When you think about Savannah in the U.S. state of Georgia, you think about a city rich with history. You see its many historic structures to include the birthplace of Juliette Gordon-Low, the founder of the Girls Scouts of America. You see the many city squares. You walk by the moss trees. You cannot overlook the great waterfront. Considering that this is the oldest city in the state of Georgia, it has many historic sites to see here. It will take you more than a week to see everything.
Now some of you are saying, “Wow! That is so cool to see how there is so much to do in Savannah. The only problem is that the city of Savannah has no railroad history whatsoever. Therefore, there is no reason for rail fans to visit Savannah.”
To those who just said that quote, you are so sadly mistaken. Savannah does have many historic sites, and some of those sites… are railroad sites.
Welcome to the Georgia State Railroad Museum. As you make your way to downtown from Interstate 16, it will be the very first site you see. Yes, it is that easy to find. The museum is housed in one of the oldest still standing roundhouses in the United States, and it has a working turntable.
Now some of you want to mention that there are many working turntables in the country. That is true, but this turntable is very interesting. There will be more on that later. To answer your question, there is rolling stock on display to include many box cars, cabooses, locomotives, and a Pullman Car. You can also tour the old shops where the workers worked to maintain the rolling stock. Oh, if you have a little time, you can even operate a hand car.
Now some of you are saying, “That is so nice. We get to go to a railroad museum and see rolling stock and run a hand car. What would make this place worth visiting is if they had train rides.”
Ladies and gentlemen, they do have train rides. They are short rides, but these rides are special. How often do you get to take a train ride through an operating turntable? You have read correctly. You ride through the actual turntable. It is a great experience for any rail fan.
The Georgia Railroad Museum is located at 303 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard just blocks from all of the historic area, and it is across the street from the Visitor Center which was once a passenger train station. You can learn more at www.chsgeorgia.org.
The next time you think about Savannah, Georgia and its history, you will now have a new historic place to think of: the Georgia Railroad Museum.
John Cowgill: Stories of the Railroad 