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The Macon and Western Railroad was an American railway company that operated in Georgia in the middle of the 19th century. Originally chartered as the Monroe Railroad and Banking Company in December 1833, it was not until 1838 that it opened for business with a 5 ft (1,524 mm)[1] gauge line from Macon, Georgia Northwest to Forsyth. It was extended to Griffin in 1842. An economic depression halted building, but when the railroad started building again, it managed only another 11.25 miles (18.11 km) towards Atlanta for a total of 81 miles (130 km) before falling into bankruptcy.[2]
It was bought in foreclosure and the name was changed to the Macon and Western Railroad in 1845.[3] This new railroad completed the line into Atlanta in 1846 by adding 21 more miles (34 km) for a grand total of 102 miles (164 km).[4] Portions of this railroad were destroyed during Sherman's March to the Sea. After the Civil War, this railroad was purchased by the Central Railroad and Banking Company of Georgia in 1872.
The stops available to riders in 1867 were:
Distances of depots from Atlanta
| # | Name | Miles | Kilometers | Notes |
| 1 | East Point, Georgia | 7 | 11 | |
| 2 | Rough and Ready, Georgia | 13 | 21 | Now called Mountain View, Georgia |
| 3 | Forest Park, Georgia | 15 | 24 | |
| 4 | Morrow's Station, Georgia | 19 | 31 | Old Name Morrow, Georgia |
| 5 | Jonesborough, Georgia | 23 | 37 | Shortened to Jonesboro |
| 6 | Lovejoy Station, Georgia | 29 | 47 | Old Name. Now just Lovejoy, Georgia |
| 7 | Bear Creek, Georgia | 34 | 55 | Now called Hampton, Georgia |
| 8 | Fayette, Georgia | 38 | 61 | Now called Sunny Side |
| 9 | Griffin, Georgia | 44 | 71 | |
| 10 | Thornton, Georgia | 50 | 80 | Now called Orchard Hill |
| 11 | Milner, Georgia | 56 | 90 | |
| 12 | Barnesville, Georgia | 62 | 100 | |
| 13 | Goggins, Georgia | 67 | 108 | |
| 14 | Collins, Georgia | 72 | 116 | |
| 15 | Forsyth, Georgia | 78 | 126 | |
| 16 | Smarr, Georgia | 83 | 134 | |
| 17 | Bolingbroke, Georgia | 89 | 143 | |
| 18 | Lorane, Georgia | 94 | 151 | |
| 19 | Macon, Georgia | 102 | 164 |
Trains departed from Atlanta at 7:15AM and 8:15PM and arrived there at 2:00PM and 4:35PM.
References
- ^ Confederate Railroads - Macon & Western
- ^ Georgia's Railroad History and Heritage
- ^ Georgia's Railroad History and Heritage
- ^ Preliminary report on the Eighth Census 1860 by United States Census Bureau (Washington DC: 1862), page 222 [1]
