The Georgia and Alabama Railway was formed in 1895 from the failed Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway. The G&A expanded rapidly, acquiring the Abbeville and Waycross Railroad and building it further South to Ocilla, GA, obtaining a lease from the Central of Georgia Railroad for trackage rights between Lyons, GA and Meldrim, GA, and then acquiring the Columbus Southern Railway, all in 1896. The railroad was also known by the nickname of the Savannah Short Line which was to draw attention to its more direct route between Montgomery, AL and Savannah, GA as compared to its competitor's routes. In 1900, the G&A became a part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway.[1]