolated from any train operation because the track in Alabama has been torn up and several sections of rail east of Richland have been removed.

The plan began to take shape. Jim Garner, a career railroad man and fellow Narcoa member found the proper contacts with the Heart of Georgia Railroad and the State of Georgia. After a lot of phone calls and meetings, the group got permission to use the 28 miles of track between Richland, GA and the Chattahoochee River on the Alabama State Line for Narcoa excursion purposes.

And then the work began… A group of volunteers started clearing the line in February, 2009. Working one weekend a month until May and resuming in October, the work progressed until by April, 2010, twenty miles of track were operational. In addition to clearing brush and trees that had overtaken the right-of-way, a lot of work was needed to clear clogged road crossings and repair heat kinks which can move the rails laterally up to a foot daily due to temperature extremes.

The first "official" excursion took place in May 2010 with others planned at frequent intervals. Work will resume in the fall of 2010 with the goal of having all 28 miles from Richland, GA to the Chattahoochee River operational by 2011.

In addition to the Crows and Thompson's, a lot of other volunteers including Jimmy and Leen Hunt, Jim Garner, Jim and Donna Hopkins, Marc Matthews, Dave Ferro, Jay Boggs, Bill Delmar and many others all helped to make the rail usable for excursions.

The result is a new and most interesting route for motorcar excursions. The line has few crossings, runs over the scenic rolling hills of rural Southwestern Georgia, through wooded and farming areas dotted with ponds, a deep cut through a red clay hill and lots of wildlife. There are 13 wooden trestles and one steel bridge. The longest trestle is built on a curve over the Hanahatchee Creek and is almost 700' in length. In many places, the meandering route of the original narrow gauge line is still visible.

The set-on location is along a major road just west of Richland. A motel is nearby with a number of restaurants in proximity. The set-on is in an ideal location where the rails pass through a large paved area at an old pulpwood yard. Trailers can straddle the track which makes loading and unloading very easy. The group has a port-a-potty on a trailer car which accompanies the group on excursions. The local community has been very supportive of the project which provides a revenue stream for some of the local businesses.

If you have an opportunity, don't miss a chance to operate on some rare and beautiful track.

Click on each picture for a larger view
Connie Thompson surveys the right-of-way before clearing began.	Jim Garner, Jim Hunt, Dave Ferro & Larry Crowe work to clear the track.
Will surveys the work needed to fix a heat kink.	"Just keep digging, guys, there's got to be rail down there somewhere"
Will Thompson. Leen Hunt, Jim Garner, Connie Thompson, Larry Crowe, Jim Hunt & Dave Ferro after clearing the first 9 miles of track.	It would be hard to imagine a better set-on site than the pulpwood yard near Richland.
Motorcars on the Hanahatchee Creek trestle. First excursion on the line - May, 2010	The first car is pulling ahead as the group passes through Lumpkin, GA - May, 2010

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