Elberton Air-Line Railroad This northeast Georgia line was chartered by Elberton businessmen in 1871 to build a railroad from Elberton to the Atlanta & Richmond Air-Line Railroad at Toccoa. The 51-mile, 3-foot gauge line was completed in late 1878. It was controlled by the Atlanta & Charlotte Air-Line Railway (successor to the Atlanta & Richmond Air-Line) from 1878 to 1881 and was part of the Richmond & Danville Railroad system from 1881 to 1894. After 1894 it was controlled by R&D successor Southern Railway, which rebuilt it at standard gauge in 1895. It was later absorbed into Southern. In 1995 Southern successor Norfolk Southern sold the line to the Hartwell Railroad. Note: At the time, "Air-Line" referred to a direct route, or at least a route more direct than that of any competitor. Maps and Timetables: 1882 timetable (20K) 1882 map (83K) 1892 map (200K)   Suggested Reading: George W. Hilton. American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1990. RailGa.com. Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. © Steve Storey. Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home