This line was originally built by the Savannah, Griffin & North Alabama Railroad in 1870 and extended from Experiment (just north of Griffin) to Esmond, Rio, Vaughn, Brooks, Senoia and on to Newnan, GA. It was extended to Carrollton in 1872. By 1881, it was operated in conjunction with the Central of Georgia. In November 1890, the SG&NA was sold at foreclosure to the Savannah & Western Railroad. In 1891, the S&W bought the Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus Railroad, a 140-mile line from Carrollton to Chattanooga, TN. The Chattanooga line from Griffin to Chattanooga was now complete. But first, the S&W and the Central of Georgia entered receivership, and federal courts separated the CR&C from the S&W and returned it to the original owners. The Savannah and Western was sold at judicial sale in October, 1895. It was conveyed to the newly reorganized Central of Georgia Railway in December 1895. The Central of Georgia reacquired the CR&C in 1901, and again the line from Griffin to Chattanooga was in hand. This line came to be known as the "C-Line".
This line to Chattanooga was a key route of the CGRR, but when the Central was absorbed into the Southern Railway, its days were numbered. The section from Experiment (Griffin) to Senoia was deemed to be unnecessary, it is was taken out of service in the 1990s. Most of the rail is still in place, particularly around Griffin. Rumor has it that NS had included plans for re-opening the line in their capital improvement outlook for 2001. However with the downturn in the economy, as well as the disastrous Conrail assimilation, plans have been semi-permanently shelved.