The Columbus and Western Railway (C&W) is a historic railroad that operated in 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...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

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Organized in 1880, the C&W was founded to connect Columbus, Georgia

Columbus, Georgia

Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...

, to Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

. The same year, the C&W started out by purchasing the Savannah and Memphis Railroad

Savannah and Memphis Railroad

The Savannah and Memphis Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in Alabama.It was originally founded as the Opelika and Talladega Railroad in 1854. Before any track was built, the railroad became the Opelika and Tuscumbia Railroad in 1861....

, which ran 66 miles (106.2 km) between Opelika

Opelika, Alabama

Opelika is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. According to 2010 Census, the population of Opelika was 26,477...

 and Goodwater, Alabama

Goodwater, Alabama

Goodwater is a city in Coosa County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 1,475. It is part of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Goodwater is located at .According to the U.S...

. Two years later, it purchased a 55 miles (88.5 km) branch of the Western Railroad of Alabama that ran from Columbus to Opelika. In 1888, the C&W constructed the final leg of the line from Goodwater to Birmingham. Later that year it was merged into the Savannah and Western Railroad

Savannah and Western Railroad

The Savannah and Western Railroad is a historic railroad that was located in Georgia.The S&W was incorporated in 1885, and acquired property in 1888 through a consolidation of seven different railroads owned by the Central Railroad and Banking Company of Georgia...

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