SAM Shortline Excursion Train

The SAM Shortline Excursion Train offers a leisurely and deeply satisfying journey through the heart of southwest Georgia’s farm and small-town landscape, operating vintage diesel passenger equipment on a 90-mile route through the historically and agriculturally significant communities of the Fall Line Hill Country between Cordele and Plains — the hometown of President Jimmy Carter. Operated by the Heart of Georgia Railroad and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the SAM Shortline (named for the Savannah, Americus, and Montgomery Railroad that originally built this corridor in the 1880s) connects seven historic small towns, including Cordele, Warwick, Americus, Leslie, Smithville, and Plains, each with its own unique history and character. The excursion makes stops allowing passengers to explore downtown districts, visit the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains, and experience the living culture of rural southwest Georgia. The restored 1940s-era passenger equipment and the classic small-town Georgia landscape through which it passes give the journey an atmosphere of genuine historical immersion. Special excursions throughout the year include holiday trains, fall foliage runs, and themed event trains that draw visitors from across Georgia and the Southeast. The SAM Shortline is one of the most historically and culturally rich heritage railroad experiences in the American South.