Georgia State Railroad Museum
Georgia State Railroad Museum
Georgia State Railroad Museum
Georgia State Railroad Museum
Savannah, GA 31401
Hours:
Monday - Sunday 9:00a - 5:00p
The Central of Georgia Railroad and Canal Company was chartered in 1833. By 1843, it was the longest continuous railroad under one central management in the world. The Central reached its peak in the early 1920s and was the largest employer in Savannah.
Originally designed to transport valuable Georgia cotton, the 190 miles of rail line between Savannah and Macon completed by 1843 formed the longest continuous railroad under one management in the world.
Roundhouse Railroad The Roundhouse Railroad Museum is located in the Central of Georgia Railway Roundhouse complex. It is the oldest and most complete antebellum railroad manufacturing and repair facilities still in existence in the United States. Thirteen of the original structures still survive including the roundhouse, the turntable, the 125’ smokestack, the railroad sheds, and work buildings.
The Central of Georgia Railroad was built to facilitate the operations of the company from locomotive repair and building to transporting freight and passengers. Most of the buildings date back to the 1850s. The brick buildings, known for their exceptional architecture in the Classical and Romanesque styles, feature granite trim and marble and metal cornices.
Permanent exhibits in the Roundhouse Railroad Museum can be found in seven of the thirteen original buildings. An exhibit of the early years features antique machinery from 1833 on, including American’s oldest portable wheeled steam engine. A model railroad set, several locomotives and passenger cars are also on display.
This National Historic Landmark site, formerly named the Roundhouse Railroad Museum, is the oldest and largest existing nineteenth-century railroad operations complex in the nation.
