Sandersville & Tennille Railroad The S&T was chartered in 1875 with the authority to build a rail line from Sandersville to the Central of Georgia at Tennille. The 3.3-mile road opened in October of 1876. Its first locomotive may have been similar to the one shown above, a Porter tank engine designed for light work on short runs. According to an 1877 report, an S&T locomotive of this type hauled two baggage/passenger cars at a usual speed of 13 mph. The tracks were indicated to be 5-ft gauge with 48-lb rails and a grade of 1.7 percent. The locomotive was said to have hauled as many as 5 cars totalling 75 tons.* In 1889 the S&T reported owning 1 locomotive and 2 cars. In 1894-95, a competing line, the Sandersville Railroad, was constructed between Tennille and Sandersville. The S&T was leased to the Augusta Southern Railroad in 1893 and bought by Augusta Southern in 1894. * Light Locomotives. H.K. Porter Company, Pittsburgh, PA, Sixth edition, 1889. Online at Google Books. 1897 map (127K)   RailGa.com. Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. © Steve Storey Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home