Atlanta & Florida Railroad Chartered as the Atlanta and Hawkinsville Railroad in July, 1886, the name was changed in 1887 to the Atlanta and Florida Railroad. The road, which connected Atlanta with the middle Georgia town of Fort Valley, opened in November, 1888. An extension from Fort Valley to Cordele was planned, but never built. The 105-mile line was purchased by J.P. Morgan in 1895 and renamed the Atlanta and Florida Railway. It was quickly consolidated into the new Southern Railway and became its Fort Valley Branch. The A&F entered Atlanta at Roseland, a community near the junction of McDonough Blvd. and Jonesboro Rd. 1892 Map (99K). 1919 Fayetteville area map (125K).   Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Copyright, Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home