I am completing a historical preservation project on a church in the Fife, GA (near border of Fayette/Fulton County lines) area. In my research I have learned that the Atlanta West Point Line stopped in nearby Union City and Fairburn. The church history notes that there was another line which was completed in 1907 - the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railroad which had an actual depot in Fife. I cannot find any other information to verify this. Did the two connect? What happened to the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic line?

-- Teresa Campbell (tjc8510@uncwil.edu), November 27, 2000

Answers

My father, who grew up in Fairburn in the late 20s, 30s, and early 40s, remembers quite well the depot that stood at Fife. He says that it has been gone for many years. The A&WP Rail Road was original known as the Atlanta and Lagrange Rail Road Co., making its way southward to Union City and Fairburn circa 1850. The two handsome depots(freight and passenger)are nicely preserved trackside in Fairburn. No station stands at Union City...it was here that the A,B&A passed underneath the A&WP main line. G.A. Hodges Richmond, VA.

-- Greg Hodges (ghodges@smpsfa.com), November 29, 2000.

Teresa -

Here's a suggestion... Check your main county library or the county court house for Sanborn Fire Insurance maps for Fife. If such are available for Fife and you can find one issued after 1907 it would show the exact location of the AB&A station and give you the floor dimensions. Also, check the verticle files of a local library or search for a local historical society, as either of these may have a postcard view or other photo of the station.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), November 28, 2000.

I believe the AB&A did have a depot building in Fife, although I don't have the necessary records handy to say what kind of depot and what size it was. At any rate, the AB&A certainly had a station stop in Fife. In 1927 the AB&A became the Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast, and through subsequent mergers is now the very active Atlanta-Waycross (and Birmingham-Manchester) route of CSX. The AB&A connected with the Atlanta & West Point (also now a part of CSX) at Union City, Atlanta, and LaGrange.

My book, "Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast," just published by the ACL & SAL HS, contains the full history of the AB&A and AB&C. It is available at an introductory price of $32 plus $3 shipping via our product sales - see the catalog section of this web site for the shipping address.

Larry Goolsby

-- Larry Goolsby (LGoolsby@aphsa.org), November 27, 2000.