Brunswick and Western Railroad

The Brunswick and Western Railroad (known earlier as the Brunswick and Florida Railroad and the Brunswick and Albany Railroad) is a historic railroad in southern Georgia that at its greatest extent ran from Brunswick near the coast to Albany. Segments of the line still exist today.

Brunswick and Western Railroad
Route of Brunswick and Western Railroad shown in red. Original alignment (Brunswick and Florida Railroad) to Glenmore shown in dark red.
Overview
LocaleSouthern Georgia
SuccessorPlant System
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad

History

The first segment of the line was chartered in 1835 as the Brunswick and Florida Railroad. The Brunswick and Florida Railroad ran from Brunswick west to Glenmore (located about 10 miles west of present-day Waycross), where it would connect with the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad. The president of the Brunswick and Florida Railroad was Col. Charles L. Schlatter. Col. Schlatter was an accomplished and eminent civil engineer, who in early life was chief engineer of the state of Pennsylvania and of the Ogdensburg Railroad of New York. Col. Schlatter came to Georgia on account of failing health, requiring a mild climate, and became deeply interested in Brunswick; and to him belongs the credit of originating and organizing the Brunswick and Florida Railroad.[1] Col. Schlatter is the namesake of Schlatterville, Georgia which is located just west of Hoboken.

In 1863, the government of the Confederate States of America took much of the Brunswick and Florida's track and used it elsewhere for more vital railroad links. After the war in 1869, the State of Georgia provided about $6 million in bonds for the railroad to rebuild.[2] The railroad was then reorganized and rebuilt as the Brunswick and Albany Railroad in 1869. The westernmost segment of the original line to Glenmore was never rebuilt. Instead, the line was rerouted to connect with the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad at Tebeauville (which would later be known as Waycross). The line would then extended further as far as Albany.

In 1882, the lines name would change again to the Brunswick and Western Railroad.

The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad was bought by Henry B. Plant in 1879. It was renamed the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway and would become the main line of the Plant System. The Brunswick and Western Railroad was purchased by the Plant System in 1888 and was fully integrated into the system by 1901.

In 1902, the entire Plant System was bought by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. The Atlantic Coast Line continued to operate the Brunswick and Western as line as their Albany–Waycross Line (P Line) west of Waycross and as their Waycross–Brunswick Line (O Line) east of Waycross.[3] The Atlantic Coast Line became the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1967 after merging with their former rival, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation.

Current conditions

The Brunswick and Western Railroad still exists today in segments. CSX still operates the line from Waycross to Brunswick as their Brunswick Subdivision. CSX also continues to operate the line from Waycross to Pearson as the Pearson Spur.[4]

The remaining line from Albany to Sylvester is now operated by the shortline Georgia and Florida Railway.

Stations
Milepost[5] City/Location Station[6] Connections and notes
AP 699.4 Albany Albany junction with:
AP 698.1 East Albany
AP 696.6 Darrow
AP 689.4 Acree also known as Davis
AP 683.9 Willingham
AP 679.7 Sylvester Sylvester junction with Georgia, Ashburn, Sylvester and Camilla Railway (SOU)
AP 676.4 Poulan Poulan
AP 673.1 Sumner Sumner
AP 667.5 Ty Ty Ty Ty
AP 661.1 Hillsdale
AP 658.4 Tifton Tifton junction with:
AP 651.3 Brookfield
AP 647.1 Enigma Enigma
AP 641.1 Alapaha Alapaha
AP 635.2 Glory
AP 629.0 Willacoochee Willacoochee junction with Augusta and Florida Railway (G&F)
AP 627.9 Pine Bloom
AP 626.2 Leliaton
AP 620.9 Kirkland
AP 617.5 Pearson Pearson
AP 610.7 Axson once known as McDonald's Mill
AP 606.7 Millwood
AP 603.7 Fairfax
AP 601.1 Hasty
AP 599.4 Sappville
AP 595.7 Waresboro
AP 587.1
AO 587.1[lower-alpha 1]		 Waycross Waycross junction with:
AO 593.4 Colgan’s Still
AO 597.2 Schlatterville
AO 601.1 Hoboken Hoboken
AO 609.9 Nahunta Nahunta junction with the Folkston Cutoff (SF&W/ACL)
AO 614.8 Lulaton
AO 618.2 Atkinson
AO 621.7 Waynesville
AO 627.1 Bladen junction with Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad Northern Division (SAL)
AO 630.6 Jamaica
AO 633.1 Anguilla junction with Colonel's Island Railroad
AO 636.0 Pyles Marsh
AO 639.0 Southern Junction junction with:
AO 641.5 Dock Junction originally Arco
AO 647.1 Brunswick Brunswick

Notes
  1. The milepost numbers along the line put in place by the Atlantic Coast Line originate in Waycross and continue from the former Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad. The numbers increase in each direction from Waycross.[5]

References
  1. Brown, Russell K. (2004). Our Connection with Savannah: History of the First Battalion Georgia Sharpshooter. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press. ISBN 0-86554-916-8. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  2. Confederate Railroads - Brunswick & Florida
  3. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Southern Division Timetable (1949)
  4. CSX Jacksonville Division Timetable
  5. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Savannah and Waycross Division Timetable (1982)
  6. "Georgia Railroads: Passenger Stations & Stops" (PDF). Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists (Georgia). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
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