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Railroad Passenger
Car Alliance Conference

January 11-14, 2024

Cordele, GA

There’ll be no snow but plenty of Southern hospitality in SW Georgia when the

SAM Shortline hosts the 2024 RPCA Conference from January 11 through 14.

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The Holiday Inn in Cordele will serve as the headquarters hotel, while meetings and seminars will be held a few miles away at the Georgia Veterans State Park conference center. 

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On Thursday, January 11th the SAM excursion train offers a trip from

Georgia Veterans State Park to President Jimmy Carter’s Hometown of Plains

and then on to his boyhood home in Archery. Friday, January 12, for the youth fundraiser,

The Azalea Sprinter will provide a trip from Nashville, GA, to Willachoochee. The final train on Sunday, January 14, will again be on the SAM and will run from Cordele to Rochelle. 

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On Friday and Saturday, workshops and seminars offer a little something for everyone.

In addition to the customary updates from Amtrak and the FRA, hands-on mechanical workshops are scheduled at the SAM depot. Other topics include safety first, dinner train 101, and how to get your news out.  A banquet in the resort dining room and the general membership meeting round out the conference. 

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Cordele is just 2 hours south of Atlanta Hartsfield Airport on I-75 (exit 101), 3 hours

from Jacksonville, FL, 3 Hours from Savannah, GA, and 90 minutes from Columbus, GA.

Amtrak services Atlanta and Savannah, GA.

Hotel Information

Hotel Price Cut off is December 11, 2023

Holiday Inn Express
(Main Conference Hotel)
Located at:
1102 Arc Way
Cordele, GA 31015
229-273-8775
Conference Code: RPN RAILROAD
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriot
Located at:
2001 16th Ave
Cordele, GA 31015
229-273-0042
Conference Code: RPCA

Registration Pricing

Registration Early Bird:  $230
Registration 2nd person Early Bird:  $160
First-time Attendees Under 30  Early Bird: $115
(Cut off is November 12, 2023)

Registration:  $260
Registration 2nd person:  $190
First-time Attendees Under 30:  $130

Walk-In Registration:    $285
Walk-In Registration 2nd person:    $205
First-time Attendees Under 30 Walk Up:  $142.50

Activity Pricing

Pre-conference Trip on SAM Shortline, Thursday, January 11, 2024:    $65
Friday, January 12 Conference Trip (Youth Fundraiser) on Azalea Sprinter:    $85
Americus Town Tour on Saturday, January 13, 2024:    $55
Banquet on Saturday, January 13, 2024:    $65
Sunday, January 14 SAM Shortline Train Excursion from Cordele to Rochelle:    $55

Conference Center

Lake Blackshear Convention Center

Located at:
Georgia Veteran's State Park
2459 US Hwy 280 West
Cordele, GA 31015
229-276-1004
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Sponsorships

Click here for a PDF of all our sponsorship opportunities!

Activites

Pre-conference Trip on SAM Shortline Railroad
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Thursday excursion: You will travel in climate-controlled, 1949 vintage train cars,
from Georgia Veterans State Park, across Lake Blackshear to Plains, GA,
on the SAM Shortline (Savannah, Americus and Montgomery), In Plains, you will
enjoy a 1-and-a-half-hour layover to explore the home of the 39th President,
Jimmy Carter. Next, you will travel out to Archery, President Carter’s boyhood home, where you’ll be able to explore his original house and farm.  Following that stop,
you will head back to Georgia Veterans State Park.
$65 per person
Conference Youth Fundraiser Train Trip on the Azalea Sprinter
Friday, January 12, 2024
You will depart from the Holiday Inn via motor coach and travel to Willacoochee, GA where you will board the Azalea Sprinter. The excursion runs along the Historic Georgia and Florida Railroad between Nashville and Willacoochee, Georgia. In Nashville, GA you will detrain and enjoy a 1-hour layover. Lunch will be served on the train during the return trip to Willacoochee.
$85 per person
Saturday Americus Tour
The Saturday excursion will include a tour of the grand 1892 Windsor Hotel, a wine tasting at the Wolf Creek Tasting Room, and some free time to shop at the MAZE, an amazing antique store.
$55 per person
Sunday SAM Shoreline Excursion to Rochelle
Sunday, January 14, 2024
On Sunday, you will travel east on the SAM. You will be able to board the train at the Georgia Veterans State Park Station or at the Downtown Station in Cordele. You will then travel to Rochelle, GA where the train will layover to allow the engineer to relocate to the trailing engine, which will be in the lead back to Cordele and the State Park. 
$85 per person
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