Planes, Trains & Heroes: A Story of Warner Robins and the Robins Region

Left: The Robins Air Force Base front
gate, c. the 1960s.
Below: A meeting in Sam Nunn’s
office to discuss extending
Russell Parkway.
In 1971, the Central of Georgia Railroad
merged their 1951 purchase of the Savannah &
Atlanta, into the Central of Georgia. This included
the Brinson Railway, which began in 1906. Its
connection, the Savannah & Atlanta appeared in
1915. The Central Rail Road & Banking Company
of Georgia began construction in 1835. It was
controlled by Illinois Central from 1909-1948 and
by Frisco from 1956-1961. In 1963, the Central of
Georgia became a subsidiary of Southern.
Southern and Central of Georgia also merged in
1971. The Georgia & Florida Railroad formed
from four shorter lines in 1906, was bought by
Southern Railway in 1962, and became part of
Southern’s Central of Georgia Railroad in 1971.
In 1981, the Elizabeth City & Norfolk
Railroad, founded in 1880, became Norfolk
Southern. Southern bought it and merged it
with Carolina & Northwestern in 1974. They
separated the two in 1981 so that the Norfolk
Southern name could be used for the merger.
Also in 1981, Norfolk Western purchased the
Illinois Terminal Railroad Company, which
started as a streetcar system for Champaign-
Urbana in 1890, then moved away from interurban
transport to freight by 1956.
In 1982, the Southern Railroad joined Norfork
& Western to become part of the greater Norfolk
Southern Corporation. Chartered in 1850 as
Norfolk & Petersburg and grouped with Atlantic,
Chapter Two ✦ 21