Riding in air-conditioned, 1949 vintage cars, you'll enjoy a mix of romantic yesteryear with the excitement of today's South. The SAM Shortline stops in quaint towns filled with fun attractions, restaurants and shopping. The depot in Plains is a noteworthy survivor from the Americus, Preston & Lumpkin era, having made a brief comeback when it was reopened on April 18, 1975 to serve as Jimmy Carter's Presidential Campaign headquarters.

SAM Shortline Railroad

SAM stands for Savannah, Americus, Montgomery, as well as the name of the line’s founder and president, Colonel Samuel Hugh Hawkins, a prominent 19th century Sumter County capitalist. Politics, tariffs and other railroad antics caused a disruption for farmers and traders in Americus, Ga. Sam Hawkins and others organized the Americus Preston and Lumpkin Railroad in 1884 to ensure that Americus would continue to dominate the region’s trade. The AP&L would be Georgia’s only railroad constructed entirely with local capital. In 1888 they extended east and west, creating a direct route between Montgomery, Alabama and Savannah, Georgia. In the same year the road was appropriately renamed the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery Railway, or S.A.M. Upon its completion the SAM’s mainline would stand at 340 miles in length. Loans defaulted, mergers happened, the Ga DOT intervened and ultimately the train passed to the Ga DNR in 2000. After a hiatus, SAM Shortline was reborn. Two years of careful planning, track rehabilitation, and equipment acquisition allowed passenger trains to begin rolling down the historic mainline again.

Atlanta Traveler

The SAM Shortline Excursion Train is an unmatched travel experience for you, friends and family. Georgia’s only rolling state park combines the rich history of the area and classic railroad travel with pleasure and relaxation. The vintage train cars vary in ambiance but all provide climate-controlled comfort and large windows to view the passing Southwest Georgia scenery. Two new luxury private cars have now been added to the train to provide a vantage point you’ll find nowhere else.

Your destination — Plains, Americus or Archery — depending on the trip, is rich in history. The town of Plains, home of our 39th President Jimmy Carter, offers an inside look at his campaign and his life and in so doing provides an education in American politics. Archery, President Carter’s boyhood home, also gives you an up-close look at rural life in the early 1900’s. There is so much to do in both places time will fly. Then you can sink back in your comfy seats and enjoy the leisurely return ride. The ride from Americus to Plains (The “Americus Local”) is a portion of every trip offering passengers a shorter experience.

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