The Savannah and Memphis Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. It was founded as the Opelika and Talladega Railroad in 1854. Before any track was built, the railroad became the Opelika and Tuscumbia Railroad in 1861. No track was built under the latter name either as the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

broke out and interrupted plans. Once the fighting had stopped, the railroad was finally reorganized under the S&M name, but by 1874 had only built 55 miles of track from

Opelika, Alabama Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Opelika is ...

, to

Goodwater, Alabama Goodwater is a town in Coosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,291. It is part of the Talladega-Sylacauga Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Goodwater is located near the northeast corner of Coosa C ...

, before finally going bankrupt. It was sold to the

Columbus and Western Railway The Columbus and Western Railway (C&W) is a historic railroad that operated in Georgia, United States. Organized in 1880, the C&W was founded to connect Columbus, Georgia, to Birmingham, Alabama. The same year, the C&W started by purchasing the S ...

in 1880.

References

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External links

* Defunct Alabama railroads Predecessors of the Central of Georgia Railway Railway companies established in 1866 Railway companies disestablished in 1880 1866 establishments in Alabama {{Alabama-transport-stub