Columbus Southern Railway This 88-mile line between Columbus and Albany was chartered in 1885 as the Columbus and Florida Railway. When the charter was amended in 1886, the company was renamed the Columbus Southern Railway Company. The road opened in April of 1890 and was soon leased to the Georgia Midland and Gulf Railroad. The lease was cancelled the following year, after which the railroad operated independently until 1895 when it entered receivership. It was sold to the Georgia and Alabama in 1896 and later was merged into the Seaboard Air Line Railway. 1895 map (38K)   Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Copyright, Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home