Georgia Road Transportation

SD38 SD38M SD38-2

By the time the Florida & Gulf Industries (FGI) acquired the Georgia Central Railroad GC) as part of the Alabama Midland System (AMRR), the kaolin traffic off the Dry Branch lead that sustained much of the roads profitability was gone. AMRR took over the GC as part of its acquisition of all Rail Management short lines in the early 2000s, which included the Bay Line Railroad, Meridian & Bigbee Railroad and the Georgia Central Railroad. The GC was a CSX spin-off of the late 1980s, and made its living serving local customers between Macon and Savannah. Kaolin was a huge part of the railroad traffic base, until consolidation and mergers in the Kaolin industry coupled with less paper production closed the Dry Branch operation feeding into the GC.

FGI set about completely remaking the GC, moving focus to traffic not tied to the now idled Kaolin mines at Dry Branch just south of its Macon terminal. The older GE four axle U-series units were retired, and the roster was updated with various EMD power based on the 2000hp range. A group of ex McCloud SD38 units with branch line fuel tanks along with several SD38M units rebuilt from various SD40 and SD40-2 cores by Stephens Railcar Services became typical power with GP38 units filling out the roster.

FGI and its local GC management aggressively sought out lost and new business, and by the mid-2000s the roster needed an injection of power to meet the extra business. Furthermore, GC opened up a dormant connection with the Georgia Southwestern RR (GSWR) and limited inland port container operations moved west toward Cordele, GA and Dothan, AL along with westbound general traffic. This new “western” interchange connection broke the stranglehold of the original CSX purchase requirements and made overhead moves possible.

Additional SD38-2 units came from BC Hydro along with exx-IT, ex-NW SD39 units. The 2000hp SD units proved reliable and easy to maintain and proved easy on the light rail. As GC upgraded its track, some SD38 units mixed with system power and larger SDs worked the Dothan -Savannah overhead connections. The mostly non dynamic equipped SD38 units were still favored by GC, as they could interchangeably move trains at track speed or do heavy lugging in yard and industry switching reliably for weeks on end between trips for maintenance at the GC shops in Lyons, GA.