The Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad (

reporting mark A reporting mark is a code used to identify owners or lessees of rolling stock and other equipment used on certain rail transport networks. The code typically reflects the name or identifying number of the owner, lessee, or operator of the equip ...

MDS; MD&S) was chartered in 1885 as the Macon and Dublin Railroad. It was built to connect its namesake towns, Macon and Dublin. Eventually, it became a 96-mile short line operating between Macon and Vidalia.

History

The oldest predecessor of the MD&S was the Griswoldville & Jeffersonville Railroad Company, incorporated in 1872. However, the construction of the Macon to Dublin line lasted from 1885 to 1892. The railroad was restructured during this time, and between the years of 1901 and 1902, the construction of the line from Dublin to Vidalia was completed. The railroad had plans to continue to Savannah, but these fell out, mostly due to the

Central of Georgia 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 constr ...

not wanting to have a competitor. They were also granted some land in Macon to be used as a shop complex. In 1906, the Atlantic Coast Line purchased the MD&S, and only a few months later, realizing it was unprofitable, sold it to a group of investors. In 1907, it was sold to the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...

who continued to operate the MD&S independently. Importantly, Seaboard also owned the

Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway The Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway (SA&M) was a historic railroad located in the U.S. states of Georgia and Alabama. SA&M was built in the 1880s running between Montgomery, Alabama and Lyons, Georgia. It would be completed to Savannah, ...

, which extended from Vidalia to

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

. In 1950, the MD&S purchased three RS-2 diesel locomotives from

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...

, numbered 1700–1702. By 1955, they had purchased four more ALCOs, this time in the form of RS-3s, numbered 1703-1706 and converted their fleet to diesel. However, MD&S did not last long as an independent entity. It was fully absorbed into the Seaboard Air Line Railroad by 1957, becoming their Macon Subdivision.Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Savannah Division Timetable (1967)
/ref> It acted as a feeder line for the Seaboard. In 1967, the Seaboard Air Line merged with its rival, the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

(one of the previous owners of the MD&S). After the merger, the combined company was named the

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...

. The Seaboard Coast Line made many improvements between Macon and Dublin, including welded rail and new ties. This was due to the Kaolin industry booming in this region at the time. Upgrades included even concrete ties under the sidings for all of the sectors. In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the

Chessie System Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Western Maryland Railway (WM), and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT). Trains operated u ...

, creating the

CSX Corporation CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merge ...

. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...

. In 1990, CSX sold the line to Rail Link, and operated as the

Georgia Central Railway The Georgia Central Railway operates about of former Seaboard Coast Line track from Macon, Georgia through Dublin, Georgia and Vidalia, Georgia to Savannah, Georgia. It also operates about of trackage between Savannah and Riceboro, Georgia, sw ...

. In 2004, Rail Link was acquired by

Genesee & Wyoming Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom; and formerly in Australia. ...

, which continues to operate the line today.

Historic stations

References

{{Reflist Georgia (U.S. state) railroads Seaboard Air Line Railroad Defunct Georgia (U.S. state) railroads Predecessors of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad