Midland Railway Midland Road, built on the bed of the Midland Railway. (Photo by Jamey Smith) The Midland was incorporated in May of 1915 by railroad entrepreneur George M. Brinson to build a 150-mile line from Savannah northwest to Statesboro, Swainsboro, Wrightsville, Sandersville, and Milledgeville. By the end of that year, the line had been built to Statesboro, some 49 miles northwest of Savannah. In June of the following year, Brinson purchased the 39-mile Savannah, Augusta, and Northern Railway which had laid tracks from Statesboro northwest to Stevens Crossing in 1908-10. The result was an 88-mile railroad from Savannah to a connection with the Georgia & Florida Railway at Stevens Crossing in Emanuel County. The Midland never proceeded any farther. In 1919, the company had three locomotives, 67 freight cars, four coaches, two combination cars, and one caboose. The Midland entered receivership in 1922, and Brinson was appointed receiver. The 43.6-mile section from Statesboro to Savannah was abandoned in December 1923. The remainder of the line was saved in 1924 when John Skelton Williams, president of the Georgia and Florida Railway, acquired it, reorganized it as the Statesboro Northern Railway, and leased it to the Georgia and Florida. In 1950, it too was abandoned. Maps, Timetables, and Other Information: 1916 mileage table (17K) 1917 equipment (160K) 1918 timetable (24K) 1918-19 map, Pineora - Ogeechee River (617K) 1919 map, Ogeechee River - Leeland (225K 1919 map, Leeland - Statesboro (402K) 1919 map, Statesboro - Portal (591K) 1921 map (185K) Old building at Leefield (formerly Leeland), Georgia, where the Midland Railway crossed the Shearwood Railway. (Photo by Jamey Smith). At the Pineora community two miles south of Guyton on GA 17 is Midland Road. It follows seven miles of the former rail route, ending at GA 30. (Photo by Jamey Smith.)   RailGa.com. Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. © Steve Storey Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home