Augusta Museum of History

Telling the story of the Central Savannah River region

painting on display / Nov 2020 / RWH

amh_state egyptian ounded in 1937, the Augusta Museum of History is located in its namesake river city in eastern Georgia and interprets the history of the municipality and the central Savannah River region. Among a half dozen permanent collections is the large "Transportation Corridor" exhibit, which showcases the role of various modes of transportation in the region over the last 150 years. This collection includes Into the Interior: A History of the Georgia Railroad & Banking Company, which was based in Augusta and extended as far west as Atlanta. The Georgia Railroad would later partner with the Atlanta & West Point Railroad and the Western Railway of Alabama to form the "West Point Route" — a regional passenger and freight corridor from Augusta to Montgomery, Alabama, through the Georgia capital. Equipment preserved on display inside the museum includes Georgia Railroad "Mikado" steamer #302, Southern Railway coach #1070, and a vintage Pearly-Thomas single-truck streetcar. Other modes of transportation are highlighted as well, including boats and over-the-road vehicles.

Augusta, Ga / Nov 2020 / RWH

Nov 2020 / RWH

Click to see the Augusta Museum of History plotted on a Google Maps page

Augusta, Ga / Nov 2020 / RWH

Nov 2020 / RWH

Augusta, Ga / Nov 2020 / RWH

Georgia Railroad

1910 Official Guide ad / collection

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Close Up — Union Station

Nov 2020 / RWH

Augusta Union Station context map / RWH

from Georgia Railroad Album - Beckum Jr and Langley Jr / collection

from Georgia Railroad Album - Beckum Jr and Langley Jr / collection

Nov 2020 / RWH

Nov 2020 / RWH

Nov 2020 / RWH

from Handbook of American Railroads - Robert Lewis - 1951 / collection

Close Up — Best Friend of Charleston

Slidell, La / Feb 1982 / Michael Palmieri

Nov 2020 / RWH

Nov 2020 / RWH

See also our complete Best Friend of Charleston steam page in Mainlines

Close Up — "Old 302"

UNCOMMON or UNUSUAL locomotive

Georgia Railroad #302

Camak, Ga / 1940 / from Georgia Railroad Album / collection

Georgia Railroad #302

builder:Lima Locomotive Corp.

arrangement:2-8-2 "Mikado"

class:F

built:Jan 1915, Lima #5004

fuel:soft coal / water

notes:

27x30" cylinders, 63" drivers, 180 psi

blt Georgia Railroad #302
1 of 21 in Georgia class F Mikados
to City of Augusta, display
to Pendelton King Park
to Augusta Museum of History

Nov 2020 / RWH

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from History of the Georgia Railroad - Robert Hanson - 1996 / collection

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from Georgia Railroad Album - Beckum Jr and Langley Jr / collection

Equipment

Southern Railway #1070

coach / Nov 2020 / RWH

Nov 2020 / RWH

Nov 2020 / RWH

Nov 2020 / RWH

Nov 2020 / RWH

RWH adaptation

Close Up — Safety Car

birney_banner

birney_drawing A Birney or Birney Safety Car is a type of streetcar that was manufactured in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s. The design was small and light and was intended to be an economical means of providing frequent service at a lower infrastructure and labor cost than conventional streetcars. Production of Birney cars lasted from 1915 until 1930, and more than 6,000 of the original, single-truck version were built. Several different manufacturers built Birney cars. The design was "the first mass-produced standard streetcar (albeit with minor variations)" in North America.