Reprinted from The Right Way Magazine, Volume 51, No. 5
With an avowed purpose of building a railroad seven miles from Girard, Ala., “in the direction of Crawford,” the Girard Railroad Company was chartered Jan. 25, 1845. From this inconspicuous beginning, the railroad was later to make plans for a railroad to connect “with the navigable waters of Mobile Bay.”
Various dates have been found for the completion of the line from Girard to Union Springs. Evidence shows tickets were issued from Columbus to Union Springs in 1861, however, records show the bridge connecting Girard with Columbus was not built until 1865 or 1866. History does record that the line was open at least by 1868.
Construction was halted during the War Between the States, but in 1870, the line was extended to Troy. A connection was made in 1892 with Searight and in 1899 the line was completed to Andalusia. Opening of the Andalusia line completed the construction of the Mobile and Girard Railroad Company.
The damage to the railroad during the War Between the States amounted to “not less than $60,000.” The damage included the burning of shops, depots, water station, and locomotive and cars.
The Mobile and Girard Railroad Company was leased to the Central Rail Road and Banking Company in 1886 and was sold at Judicial Sale Nov. 25, 1895, and was conveyed to the Central March 7, 1896.
(next – The Savannah and Western Railroad Company and the Columbus and Western Railway Company)