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57-447: As surveyed the original route was to terminate at Elba, with a depot constructed in the city proper. However, as built the railroad instead ended approximately one mile south of the city limits, briefly creating conflict with businessmen and other sponsors of the new route who resided in Elba proper. Within a few years of the new railroad construction Elba's industrial district was located around

114-517: A branch to the Flint or Chattahoochee Rivers. That bill became law on December 24, 1836. By July 1837, an initial survey of the route has been completed. The end of the route was going to be near the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers on the Florida-Georgia line. The company spent the late 1830s attempting to raise funding for the railroad. In the summer of 1838, Thomas Butler King , then

171-518: A main line from Sanford west to Tampa , was via steamboats on the St. Johns River from Jacksonville to Sanford. The Plant Investment Company was formed in 1882 to lease and buy other railroads and expand the system. The various lines of the SF&;W were consolidated into one company in 1884. Specifically, the following companies lost their corporate existence: The Brunswick and Western Railroad , opened in

228-731: A result, the line was named the Albany Subdivision west of Waycross to Albany and the Brunswick Subdivision east of Waycross. The City of Miami and the Seminole continued to operate on the Albany Subdivision after the merger. Though passenger service was discontinued in 1971 after the Seaboard Coast Line's passenger services were taken over by Amtrak . In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with

285-728: A route to Albany was announced a few weeks later. Grading of the route from the junction with the Atlantic and Gulf to Waresboro, Georgia began in August 1860. Construction of the railroad continued during the American Civil War . The route from Brunswick to Teabeauville was complete by late August 1861. By that point in time the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad had already been completed to Thomasville, Georgia. The Brunswick and Florida original route called for it to go through Thomasville on its way to Florida. In September 1861, Charles Lyon Schlatter Sr

342-585: A short branch of the main line to Walterboro, South Carolina . The Walterborough and Western Railroad continued that line to Ehrhardt in 1896, and the two were merged into the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad in 1900. On May 30, 1887, Florida state law chapter 3794 was approved, authorizing the SF&W to build lines from Tallahassee and Monticello north to the Georgia state line, connecting to branches from Thomasville, Georgia. The Tallahassee Branch

399-562: Is the namesake of Schlatterville, Georgia which is located just west of Hoboken . The directors' report from May 1855, detailed the conditions of the company. 20 miles of the route had then been graded and 5 miles of rail laid. The company owned one locomotive and six freight cars. In November 1855, a bill was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly by Alexander Lawton to give the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf's southern branch line

456-615: The Chessie System , creating the CSX Corporation . The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation . Within the decade, the company abandoned the Albany Subdivision between Sylvester and Pearson. Today, the Brunswick and Western Railroad still exists today in segments. The most notable segment of

513-548: The Florida East Coast Railway ), was reorganized and bought by Plant as the Jacksonville and St. Johns River Railway . This supplied a connection between Jacksonville and Sanford without the need for a steamboat transfer at each end, as well as system connections at Tavares and Palatka . The Plant System built the nearly straight 54 mi (87 km) Folkston Cutoff in southeast Georgia in 1901. This ran from

570-677: The Savannah, Florida and Western Railway on December 9. Plant bought the Savannah and Charleston Railroad (opened 1860) in 1880, reorganizing it as the Charleston and Savannah Railway . That acquisition extended the line from Savannah northeast to Charleston, South Carolina , where the Ashley River Railroad (operated by the C&;S) connected to the Northeastern Railroad (later part of

627-692: The U.S. South , taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The original line of the system was the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway , running across southern Georgia . The Plant Investment Company was formed in 1882 to lease and buy other railroads and expand the system. Other major lines incorporated into the system include the Savannah and Charleston Railroad and the Brunswick and Western Railroad . The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad went bankrupt on January 1, 1877, and Henry Plant bought it on November 4, 1879, reorganizing it as

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684-625: The 2000s and only saw about two trains a day. As of early 2023, CSX completed a new connection from the Brunswick Subdivision to the A Line at Nahunta. This was done to take pressure off of the Jesup Subdivision by providing an additional route for trains from Waycross to access the Nahunta Subdivision . Continuous welded rail and a centralized traffic control signal system were also installed from Waycross to Nahunta to manage

741-645: The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad main line). The Waycross and Florida Railroad and East Florida Railway were chartered in February 1880, forming the Georgia and Florida parts of the " Waycross Short Line ". That line, running from the main line at Waycross southeast to Jacksonville, Florida , opened in April 1881. In 1882, the Chattahoochee Branch opened from Climax on the main line southwest to

798-628: The Atlantic Coast Line's ownership. Passenger trains including the City of Miami , Dixie Flyer , Flamingo , Seminole , and South Wind ran the line from Albany to Waycross on their way from the Midwest to Florida. By 1949, the Albany–Waycross Line had three passenger trains and two through freight trains round-trip daily with an additional local freight train running six days a week. At

855-554: The Atlantic and Gulf Company unless it was beneficial to the development of the city of Brunswick. They also wanted the junction, if it was to take place, to be located east of the Satilla River . The Brunswick and Florida Railroad Company was still busy in April 1857 trying to get the citizen of Lowndes and Berrien counties on their side and claimed that $ 40,000 in stock had been raised in Lowndes County alone. By October 1857,

912-539: The Atlantic and Gulf was forbidden until the junction of the Brunswick and Florida Railroad and the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad. At that time the Brunswick and Florida had only completed the first 32 miles (51 km) of its line. Members of the Brunswick and Florida Railroad Company also met in December 1856 to discuss the changes to the charter made by the Georgia legislature. They recommended that their company refuse to junction with or surrender charter privileges to

969-725: The Florida state line, where the Chattahoochee and East Pass Railroad (chartered 1881) continued to River Junction, Florida, a hamlet which later came to be known as Chattahoochee, Florida . At River Junction, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad 's Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad continued west, and the Florida Central and Western Railroad ran east to Jacksonville. The Live Oak and Rowland's Bluff Railroad and Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad were chartered in 1881 to continue

1026-443: The Georgia General Assembly on December 22, 1835. Their charter allowed them to select a route between Brunswick, Georgia and the Florida line, and forbade another route from existing with 20 miles (32 km) of their own. Before any rails were laid by the company, they were already planning on branch routes. In November 1836, a bill was introduced to the Georgia legislature to authorize the Brunswick and Florida Railroad to construct

1083-665: The Plant System in 1896. The Tampa and Thonotosassa Railroad was incorporated in 1893, running northeast from the South Florida Railroad in Tampa to the small town of Thonotosassa . In 1895, Plant bought the 3 ft narrow gauge Sanford and St. Petersburg Railroad (previously the Orange Belt Railway ) in 1895, which stretched across the state from Sanford to St. Petersburg . The most profitable section of this line

1140-568: The additional traffic from this new connection. The short section of Brunswick and Western Railroad track between the Jesup Subdivision and the Fitzgerald Subdivision has been abandoned. The remaining line from Waycross west to Pearson is now operating as CSX's Pearson Spur . In 1991, CSX sold the remaining line from Sylvester to Albany to Gulf and Ohio Railways subsidiary Atlantic and Gulf Railroad (not to be confused with

1197-468: The branch was then designated as the Enterprise Subdivision . In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System , creating the CSX Corporation . The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation . CSX briefly operated the line from its creation until December 1987, when it

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1254-476: The coast to Albany . Segments of the line still exist today. The Brunswick and Florida Railroad ran from Brunswick west to Glenmore (located about 10 miles west of present-day Waycross ), where it would connect with the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad . In the 1830s, a railroad route from North Florida through South Georgia and onwards to the Atlantic coast was the goal of several different competing companies. The route

1311-731: The creation of the Seaboard System. Dorsey trailers operated one of the largest trailer manufacturing facilities in the U.S. at Elba, and provided many piggyback trailers for the SCL among other railroads. Later, Utility Trailer opened a plant at Enterprise and constructed a piggyback ramp served by the railroad. Additional changes came in 1983 with the creation of the Seaboard System and in 1986 it became CSX Transportation . The last train movement between Elba and Clintonville occurred in 1984 and tracks were abandoned shortly after. The remainder of

1368-469: The debts of the railroad it was sold to German investors. In 1882, the line's name would change again to the Brunswick and Western Railroad . The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad was bought by Henry B. Plant in 1879. It was renamed the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway and would become the main line of the Plant System . The Brunswick and Western Railroad was purchased by the Plant System in 1888 and

1425-510: The following companies were also merged into the SF&W: In 1902 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad acquired the entire Plant System, connecting at Charleston, SC. The components were soon merged into the ACL. The system has since become part of CSX after several mergers. Main Line (Savannah, Florida and Western Railway) Florida Division Chattahoochee Branch Monticello Branch Associated with

1482-539: The gunboats left. In late 1863, the government of the Confederate States of America took much of the Brunswick and Florida's track and used it to complete the connection between the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad's main route to the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad . The new route from Du Pont, Georgia to Live Oak, Florida was the first railroad to connect the states of Florida and Georgia. The name change

1539-472: The late 1850s as the Brunswick and Florida Railroad , was bought by Plant in 1884. In 1886, the system was changed to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge ; it had previously consisted of 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) broad gauge lines and 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge lines. In 1887 the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railway opened as

1596-531: The lawsuits regarding the finances of the companies were being contested, new communities began to grow along the route of the railroad. In April 1872, Col. Nelson Tift established a sawmill settlement at the crossroads of the Brunswick and Florida Railroad and the Union Road. The next month a post office was established near the Alapaha River along the line called Allapaha . In October 1873, in order to settle

1653-510: The line as their Elba Branch . Passenger train service was provided until August 16, 1954, when the Atlantic Coast Line cancelled mixed train operations over the branch. Instead, a local freight originated from Dothan as train 539 westbound, and returned eastbound as train 538 after making the trip to Elba. Train order offices were located at Daleville, Enterprise, and Elba during this period. The Atlantic Coast Line maintained control of

1710-592: The line from 1902 until 1967 when it was merged with the Seaboard Air Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). Under the Seaboard Coast Line, the line was designated as the Elba Subdivision and a local freight train continued to run the line every day except of Sundays. The local train numbers changed to 639 and 638 respectively. Employee timetables of the era scheduled departure of

1767-471: The line from Albany to Cuthbert and on to Eufaula was set to begin in June 1871, when many plantation owners along the line began demanding damage payments for allowing the railroad a right of way through their land. The railroad refused to pay any damages to the owners and permanently suspended construction of the line west of Cuthbert. The first train reached Albany from Brunswick on October 2, 1871. Shortly after

Southwestern Alabama Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

1824-463: The line still in service is from Waycross to Brunswick which is still operating as CSX's Brunswick Subdivision. At its northwest end it connects to the Jesup Subdivision in Waycross just east of Rice Yard. Though, track in Brunswick from Southern Junction to CSX's current Brunswick Yard was part of the former Brunswick and Birmingham Railroad . The Brunswick Subdivision was still not heavily used into

1881-634: The line to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in . In 1892, Plant bought the Florida Southern Railway under foreclosure and reorganized it as the Florida Southern Railroad. At this time, the Florida Southern system stretched from the south end of the Plant System at Gainesville south via Ocala , using trackage rights over the South Florida Railroad's Pemberton Ferry Branch, to Punta Gorda . The Florida Southern Railroad

1938-429: The local in the early morning from Dothan , exiting the main line at Waterford - a wye junction near Newton. The local train, known as the "Elba turn", ended its westbound trip at the large Dorsey Trailer facility in Elba, where an additional wye allowed the train to be turned for the return trip east towards Enterprise and eventually Dothan. This routine as established by timetable remained relatively unchanged through

1995-505: The old Waycross and Florida Railroad at Folkston north via Nahunta to Jesup on the SF&W mainline, allowing trains to bypass Waycross and save 19 mi (31 km) over the old route. In 1901, the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad, the Ashley River Railroad , the Abbeville Southern Railway ; and Southern Alabama Railroad were all consolidated into the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway . In 1901,

2052-403: The ports of 3 great nations: United States (Port Tampa, Key West, Mobile, Boston), England (Dominion of Canada), Spain (Cuba)." Brunswick and Western Railroad The Brunswick and Western Railroad (known earlier as the Brunswick and Florida Railroad and the Brunswick and Albany Railroad ) is a historic railroad in southern Georgia that at its greatest extent ran from Brunswick near

2109-414: The president of the company, toured South Georgia and was able to raise $ 80,000 in stock subscriptions from the citizens of Lowndes County, Georgia and $ 220,000 from the citizens of Thomas County, Georgia . No progress was made for over a decade, but by 1852 efforts were once again being made to get the railroad started. As part of the renewed effort, a line from Troupville, Georgia to Albany, Georgia

2166-540: The railroad were the Plant Steamship Line and Canada Atlantic and Plant Steamship Co., Ltd., both with Henry B. Plant as chief officer. The Tampa based steamships served Cuba by way of Key West, Mobile, Alabama, and two local routes. The Canada Atlantic and Plant Steamship Co., Ltd., with no direct company terminal as at Tampa, served Boston and Canadian points at Halifax, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island. Advertising touted "Plant Steamship Line — Ships ply between

2223-619: The railroad wye south of town. Prior to the arrival of the SWA the region surrounding Elba and Enterprise had only hosted logging railroads. The Southwestern Alabama Railway and the Alabama Midland Railway were acquired in July 1890 by Henry B. Plant of the Plant System and merged with his Savannah, Florida & Western Railway. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad gained control of the Plant System on July 1, 1902. The Atlantic Coast Line operated

2280-465: The railroad's completion to Albany, the railroad fail upon hard financial times and was unable to pay the contractors and workers involved with the construction of the railroad. This led to the governor of Georgia intervening due to state bonds that had been used to fund the construction of the railroad. The Atlantic and Gulf began running thrice-weekly trains from to Albany from the Brunswick and Albany's junction with its own line in late November. While

2337-436: The right to cross the line of the Brunswick and Florida, but it did not pass. In early 1856, a compromise was reached between the two competing companies was passed by the Georgia General Assembly. They would both build to a certain point in south Georgia, and then a main trunk line was to be built. The company chartered to build that line was incorporated as the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad Company in February 1856. Construction of

Southwestern Alabama Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

2394-484: The route had been graded to Big Creek in modern Brantley County, but the company lacked the iron to complete the line to that point. By November 1858, additional rails were purchased to complete the railroad to its junction with the Atlantic and Gulf and extension of the road to Albany was being called for. A route from Albany to railroad's junction with the Atlantic and Gulf was surveyed in April 1859 by chief engineer Charles L. Schlatter. The company's intention to build

2451-655: The same time, the Waycross–Brunswick Line had only one local freight train from Waycross to Brunswick six days a week. The Southern Railway also had trackage rights from Southern Junction to Brunswick. The Atlantic Coast Line became the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1967 after merging with their former rival, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad . The Seaboard Coast Line adopted the Seaboard Air Line's method of naming their lines as subdivisions. As

2508-441: The short Florida Branch south from Live Oak further into Florida (eventually reaching Gainesville with a branch to Lake City ). Plant tried to acquire the 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge Florida Southern Railway to continue this line, but was unsuccessful, and on May 4, 1883, he bought 3/5 of the stock of the 3 ft narrow gauge South Florida Railroad . At the time, the only connection between this system, with

2565-420: The track was once again complete to Big Creek at the 47.5 mile post. The westernmost segment of the original line from Schlatterville to Glenmore was never rebuilt, instead, the line from Schlatterville to Albany became the only online line. In May 1870, rails had once again been laid up the junction with the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad at Tebeauville . By January 1871, the construction crew had laid rails all

2622-495: The two companies would avoid competition with one another and construct a "main trunk" line together. In February 1855, Col. Charles L. Schlatter arrived in Georgia to take over the role as chief engineer for the construction of the railroad. Col. Schlatter was an accomplished and eminent civil engineer, who in early life was chief engineer of the state of Pennsylvania and of the Ogdensburg Railroad of New York. Col. Schlatter

2679-531: The way to Alapaha River near modern Alapaha, Georgia . Before the road had even reached Albany, the company was thinking of extending the route to Eufaula, Alabama . Surveys for the route west from Albany began in March 1871. Track laying reached the Little River near what would soon become Tifton in April of that same year. Only 30 miles were left between Albany and the completed line by July 1871. Work on grading

2736-547: Was being planned. Construction was finally set to start on November 1, 1852. By June 1853, 12 miles of the route had been graded with 5.5 miles of rail laid. In February 1854, the Savannah and Albany Railroad Company rebranded themselves the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad through a new charter from the state and began plans for a Florida route, a route that was forbidden by the Brunswick and Florida Railroad's charter. By April 1854, citizens in South Georgia were hoping that

2793-480: Was converted to 3 ft narrow gauge . By keeping these two connecting lines the same narrow gauge, they were able to work in conjunction with one another, utilizing the same narrow gauge equipment from both the Sanford and St. Petersburg Railroad and the recently converted Florida Southern Railroad. In 1899, the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway , except for the branch to Titusville (which had been sold to

2850-586: Was desired due to the growth of cotton production in the area and the lack of navigable rivers through the area. The head of navigation on the Flint River was at Albany, Georgia , the center of cotton trade in the region; however, the Flint River was relatively small and Apalachicola Bay lacked a decent harbor. There were two major ports on Georgia's Atlantic coast at the time: Brunswick and Savannah . The Brunswick and Florida Railroad received its charter from

2907-483: Was elected president of the railroad company. At the same meeting, it was decided to change the name of the railroad to the Brunswick and Albany Railroad . The name change was made official by the legislature during that December. On June 10, 1863, two Union gunboats went up the Turtle River and attempted to burn the Brunswick and Albany Railroad's trestle of Buffalo Swamp. The fire was put out by some carpenters after

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2964-402: Was fully integrated into the system by 1901. In 1902, the entire Plant System was bought by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad . The Atlantic Coast Line continued to operate the Brunswick and Western as line as their Albany–Waycross Line (P Line) west of Waycross and as their Waycross–Brunswick Line (O Line) east of Waycross. The Albany–Waycross Line was the busier segment of the line under

3021-516: Was immediately converted to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in , leaving the remaining section from Trilby to Sanford in its original gauge. The 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in Florida Midland Railway in the Orlando area was acquired in 1896, its line north of the Sanford and St. Petersburg Railroad was abandoned, and its remaining track from Sanford to Kissimmee

3078-523: Was integrated with the rest of the Plant System in 1896 and was converted to 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in that same year. The Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad was chartered in 1877 and opened in 1892, running from Ocala west to Dunnellon and then south to Homosassa and Inverness . A connection was built from Inverness to the South Florida Railroad at Pemberton Ferry . The Winston and Bone Valley Railroad , opened in 1892 to serve phosphate mines near Lakeland , became part of

3135-700: Was never built, but the Monticello Branch opened in 1888. Plant obtained a controlling interest in the Alabama Midland Railway in July 1890. That line continued the main line from Bainbridge west to Montgomery, Alabama . The Southwestern Alabama Railway and Abbeville Southern Railway , two branches of that line, were acquired in the 1890s. In 1890, the 3 ft narrow gauge Florida Southern Railway went into receivership and remained so for two years. During this time, its Charlotte Harbor branch operated independently and converted this portion of

3192-590: Was reaffirmed in 1866 by the new government after the end of the Civil War. After the war in 1869, the State of Georgia provided about $ 6 million in bonds for the railroad to rebuild. Rebuilding of the railroad commenced in August 1869, with track being laid all the way to Waynesville, Georgia by 24 November 1869. On January 25, 1870, the rails were complete to the east bank of the Satilla River, and by March 10, 1870,

3249-486: Was sold to the current shortline operator, Wiregrass Central Railroad . On July 10, 1992, an additional segment running approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from Clintonville to Enterprise was abandoned by the Wiregrass Central, prompted by the closure of a woodyard at the end of the line. Plant System The Plant System , named after its owner, Henry B. Plant , was a system of railroads and steamboats in

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