THE EXCEPTION BECAME THE HOLDOUT The Georgia Mixeds BY MARTIN K. O’TOOLE/PHOTOS BY JIM BOYD


a decline that appeared to be as terminal as the stub end track in any metropolis. After some debate in Congress, legislation was passed in 1970 to form the National Railroad Passenger Corporation with a start date of May 1, 1971. Most railroad companies still offering passenger service opted to join Amtrak and be shed of their financial burden. One of the exceptions — and a unique one at that — was the Georgia Railroad’s passenger service. In comparison with the Southern Railway, which ran the Southern Crescent in a style befitting a classic named train, the Georgia Railroad


A 52 JANUARY 2017 • RAILFAN.COM


S THE SORDID 1960S SHUFFLED to its unseemly conclusion, American railroad passenger service was in


operated lowly mixed trains which were a curiosity wrapped in an unique history. The Georgia Railroad was originally chartered in 1833 in Augusta. In 1835, that charter was amended to permit the company to get into the lucrative banking business. In fact, the banking business became so profitable that it became the major corporate focus for most of the company’s history. One association with the Georgia Railroad which may surprise non- Georgians was J. Edgar Thomson. Thomson became the chief engineer of the Georgia Railroad and helped survey the line, construct the road, and finally operate it. As a result of his success, he became famous around the country as


one of the leading civil engineers of the new burgeoning railroad business. The Georgia Railroad & Banking Co. originally intended that the rail line would run from Augusta to Athens. In fact, Athens dominated the line’s directors at the beginning. But with the banking trade expanding, the center of gravity moved to Augusta, and Augusta in turn diverted its gaze from Athens and looked west. It was determined to construct the mainline to a terminal connection with the projected Western & Atlantic Railroad. It took until 1845 for the Georgia Railroad to finish the mainline from Augusta to Marthasville. Marthasville was known on the railroad as “the


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