SAM Shortline Excursion Train

The SAM Shortline takes both its name and its rails from the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway, whose first segment was chartered in 1884 as the narrow-gauge Americus, Preston and Lumpkin Railroad and which was reorganized under the SA&M name in 1888. The route became part of the Seaboard Air Line by 1900, and Seaboard passenger service between Savannah and Montgomery lasted until 1951. After later owners wound the line down, the State of Georgia acquired it and created the Heart of Georgia Railroad in 1999 to operate the route on the state's behalf. The heritage train now covers about forty-five miles between Cordele and Archery, managed by the Southwest Georgia Railroad Excursion Authority while the Heart of Georgia supplies locomotives and operating crews. Its stops carry presidential history: the 1888 depot at Plains served as headquarters for Jimmy Carter's successful 1976 campaign, and the Archery depot stands beside the Jimmy Carter Boyhood Farm. At the western end of the excursion territory, Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear counts the SAM Shortline among its attractions.