Thomasville has a long railroad history, with its first known depot being built circa 1861 (demolished 1950s). At the height of the town’s position as one of the busiest winter resorts in the nation, a much larger depot was built by the Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad in 1886. The tourist trade waned by the early 1900s, when passenger railroads pushed most of the business into Florida, but Thomasville continued to grow, well-served by its established railroad presence.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot seen here was built in 1914, on the site of the Savannah, Florida & Western depot. It’s a landmark of the Mission Revival style, popular at the time. One end of the building (above photo) featured a restaurant, open 24 hours a day, and the other was the baggage room. Both are identified by their function on a terra cotta panel above the windows.
In the 1920s and 1930s, about 34 passenger trains arrived or departed in Thomasville daily, and the depot was a hub of local activity. By the early 1960s, passenger trains were being replaced by commercial airlines as travel options, and only a few trains came through Thomasville on occasion. The restaurant closed in 1969, and in 1979, the sole surviving passenger train running through Thomasville, by that time the Amtrak “Floridian”, was discontinued, and the depot closed.
Since being restored in the 2000s, the depot is now home to several businesses, including a restaurant.
A personal note: In conversation with my father, he told me that he worked out of this depot circa 1966-1967. He said while still a trainman for Atlantic Coast Line (and then Seaboard Coast Line) he had a Thomasville-Moultrie assignment. He drove from Fitzgerald to Thomasville and stayed in a boarding house near the depot. He said the tracks were so bad between Thomasville and Moultrie that the switch engine that made the run every day, known as “Butt Head”, topped out at around 15mph. He also remembered many of the men he worked with, including James Griffin, Glenn Alexander, Ed Cox, Julian Hunter, Bruce RIgdon, Henry Whitten, and C. W. Faulkner. He recalled the restaurant being open in those days, as well.
National Register of Historic Places
Thanks so much for sharing this history of the Thomasville Atlantic Coast Line depot and your father’s story of working for the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Coast Line. Great writing and pictures.
Thanks, Andy.
Brian, great writeup on Thomasville’s railroad history. It’s fortunate that this fine station building has survived – so many others like it have not. I also enjoyed your father’s story about the Thomasville-Moultrie assignment. That track was originally part of the Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast RR (merged into ACL in 1946) and ran all the way to Fitzgerald. It was cut back to Thomasville-Moultrie in 1960. Track is still in place from Thomasville to the fertilizer facility at Coolidge, and last I knew was still active although I haven’t been by there in several years. But meanwhile the CSX main line from Waycross through Thomasville up to Montgomery still sees good freight train volume. Two other ex-ACL lines out of Thomasville still operate, north to Albany (Georgia & Florida Ry.) and south to Metcalf (CSX). This north-south route, which once extended from Albany all the way to Tampa, hosted a well-known Chicago-Florida passenger train, the Southland, which was discontinued in 1957.
Larry Goolsby
Thanks, Larry. And thanks for your great books. They are often consulted when researching railroads in Georgia.
Fascinating account and photos of Georgia railroad history, Brian. Would love to really visit Thomasville after so many vacation trips as a child just passing through on the way to SC before the interstates dramatically changed car travel!
We have eaten in the current restaurant.