Major Expansion (1900-1945)

Prosperity began to bloom for the WofA and many railroads at the turn of the century. The new 20-stall brick roundhouse of 1898 was soon followed by new machine, blacksmith, boiler and tin shops. In 1901, the company built a new paint shop, the oldest (but barely hanging on) building on the current premises. Hand-painted onto one of 12 heavy timber trusses is the presumed completion date of the building, "11.09.01". The 437-foot-long car shed followed in 1906, and the planing mill/pattern shop in 1908, continuing symbols of the company’s expansion. Soon, a new coaling tower, yard office and enlarged turntable (100’) would follow.

This period represented the high point of the WofA Car and Engine Shops. Having entered into a joint use agreement with the CofG in 1899, the facilities became the primary repair and maintenance facility for the WofA and A&WP as well as a facility that performed work for many of the area short lines, including the Birmingham & Southeastern (a.k.a. the "Bump & Slide Easy") and theTuskegee railroads. During this period and into the 40’s and 50’s, the Shops out-shopped very little work, choosing to do virtually all work on the premises, including the complete rebuilding, almost from scratch, of several locomotives and hundreds of freight cars.

The company, although conservative in many respects, kept its equipment in a highly maintained state and had a program of steady updates to its locomotives, such that several of the company’s ten-wheelers, originally built at the turn of the century, lasted until steam was fully retired on the road on July 1, 1954.