Augusta Union Station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Georgia Railroad, Southern Railway, Central of Georgia Railway, Charleston & Western Carolina Railway, Georgia & Florida Railroad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Architectural style | Spanish Renaissance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1903 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Closed | 1968 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Key dates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1974 | demolished | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Former services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Augusta Union Station was a train depot in Augusta, Georgia at 525 8th Street, serving trains from its opening in 1903 to its closing in 1968. The Spanish Renaissance styled building was in central Augusta at Barrett Square, five blocks from the banks of the Savannah River. [1]
The station served trains of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), Georgia Railroad, Southern Railway, Central of Georgia Railway, Charleston & Western Carolina Railway, and Georgia & Florida Railroad. [1]
Noteworthy was the Southern Railway's Augusta Special, which in peak years went as far as New York City [2] and in later years went as far as Charlotte, North Carolina via Columbia, South Carolina.
Additionally, the Atlantic Coast Line's Palmetto operated from New York to Augusta, with a connecting train over Georgia Railroad tracks from Augusta to Atlanta. [3] The ACL offered service on its train #50 bound for Washington, D.C. and New York City. (For the return trip, passengers would take the ACL's West Coast Champion, which would have a special Augusta-bound section breaking off at Florence, South Carolina).
The Georgia Railroad offered connecting trains to Atlanta Union Station. [4] In the same fashion, the ACL and the Georgia Railroad offered overnight Atlanta-Augusta-Wilmington, North Carolina service; until the early 1950s the train had an additional branch that veered southeast to Charleston, South Carolina. [5] [6] [7] With the ACL's merger with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1967 the Palmetto picked up this service but shortened the route to Augusta. However, the SCL continued to operate a connecting Augusta-Atlanta train. [8]
The Charleston & Western Railway operated passenger train service between Augusta and Port Royal, South Carolina on the Atlantic Coast with a major transfer stop at Yemassee, South Carolina until some point between 1954 and 1955. [9] [10]
Service declined in destinations by the late 1960s. In 1968 the station was closed. Nonetheless, the SCL continued Florence to Augusta train service, last as a section of the New York - Florida train, the Champion; this ended in 1970. [11] [12] The station was demolished four years later. In its place is a post office. [13]
The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lines to create the Seaboard System in 1983.
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which styled itself as "The Route of Courteous Service", was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Predecessor railroads dated from the 1830s and reorganized extensively to rebuild after the American Civil War. The company was headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, until 1958, when its main offices were relocated to Richmond, Virginia. The Seaboard Air Line Railway Building in Norfolk's historic Freemason District still stands and has been converted into apartments.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Much of the original ACL network has been part of CSX Transportation since 1986.
The Georgia Railroad and Banking Company also seen as "GARR", was a historic railroad and banking company that operated in the U.S. state of Georgia. In 1967 it reported 833 million revenue-ton-miles of freight and 3 million passenger-miles; at the end of the year it operated 331 miles (533 km) of road and 510 miles (820 km) of track.
The Charleston and Western Carolina Railway (C&WC) was formed in 1896 to operate the lines of the former Port Royal and Augusta Railway (PR&A) and the Port Royal and Western Carolina Railway (PR&WC). The PR&A and PR&WC had originally been part of the Central of Georgia Railroad but the South Carolina Legislature had forced the railroad to give up the subsidiary lines. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) took over the C&WC in 1897 but operated it as a subsidiary until 1959 when the ACL fully absorbed it. Much of the original system is still in use by ACL successor CSX Transportation.
The Ocala Union Station is a bus station and former train station in Ocala, Florida, United States. It is located at 531 Northeast First Avenue, and was built in 1917 by both the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroad. Prior to this, ACL and SAL had separate depots in Ocala. The former ACL station was originally built by the Florida Southern Railroad, while the former SAL station was built by the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad. On December 22, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Union Station built in 1930 in Atlanta was the smaller of two principal train stations in downtown, Terminal Station being the other. It was the third "union station" or "union depot", succeeding the 1853 station, burned in mid-November 1864 when Federal forces left Atlanta for the March to the Sea, and the 1871 station.
The Champion was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Florida East Coast Railway between New York City and Miami or St. Petersburg, Florida. It operated from 1939 until 1979, continuing under the Seaboard Coast Line and Amtrak. It was a direct competitor to the Seaboard Air Line Railway's Silver Meteor, the first New York-Florida streamliner.
The Tampa Southern Railroad was a subsidiary of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) originally running from Uceta Yard in Tampa south to Palmetto, Bradenton, and Sarasota with a later extension southeast to Fort Ogden in the Peace River valley built shortly after. It was one of many rail lines completed during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. Most of the remaining trackage now serves as CSX Transportation's Palmetto Subdivision. Another short portion just east of Sarasota also remains that is now operated by Seminole Gulf Railway.
Union Station, also known as Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Southern Railway Station, is a historic train station located at Columbia, South Carolina. It was built in 1902, and is a brick and stone, eclectic Jacobethan Revival / Tudor Revival building. It features stepped gables and towering chimneys. It was designed by architect Frank Pierce Milburn for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Southern Railway. In contrast to the custom of 'union station' denoting the single station for several railroads, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad had its own station one-half mile away. The formerly Seaboard Silver Star still operates through another station in Columbia.
The Dixie Flyer was a premier named passenger train that operated from 1892 to 1965 via the "Dixie Route" from Chicago and St. Louis via Evansville, Nashville, and Atlanta to Florida. However, the train continued until 1969 as an Atlanta to Florida operation, run solely by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and its successor, the Seaboard Coast Line. The Flyer's route varied in early years, but by about 1920 was set as follows:
The Augusta Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. The line runs from CSX's A Line at Yemassee, South Carolina to Augusta, Georgia, for a total of 87.7 miles (141.1 km). At its north end it connects with Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX's McCormick Subdivision.
The Palmetto was a night train between New York, New York and two different Georgia destinations, Augusta and Savannah. It was operated by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, with the cooperation of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad. During its final year it was operated by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad.
Wilmington Union Station was a union station in Wilmington, North Carolina. Opened in 1913, it was designed by architect Joseph F. Leitner. Construction by Boyle-Robertson contractors began in 1912. It was located at Front Street and Red Cross Street in downtown Wilmington.
The CSX A Line forms the backbone of the historic Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Main Line, the backbone of their network in the southeastern United States. The main line runs from Richmond, Virginia to Port Tampa just southwest of Tampa, Florida, a distance of nearly 900 miles. Along its route it passes through Petersburg, Rocky Mount, Florence, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Orlando. With the exception of a short 61-mile segment in Greater Orlando, the entire line is owned by CSX Transportation.
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad's Sarasota Subdivision was a rail line that ran from the company's main line at Turkey Creek south to Palmetto, Bradenton, Sarasota, and Venice. The line was built in phases from 1901 to 1911.
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad’s Main Line was the backbone of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's network in the southeastern United States. The main line ran from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa, Florida, a distance of over 800 miles. Along its route it passed through Petersburg, Raleigh, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Ocala, Florida. While some segments of the line have been abandoned as of 2023, most of the line is still in service and is owned by the Seaboard Air Line's successor, CSX Transportation as their S-Line.
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad's East Carolina Line was the unofficial name of their line running from Hamlet, North Carolina through eastern South Carolina to Savannah, Georgia. Officially designated on Seaboard employee timetables as the Andrews Subdivision from Hamlet to Andrews, South Carolina, and the Charleston Subdivision from Andrews south, the line was known as the East Carolina Line by Seaboard employees due to its location in eastern South Carolina. With connections to the Seaboard's main line at both ends, the East Carolina Line was frequently used as an alternative freight route for the company.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Florence—Robbins Line was one of the company's secondary main lines that ran from Florence, South Carolina to Robbins. It was built in the late 1800s and large parts of it were built by the Atlantic Coast Line's predecessor companies. Parts of the line are still in service.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Myrtle Beach Branch was a railroad line that at its greatest extent ran from company's main line in Elrod, North Carolina south to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Atlantic Coast Line used the branch for freight and transport passengers to Myrtle Beach, which was becoming a popular tourist destination.