The Columbus and Rome Railway is a historic,

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railroad that operated in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Chartered in 1871 as the

North and South Railroad of Georgia The North and South Railroad of Georgia was chartered in 1870 to build a narrow gauge railroad from Columbus to Rome, Georgia Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills ...

, the Columbus and Rome Railway opened in 1873 with a line going north out of

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

. The

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

was eventually extended to

Hamilton, Georgia Hamilton is a city in, and the county seat of Harris County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,680 at the 2020 census, up from 307 at the 2000 census. As of 20 ...

, and by 1888 was operating as far as Greenville. At some time during the final construction to Greenville, the railroad was acquired by and consolidated into the

Savannah and Western Railroad The Savannah and Western Railroad is a historic railroad that was located in Georgia. The S&W was incorporated in 1885, and acquired property in 1888 through a consolidation of seven different railroads owned by the Central Railroad and Banking ...

, a subsidiary of the

Central of Georgia Railway The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was cons ...

References

Defunct Georgia (U.S. state) railroads Predecessors of the Central of Georgia Railway Railway companies established in 1882 Railway companies disestablished in 1888 Narrow gauge railroads in Georgia (U.S. state) 3 ft gauge railways in the United States {{US-rail-company-stub