The Hartwell Railroad chartered in 1878 (or 1879) to build a 10-mile-long line between Hartwell, Georgia, and Bowersville, Georgia, where it connected with the Elberton Air-Line Railroad (later the Southern Railway). The railroad, originally built as a narrow gauge line, completed grading by about September 1879. Southern Railway assumed control of the line in 1902. A group of local residents purchased the line for $40,000 in 1924, even though the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) appraised the line at $120,000. A local businessman, B.R. Anderson, purchased the line in 1990.
The Norfolk and Western Railway was a United States Class I railroad headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, and established through over 200 mergers between 1838 and 1982.
For most of its history, its motto was "Precision Transportation," and it was known by several nicknames, such as "King Coal" and "British Railway of America." In 1986, the N&W merged with the Southern Railway to form what is now the Norfolk Southern Railway.
The N&W gained recognition for manufacturing its own steam locomotives and hopper cars at the Roanoke Shops. After 1960, it was the last major Class I railroad to operate steam locomotives, with the final Y class 2-8-8-2s retired in 1961.
In December 1959, the N&W merged with the Virginian Railway, a longstanding competitor in the Pocahontas coal region. By 1970, additional mergers with the Nickel Plate Road and Wabash created a network operating 7,595 miles of road and 14,881 miles of track, spanning from North Carolina to New York and from Virginia to Iowa.
In 1980, the N&W combined its business operations with those of the Southern Railway, another profitable carrier, to establish the Norfolk Southern Corporation as a holding company. Both the N&W and Southern Railway continued to function as separate railroads under this unified corporate structure.
In 1982, the Southern Railway was renamed Norfolk Southern Railway, and the holding company transferred control of the N&W to this newly renamed entity.
The Richmond & Danville Railroad was established in Virginia in 1847 and gradually expanded its network to span nine states.
Chartered in 1847, the railroad completed its initial 140-mile stretch between Richmond and Danville, Virginia, by 1856. During the Civil War, it served as a crucial supply route for the Confederate capital. Following the war, the line continued to expand, eventually developing into an extensive network.
By 1890, the Richmond & Danville System encompassed 3,300 miles of track across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas. However, this rapid expansion led to significant financial instability.
Following the bankruptcy of the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company, the Richmond & Danville Company also faced insolvency. Receivers assumed control of its assets, including subsidiaries, on June 15, 1892. Two years later, the company was sold and incorporated into the newly formed Southern Railway Company, which ultimately evolved into Norfolk Southern.
The Roswell Railroad was chartered on April 10, 1863, but it wasn’t until Sept. 1, 1881, that the railroad began operations. The line operated from Roswell Junction, where it connected with the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway (in modern-day Chamblee), and the Chattahoochee River (near Roberts Drive in present-day Sandy Springs). In 1902, the 2.7-mile-long Bull Sluice Railroad branched off near Dunwoody to help the Georgia Railway and Power Company build its hydroelectric Morgan Falls Dam. The railroad initially built the line to a narrow, three-foot gauge; it was broadened to standard gauge circa 1903. The railroad likely operated a combination passenger coach and baggage car, two boxcars and four flat cars. Ike Roberts served as the railroad’s only engineer. The federal government operated the railroad between Jan. 1, 1918, and March 1, 1920, and afterward, the railroad determined it was no longer a viable line; it ceased operations in 1921.
The Tallulah Falls Railway traces was organized in March 1898 to buy the Blue Ridge & Atlantic Railroad and extend it to Franklin, North Carolina. The Blue Ridge & Atlantic laid tracks from Cornelia, Georgia, to Tallulah Falls, Georgia. The Tallulah Falls successfully extended tracks to the North Carolina State line in early 1904 and Franklin in June 1907. However, a receiver was appointed for the 57.2-mile-long line in January 1908. Southern Railway took control of the reorganized line. The railroad was not successful throughout its history and was known as “The TF” and “TF & Huckleberry.” The railroad switched from steam power to diesel in 1948, and it ran its final run on March 25, 1961.