Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad

Macon, Dublin, and Savannah RS-2 1700 on the Turntable of the Macon Shops. 1700 was of the first ordered from ALCO
Overview
Reporting mark	MDS
Locale	Georgia
Dates of operation	1872–1957
Successor	Seaboard Air Line Railroad Seaboard Coast Line Railroad CSX Transportation Georgia Central Railway
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)

The Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad (reporting mark MDS) was chartered in 1885 as the Macon and Dublin Railroad.^[1] 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.^[2] 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.^[1] The railroad had plans to continue to Savannah, but these fell out, mostly due to the Central of Georgia not wanting to have a competitor.^[3][4] They were also granted some land in Macon to be used as a shop complex.^[5]

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 who continued to operate the MD&S independently.^[6] Importantly, Seaboard also owned the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway, which extended from Vidalia to Savannah. In 1950, the MD&S purchased three RS-2 diesel locomotives from American Locomotive Company, numbered 1700–1702.^[7] By 1955, they had purchased four more ALCOs, this time in the form of RS-3s, numbered 1703-1706^[8] 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.^[9] It acted as a feeder line for the Seaboard.

In 1967, the Seaboard Air Line merged with its rival, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (one the previous owners of the MD&S). After the merger, the combined company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. 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 industries. In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation.

In 1990, CSX sold the line to Rail Link, and operated as the Georgia Central Railway.^[10] In 2004, Rail Link was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming, which continues to operate the line today.^[11]

Historic stations

References