Mirabeau Lamar Collier » Key Figures in Railroad History

Mirabeau L. Collier worked for the Western & Atlantic Railroad for more than 50 years and was the railroad’s long-time master mechanic.

He was born in Decatur in 1844, and his family moved to Atlanta in about 1848. He was raised and educated in Atlanta.

Collier began working in the railroad’s Atlanta shops in 1856 or 1858, depending on the source. He served a five-year apprenticeship in the machinist’s trade, working in the boiler shop, blacksmith shop, and brass foundry. He moved through the railroad’s ranks — from locomotive fireman to engineer, a role he held for three years.

After stepping away from the engineer’s seat, Collier was appointed foreman of the company’s roundhouse in Atlanta. He was further promoted to general foreman and to the position of master mechanic — a role he held for more than 40 years.

In late 1861, Collier, a committed Democrat, enlisted in the Confederate Army, becoming a sergeant in the Ninth Georgia Battalion of Artillery under General Longstreet’s command. He was responsible for two artillery pieces and participated in major battles, including Chickamauga, Knoxville, Lynchburg, Shepherdstown, Chapin’s Farm, and the Valley Campaign. He emerged from the war without injury and was present at Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.

He completed 50 years of continuous service with the Western & Atlantic Railroad as of February 8, 1906. As of 1906, he had never been reprimanded, was never involved in legal disputes, and was widely respected for his professionalism.

Collier retired from the railroad in about 1914 and died in 1917.