Western Railway of Alabama GP9 531 with Train 37, The Crescent, at Opelika, AL in February 1968.
(Photo by Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard from U.S.A., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
WESTERN RAILWAY OF ALABAMA
The Western Railway of Alabama (WRA) also seen as "WofA" was created as the Western Railroad of Alabama by the owners of the Montgomery & West Point Railroad (M&WP) in 1860. It was built to further the M&WP's development West from Montgomery, Alabama to Selma, Alabama. When the line was constructed in 1870, the M&WP was merged into the WRA, creating a line from Selma to West Point, Georgia. It served Auburn, Alabama and connected in Opelika, Alabama to the Central of Georgia line from Columbus, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama. Although it was partially owned by the Central of Georgia around the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, it did not end up being owned by Norfolk Southern when that company came into existence due to the merger of the CofG's parent, the Southern Railway, and the Norfolk & Western Railway.
In the 1980s, the line and its sister railroads, the Atlanta & West Point Railroad and the Georgia Railroad, became part of the Family Lines System, along with the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and the Clinchfield Railroad. The lines were all later renamed Seaboard System Railroad, which in 1986 merged with the Chessie System to become CSX Transportation.
The WRA still sees regular freight service. Passenger service ceased January 7, 1970.
Western Railway of Alabama GP7 525 with Atlanta & West Point's Train 38, The Crescent, at Fairburn, GA on October 26, 1968. (A Roger Puta Photograph. Note, this may be Tom Hoffmann's slide in Puta's collection, courtesy Marty Bernard from U.S.A., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Western Railway of Alabama Bicentennial Caboose in Montgomery, Ala. on June 9, 1987. (Photo by Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard from U.S.A., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Western Railway of Alabama FP7 502 at yards in East Atlanta, GA in October 1967. (Photo by Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard from U.S.A., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Western Railway of Alabama FP7 503 with Train 33, The Piedmont Limited, as it waits in its stall at the Atlanta Georgia Terminal Station. SAL coach at right on April 15, 1963. (Photo by Roger Puta, courtesy Marty Bernard from U.S.A., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
In 1955, the Atlanta and West Point Rail Road Company, with 93 miles of line, and the Western Railway of Alabama, with 138 miles of track, were jointly operated, both roads being subsidiaries of the Atlantic Coast Line and the Louisville and Nashville.
Misc. Statistics (1955)
| Item | Revenue |
|---|---|
| Freight Revenue | $2,878,423.00 |
| Passenger Revenue | $312,735.00 |
| Total Operating Revenue | $3,643,710.00 |
| Net Income | $235,349.00 |
Equipment Data (1955)
| Type | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Locomotives (units): | |
| Diesel-Electric - Freight | 6 |
| Diesel-Electric - Multi-Purpose | 5 |
| Diesel-Electric - Switching | 5 |
| Total Diesel-Electric: | 16 |
| Freight Cars: | |
| Box | 350 |
| Stock | 21 |
| Gondola and Hopper | 166 |
| Caboose | 9 |
| Rack | 182 |
| Total Freight Cars: | 728 |
| Passenger Cars: | |
| Coach | 10 |
| Combination-Coach | 1 |
| Dining | 2 |
| Sleeping | 1 |
| Postal (RPO) | 1 |
| Other Head-end | 16 |
| Total Passenger Cars: | 31 |
| Company Service Equipment (MOW) | 53 |
Western Railway of Alabama Schedule, 1968.
(WRA, via W. Lenheim Collection)
