Georgia State Railroad Museum

Savannah, Georgia: For decades our nation was connected by rail. People and goods passed from coast to coast on this vast network of railways and there is no better example of the rail era then the Georgia State Railroad Museum.

The museum is housed in one of the most complete Antebellum rail complexes in the nation. It is the oldest and largest 19th century rail complexes in the country. Thirteen of the original structures still remain at the museum. The 33 acre site has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark.

The complex was built in the late 1800’s for the Central of Georgia Railway. A major fire in the early 1920’s damaged a bunch of the buildings but they were later rebuilt. The complex remained in operation until 1963 when the Southern Railway bought out Central of Georgia and closed the facility. Southern transferred the complex to the City of Savannah and in 1989 the Coastal Heritage Society opened the museum.

The museum features a large collection of railcars and locomotives housed in the original roundhouse. The turntable in the middle of the roundhouse is still in operation. Several of the surrounding support buildings have been restored to show visitor’s how the facility looked like when it was in full operation.

The museum offers daily tours and activities including brief train ride around the site. Over 70,000 visitors come to the museum each year to take a glimpse into the history of the Central of Georgia Railroad and its rich history.

Click on the photo above to view my Georgia State Railroad Museum photo gallery.