The Columbus Southern Railway is a historic railroad that operated in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

.

It was originally chartered in 1885 as the Columbus and Florida Railway. The Columbus Southern Railway was created in 1886 after the C&F's charter was amended. The railroad operated an 88 mile line from Columbus to Albany that opened in 1890.

Soon after opening, the line was leased to the Georgia Midland and Gulf Railroad

Georgia Midland and Gulf Railroad

The Georgia Midland and Gulf Railroad was chartered in 1885 and began operations in 1887, running from Columbus, GA to McDonough, GA. In 1890, the line leased the Columbus Southern Railway but was forced to cancel the lease a year later due to financial problems...

 but the lease was canceled shortly afterward. The railroad operated independently until running into financial problems in 1895. It was sold to the Georgia and Alabama Railroad

Georgia and Alabama Railroad

The Georgia and Alabama Railway was formed in 1895 from the failed Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway. The G&A expanded rapidly, acquiring the Abbeville and Waycross Railroad and building it further South to Ocilla, GA, obtaining a lease from the Central of Georgia Railroad for trackage...

in 1896.