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Western & Atlantic Railroad
The Georgia Railroad reached Atlanta in September of 1845, followed by the Macon and Western the following year. In 1854, the Atlanta and West Point opened a fourth line into town, coming in from the southwest. The W&A became a key link in the chain of Southern antebellum railroads connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River and was the foundation for Atlantas emergence as a rail center. By the time of the Civil War, the W&A had 46 woodburning locomotives, two of which were to become participants in the Great Locomotive Chase of April 1862. It played a major role in the Atlanta Campaign and its loss to the South in 1864 was a serious blow to the Confederacys hopes of ultimate victory. Like many Southern railroads, the W&A suffered extensive damage during the war. In 1870, the road and rolling stock were leased for 20 years to a corporation headed by former Governor Joseph E. Brown and made up primarily of the officers of the W&A's connecting roads. In 1890, the W&A was leased to the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway. Owned by the state since its construction, the line is currently
under a long-term lease to NC&St.L successor CSX Transportation.
1870 timetable (106K) 1883 map (123K) 1906 timetable (140K) Article on the W&A at About North Georgia.
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