Cordele in Crisp County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Georgia & Albany Railway
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 8, 2021
1. Georgia & Albany Railway Marker
Inscription.
Banker and lawyer Samuel H. Hawkins, who saw greater potential in the line than had been realized up until then. An extension from Abbeville to Lyons opened in June 1890, and an extension from Louvale to the Chattahoochee River was completed a few months later. At Lyons the SA&M connected with a new line to Savannah opened in May 1890 by the Savannah & Western Railroad, a subsidiary of the Central of Georgia. The new Abbeville-Lyons and Louvale-Chattahoochee River tracks were constructed at standard gauge. Meanwhile the 106-mile Louvale-Americus Abbeville trackage, which was all narrow gauge, was rebuilt to standard gauge in 1889-90. At Abbeville, the SA&M connected with its fleet of riverboats operating on the Ocmulgee and Altamaha rivers to Darien, Brunswick, and Savannah. The railroad owned five such boats in 1891. These were apparently sold not long after the rail connection to Savannah was completed. At the time, the railroad operated 19 locomotives and 1,048 cars, according to Poors 1891 Manual of the Railroads. In 1892 the SA&M leased the Albany & Northern Railway, a 35-mile line between Albany and Cordele. In 1895
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the SA&M was sold under foreclosure to a syndicate formed by the Richmond banking firm of John L. Williams and Sons and the Baltimore firm of Middendorf, Oliver and Company. It was reorganized as the Georgia & Alabama Railway. The Cordele-Albany line was reorganized as a separate independent company, the Albany Northern Railway.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 31° 58.204′ N, 83° 47.005′ W. Marker is in Cordele, Georgia, in Crisp County. It can be reached from Wall Street West west of 7th Street North (U.S. 41), on the right when traveling west. Marker is located in Cordele Railway Park, overlooking multiple active railroad tracks. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 106 Wall Street West, Cordele GA 31015, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds
2. Marker detail: Albany & Northern #9, March 1957
itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Cordele Railway Park
Also see . . . Abandoned Rails: Albany to Cordele, GA. This railway line was constructed in 1891 by the Albany, Florida and Northern Railway, chartered to build
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 8, 2021
3. Georgia & Albany Railway Marker
(CSX freight train heading west in the background)
a line between Albany and Cordele. In 1895, the AF&N was renamed the Albany and Northern Railway, under which the line was operated for more than half a century. In 1966, the line came under the control of the Southern Railway, who operated it under its Georgia Northern Railway subsidiary starting in 1971. (Submitted on June 1, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 8, 2021
4. Cordele Railway Park
(looking north from Wall Street West • marker and passing freight train visible in background)
Cordele Railway Park has an observation platform, parking area, and a large green space. Historic markers detailing the railroad history of Cordele overlook the tracks. Cordele has a rare type of switch called an interlocking or “Diamond” switch where CSX, Norfolk Southern and Heart of Georgia mainlines all cross one another at one location. This is an excellent place for railroad fans to watch trains.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 724 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 1, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
