Western Railway of Alabama For most of the twentieth century the Atlanta and West Point Rail Road and the Western Railway of Alabama jointly operated an Atlanta-Montgomery connection known as the West Point Route, named for the Chattahoochee River town of West Point, Georgia, where the two lines met. The WR of A dated back to January 20, 1832 when a charter was granted to the Montgomery Railroad for the purpose of building a rail line from the Alabama city to the Chattahoochee across from Columbus. In 1834, a second charter was acquired, with the eastern terminus changed from Columbus to West Point. Because of difficulties in finding financing, the first 12 miles of road, from Montgomery eastward, did not open until 1840. Further financial troubles lead to a foreclosure sale in 1842 and reorganization as the Montgomery and West Point Railroad. The line was finally completed to West Point in 1851. A branch to Columbus from the main line at Opelika was constructed in 1852-56. Having built a railroad from Montgomery to eastern markets, the M&WP’s owners soon turned their attention to building a western line to Selma. To further this effort, in 1854 they established the new Western Rail Road Company of Alabama and consolidated the M&WP into the new company. It was not until 1870, however, that the Selma line was opened and the consolidation completed. In 1875, the Georgia Railroad and the Central of Georgia jointly purchased the WR of A. In 1881, William M. Wadley, the Central’s president, leased the Georgia Railroad. Along with it, he acquired the Georgia’s interests in the WR of A and the Atlanta and West Point. Wadley then assigned the lease jointly to the Central of Georgia and the Louisville and Nashville. In 1882, the Columbus and Western Railway subsidiary of the Central acquired the WRofA’s Columbus-Opelika branch. This line eventually became part of the Central’s Columbus-Birmingham branch. Suggested Reading: Robert H. Hanson. The West Point Route: The Atlanta & West Point Rail Road and The Western Railway of Alabama. Lynchburg, VA: TLC Publishing, 2007. 1935 map (36K) 1906 timetable (266K) 1969 map (80K)   Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Copyright, Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home