The Sandersville Railroad was organized by a group of prominent local citizens because the town needed another railroad to compete with the Augusta Southern. The new railroad was only three miles long and ran from Sandersville to Tennille.

1893

The organizing group—who were getting older and wanted a young businessman to run the company—asked Ben Tarbutton to take over the operation of the Sandersville Railroad. They agreed to sell him the company at a favorable price if he agreed to operate it for five years.

1916

Ben Tarbutton wrote the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad and asked for an exchange of passenger rail travel passes, which allowed recipients to ride for free. The president wrote back that the Pennsylvania covered many thousands of miles while the Sandersville Railroad went only three miles. Tarbutton replied, "Yes, that is true, but my railroad is just as wide!"

1930

The kaolin industry began in Sandersville. Clarke Marion, Executive Vice President of Paper and Fiber Co., requested that a study to determine the best location for their kaolin processing plant. After reading the report, Marion and said: “I do not care where the plant is built as long as it is on Ben Tarbutton's railroad."

1938

In 1940, United Clay Mines, now Imerys Ceramics, built its plant in Sandersville. Burgess Washington Clay began operations in 1945, becoming Thiele Kaolin in 1947. They were followed by Burgess Pigment and Georgia Pigment (now Imerys Pigments and Additives and KaMin).

1940

Georgia Kaolin—now Imerys Pigments & Additives—built its plant in Washington County. The year before, the railroad had built a six-mile rail extension to Kaolin, Georgia, where the Georgia Kaolin plant was built. This expansion of the railroad opened a whole new territory for industrial development and growth.

1958

After a life of laying the groundwork for the industrial development of the railroad, Ben Tarbutton died in 1962. His sons, Ben Jr. and Hugh, assumed the responsibility for running the company. Since 2015, the Ben Tarbutton family has owned and operated the Sandersville Railroad.

1962

The next 2 decades saw a great expansion of the kaolin industry on the Sandersville rail line.

1970s-
1980s

Several new customers were added including what is today Southern Chips, Beasley Forest Products, and Dura-line.

1990s

A Weigh-in-motion scale was installed to provide a safer, more efficient method to weigh cars. The Sandersville Bulk Transfer Facility was developed.

2000s

SAN embarked on a two mile build out to serve the GRAD certified 576 acre Sandersville Industrial Park.

2010s

Today, the railroad is fortunate to serve other customers in addition to the kaolin industry, such as Bulk Chemical Services, Dura-Line, Southern Chips LLC, Beasley Forest Products, Veal Farms, along with rail-to-truck transportation solutions through its vibrant transload facility. These industries provide many jobs and significant diversity for the community and the railroad.