Georgia Central Railway

The Georgia Central Railway[1] (reporting mark GC) operates about 174 miles (280 km) of former Seaboard Coast Line track from Macon, Georgia through Dublin, Georgia and Vidalia, Georgia to Savannah, Georgia. It also operates about 20 miles (32 km) of trackage between Savannah and Riceboro, Georgia, switching Interstate Paper LLC. It connects with CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. The Georgia Central Railway is owned by Rail Link, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

Georgia Central Railway
Georgia Central U23Bs lead a freight train through Garden City, Georgia in 2010.
Overview
HeadquartersLyons, Georgia
Reporting markGC
LocaleGeorgia
PredecessorMacon, Dublin, and Savannah Railroad; Savannah, Americus, and Montgomery; Seaboard Air Line Railroad; Seaboard Coast Line; Family lines System; Seaboard System; CSX Transportation
Technical
Track gaugeStandard (4" 8.5')
ElectrificationNone

Despite the name, the Georgia Central is in no way related to the Central of Georgia Railway.

Locomotives

The Georgia Central operates a roster of GE U23B, GE U30B, EMD GP9, EMD GP18, EMD GP38, and EMD SW9 locomotives.[2]

In the early 2010's, the Georgia Central became rather famous, being one of the last railroads in North America to have a complete roster of U23Bs, known as U-Boats.[3] Since then, however, all but one of these units have been scrapped, with the last one residing in Oak Ridge, Tn, on the roster of the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum.

History

The Georgia Central Railway was chartered in 1885 as the Macon and Dublin Railroad, to connect its namesake cities. In 1991, it changed its name to the Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railway, even though the railroad did not reach the port city of Savannah. In fact, the original railroad did not go closer to the coast than Vidalia, Ga, as that was where it interchanged with the Savannah, Americus, and Montgomery Railroad. In 1912, the railroad was purchased by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. the line continued its operation, when in 1954, it was fully absorbed in to the Seaboard Air Line. In 1990, the Georgia Central Railroad was formed as an effort by Rail Link to purchase several different railroads from CSX Transportation, including the former Macon, Dublin, and Savannah, and the Savannah, Americus, and Montgomery. The ownership of the Georgia Central changed hands in 2012, when Genesee & Wyoming purchased Rail Link.[4]

Infastructure

Recently, The Georgia Central began working on improving track conditions and size, so that it can handle 286,000 lb. railcars, the same as class 1 railroads. [5]

See also

Macon, Dublin, and, Savannah Railroad (predecessor)

Savannah, Americus, and Montgomery Railroad (predecessor)

References
  1. "HawkinsRails - Georgia Central". hawkinsrails.net. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  2. The Diesel Shop; Georgia Central Railway
  3. "GC - Georgia Central Locomotive Roster - Railroad Picture Archives.NET". www.rrpicturearchives.net. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  4. "Georgia Central Railway". www.gwrr.com. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  5. "Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary upgrades infrastructure in Georgia". FreightWaves. 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2021-01-20.


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