Wikipedia:WikiProject Trains/ICC valuations/Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad

Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Reports, Volume 97

The Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad

Location and General Description of Property

The railroad of The Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad Company, hereinafter called the carrier, is a single-track standard-gauge railroad, located in the south-central part of Georgia. The owned mileage extends southwesterly from Tennille, Ga., to Hawkinsville, Ga., a distance of 74.248 miles, with a branch of 28.495 miles extending south from Southwest Junction, Ga. (near Dublin), on the main line to Eastman, Ga. The total length of the main line and branch is 102.743 miles. The carrier also owns yard and side tracks totaling 17.526 miles. Its road thus embraces 120.269 miles of all tracks owned. In Appendix 1 will be found a general description of the property of the carrier.

Corporate History

The Wrightsville and Sun Hill Railroad Company was chartered and incorporated on December 22, 1883, under the general railroad law of the State of Georgia, to construct a railroad from Wrightsville to Sun Hill. On December 28 of the same year the charter was amended by changing the name to The Wrightsville & Tennille Railroad Company, and by locating the terminus at Tennille instead of at Sun Hill. In consideration of these changes, the residents of Tennille and Sandersville agreed to subscribe to a certain amount of capital stock to aid in the construction of the line, and to arrange for the use by the carrier of the rolling stock of the Sandersville and Tennille Railroad Company. The charter of the original company was amended a number of times, of which the following are the most important changes: August 1, 1884, to increase the outstanding capital stock; December 10, 1886, to increase the outstanding capital stock and acquire the Dublin and Wrightsville Railroad Company; April 18, 1890, to extend the road from Dublin to Abbeville; February 9, 1899, to acquire the Oconee and Western Railroad Company; and August 8, 1907, to acquire the Dublin and Southwestern Railroad Company. This amendment canceled that of April 18, 1890. The detailed facts as to the development of the fixed physical property are given in Appendix 2.

Development of Fixed Physical Property

The property owned by the carrier on June 30, 1915, was acquired as follows:

	Miles
Purchase in December, 1886, of property, rights, and franchises of the Dublin and Wrightsville Railroad Company, whose road extended from Wrightsville to the west bank of the Oconee River opposite Dublin.	18.30
Acquisition in February, 1899, under appropriate charter amendment, of the property, rights, and franchises of the Oconee and Western Railroad Company, whose road extended from Dublin to Hawkinsville.	38.45
(No record of any formal deed having been executed to evidence this acquisition; carrier owned all outstanding securities of the company, and after appropriate charter amendment considered itself the owner of that company's property, rights, and franchises. Thereafter the activities of the company ceased and its identity became lost.)
Purchase in July, 1907, of the property, rights, and franchises of the Dublin and Southwestern Railroad Company, whose road extended from near Dublin to Eastman.	28.49
By construction from Tennille to Wrightsville and from the west bank of the Oconee River into Dublin.	17.50
Total.	102.74

The construction of the 17.50 miles began on January 17, 1884, and sections were completed and opened for operation as follows:

	Miles.
December 24, 1884, Tennille to Harrison.	9.00
May, 1885, Harrison to Wrightsville.	7.50
Year 1891, west bank of Oconee River into Dublin.	1.00
Total.	17.50

The work between Tennille and Wrightsville was performed by the carrier with its own force until April, 1884, when contracts were made with Grant and Company and James M. Smith, successively, to furnish convict labor. The bridge across the Oconee River into Dublin was built sometime in the fall of 1891, by carrier forces.