The core group of Georgia Road slugs came from a group of eight ex-Union Pacific Railroad (UP) slugs inherited by predecessor Central Alabama & Southern Railroad (CA&S). CA&S acquired these from various scrappers, rebuilding them and assigning them to the former NS Norris Yard classification yard in Macon, GA and various flat yards around its original ex-CofGA trackage. By the time of the Georgia Road assumption of the CA&S estate, most were out of service due to heavy maintenance needs typically deferred by the CA&S in its final days. Georgia Road restored these slugs to service, but soon found the mostly 4 axle fleet was sorely outmoded for the increasingly heavy railcars and trains they regularly worked in the yards. As a result, Georgia Road commissioned the completion of modern slug conversions of various six axle cores. The largest group was several SD40-2 cores configured into TAYA-06B slugs for use with ex Southern high hood SD40-2s used in heavy switching where the high short hood did not create a disadvantage and as a result did not need immediate shopping a chop nose and upgraded cab. These units replaced GP9B TAYA-4B slugs that were eventually completely rebuilt for road service as TARA-4B units mated to GP40M-3 rebuilds.

The SD40-2 TAY-06B units were deemed very successful and constituted the largest model of Georgia Road slugs. They could be used in heavy classification, trim, transfer and even flat yard classification using R/C platforms with no setup time, provided a mother unit was handy. All units are currently active, with the group split between Macon, Birmingham and Memphis terminals on the combined Georgia Road system.

Georgia Road was so satisfied with the SD40-2 TAY-06B units that it requested additional units for assignment at various flat switching yards. With no more SD40-2 cores due to the TARA-6B SD40-2 slugs built for the IC lines, Stephens Railcar Services moved to its backlot of SD50 cores held back for the TGX Program rebuilds. Six additional TAYA-6B slugs were produced using ex UP -CNW SD50 cores that were rejected by the TGX Program. Two of the six, 0168 and 0169, had dynamic brake assemblies added using surplus assemblies removed from the ICG TARA-6B builds. The dynamic equipped units worked well in the flat “block swapping” yards where large cuts of cars had to be pulled and added to trains not terminating who still interchanged traffic to and from the yard. These SD50 core slugs would be added to pairs of SD25M rebuilds of first generation power. The COVID-19 Pandemic reduced the need for additional units, which Stephens Railcar sold to Georgia Road controlled GATEWAY System roads.

Georgia Road inherited a notable “one-of-a-kind” yard slug through its acquisition of the Georgia Midland Railroad System (GAM). Slug #0159 was originally built by the independent GAM for use in heavy grain switching on its Gainesville Midland branch that ran from Gainesville, GA south to Madison where it joined the GAM former Georgia Railroad mainline linking Atlanta and Augusta, GA. the Gainesville Midland was home to several large soybean processors, chicken feed mills and soybean loaders. The 4O miles between Gainesville and Athens regularly sourced 3-5 soybean train per week along with regular moves for several Seaboard Farms feed mills and the large Cargill Soybean processor on the line. Road trains had to regularly shift long, heavy cuts of grain cars in and out of long leads, making slug use opportune. GAM was known as a stalwart GE holdout when it came to is locomotive roster. It maintained everything from first generation U25B and U25Cs to brand new C44-9W units. It an odd twist of fate, GAM found the remains of a U50 in a midwestern scrapyard which the owner contemplated restoring. After extracting the hulk and shipping it to their Cedartown, GA back shop, GAM found it to be too heavily stripped. With the need for road slugs around Gainesville, a plan was hatched to rebuild the frame into a “double slug”. The paired trucks on each side were isolated independently and set up to draw power from a control locomotive mother unit on that side. This produced two single ended slugs joined by the frame, but independent of each other. Numbered 9999, the slug went to work in Gainesville with a variety of six axle locomotives configured as control mothers. After the Georgia Road acquired the GAM in the early 2000s, new AC4400W locomotive purchases and decentralized grain operations made the roster oddball slug use less desirable. It was eventually stored at the former Cedartown shops with an unknown future. Fast forward only a few years later and GARD would purchase the former NS hump yard in Irondale, as NS deemed it surplus. Georgia Road relocated its classification that was spread out between small yards at Atlanta (Howell) and Birmingham (32nd St) to the reconfigured NS yard, now called the Fred M. Dale yard. Georgia Road resumed hump operations and pulled the GAM eight motor slug for use as part of the primary hump set which used former GAM 9-44C and B40-8 units. The prevalence of GE units at the yard was no accident, as the former GAM Cedartown backshop was closed in favor of the larger and more modern ex NS steam shop at Irondale. The slug was given the TAYA-08B designation and renumbered to GAM0159. The longevity of the 0159 can be attributed to its B+B -B+B configuration which reduces wear on the yard trackage as it can flex similar to a traditional four axle slug. The unit is active and regularly works hump and transfer service in the Birmingham Terminal Subdivision.