Florida Northern Railroad (current)

Last updated
Florida Northern Railroad Company, Inc.
Overview
Headquarters Plymouth, Florida
Reporting mark FNOR
Locale Ocala, Florida
Dates of operation1988
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Other
Website www.regional-rail.com/florida-northern/

The Florida Northern Railroad Company, Inc.( reporting mark FNOR) is one of several short line railroads run by Regional Rail, LLC. It has connections to CSX at Ocala, Florida, running north to Lowell, Florida, and south to Candler, Florida. It was formerly run by CSX as their Ocala Subdivision.

Contents

The railroad also operates lines connecting to CSX in Newberry, Florida, running south to the Crystal River Energy Complex in Red Level, Florida, just north of Crystal River. This line was formerly CSX's West Coast Subdivision and Red Level Subdivision. Long coal trains are still pulled by CSX locomotives on this branch while local traffic still uses the Pinsly Red with Yellow locomotives.


History

Lowell to Candler Line

Florida Northern Railroad
Lowell to Candler
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fmr. ACL
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AS 756.9
Lowell
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AS 763.5
Kendrick
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CSX
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AS 768.3
Ocala
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AS 772.4
Maricamp
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AS 781.2
Candler
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Ocala Union Station along the Florida Northern Railroad line Ocalaunionstation3.jpg
Ocala Union Station along the Florida Northern Railroad line

The main track of the line from Lowell to Candler via Ocala was originally built by the Florida Southern Railway, which was part of the Plant System of railroads. It was built from Rochelle (south of Gainesville) to Ocala in 1881. In 1883, it was extended south to Leesburg. The track connecting the Florida Northern main track with the CSX track and the industrial spur from Ocala west was originally part of the Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad, which was built in 1887 and historically extended west to Dunnellon and Homosassa. The Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad also became part of the Plant System. [1]

The Plant System became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The Atlantic Coast line used this line for passenger service and in 1917, they jointly built Ocala Union Station with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad where the two railroads crossed. Ocala Union Station no longer serves passenger trains but continues to stand where the Florida Northern crosses the CSX S Line (the former Seaboard Air Line). [2]

The Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line merged in 1967 with the merged company becoming the CSX Transportation in 1986. The former Atlantic Coast Line route was abandoned north of Lowell and south of Candler around 1982, creating the line that exists today. [3] [4] CSX leased the line to the Pinsly Railroad Company in 1988 who established the Florida Northern Railroad. In November 2019, Pinsly Railroad Company sold the Florida Northern, along with the Florida Central Railroad and Florida Midland Railroad, to 3i RR Holdings GP, LLC and subsidiaries (d.b.a. "Regional Rail, LLC"). [5]

As of 2016, the northernmost 5 miles from Zuber to Lowell are out of service. [6]

Newberry to Red Level Line

Florida Northern Railroad
Newberry to Red Level
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AR 717.1
High Springs (abandoned in 2014)
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CSX
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to Wilcox
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Newberry
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AR 740.8
Archer
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fmr. SAL
← to Cedar Key · to Gainesville
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Williston
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AR 759.6
Morriston
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Romeo
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to Ocala
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Juliette (Rainbow Falls)
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to Wilcox
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Dunnellon
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777.5
Gulf Junction
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Red Level Junction
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Red Level
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Newberry to Red Level Line as seen from the platform of the former Dunnellon station Dunnellon train depot walk02.jpg
Newberry to Red Level Line as seen from the platform of the former Dunnellon station

The line from Newberry to Red Level was built incrementally by Henry Plant's system of railroads. Track from High Springs to Archer was built in 1893 by the Plant System as a branch of the Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad.

At the other end, the Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad (which originated in Ocala), built the track from a point historically known as Juliette (near Rainbow Springs) south to Dunnellon, Crystal River, and Homosassa in 1887 (though track to Homosassa only lasted until 1941). In 1893, track was built from Juliette (near Rainbow Springs) north to Morriston and from just south of Dunnellon south to Inverness. The split in the line to Inverness would become known as Gulf Junction.

One of the early organizers of the Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad was John F. Dunn, for whom Dunnellon is named for. [7] The Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad would become part of the Plant System of railroads in 1901. [1] The Plant System was acquired by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902.

The Atlantic Coast Line then extended the line from Morriston north to Archer in 1913 to connect with the line from High Springs. The completion of this line created a through route from High Springs to Dunnellon, which combined with track to Inverness south created a west coast main line for the Atlantic Coast Line. [1]

In the 1960s, a spur was built to the Crystal River Energy Complex in Red Level. [8]

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad eventually evolved into CSX in 1986, with this line being known as the West Coast Subdivision. The track from Red Level Junction to Crystal River was removed by 1982 and track from Dunnellon south to Inverness and Owensboro was removed in 1987, which became the Withlacoochee State Trail. [3] [4]

The Florida Northern took over the remaining track of the West Coast Subdivision in 1988. The spur from Newberry to High Springs was removed in 2014. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad was a railroad running in northern Central Florida. Despite its name, it never directly served Silver Springs but instead ran from Ocala west to Dunnellon and to the Gulf of Mexico at Homosassa. It also had a track that served Inverness from Dunnellon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Florida Railroad</span> Historic railroad in Central Florida

The South Florida Railroad was a railroad from Sanford, Florida, to Tampa, Florida, becoming part of the Plant System in 1893 and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. It served as the southernmost segment of the Atlantic Coast Line's main line. The line remains in service today and is now part of the Central Florida Rail Corridor in the Orlando metro area. The rest of the line remains under the ownership of CSX Transportation as part of their A Line.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant System</span> Historic railroad system

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Withlacoochee State Trail</span> Longest multi-purpose trail in Florida (U.S.)

Withlacoochee State Trail is a 46-mile (74 km) long paved, multi-use, non-motorized rail trail in Florida located in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties. It follows along the Withlacoochee River and passes through the Withlacoochee State Forest. It is the longest paved rail trail in Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocala Union Station</span> Historic passenger train station in Ocala, Florida

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearwater Subdivision</span>

The Clearwater Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the Tampa Bay region of Florida. The line begins just east of downtown Tampa in Gary and heads north through some of Tampa's suburban neighborhoods. In Sulphur Springs, the Clearwater Subdivision turns and runs west through Oldsmar, where it crosses Tampa Bay. It briefly shifts south running through Safety Harbor, and then heads west again to Clearwater. In Clearwater, it turns southeast, running through Largo and Pinellas Park before terminating at Fifth Avenue North in St. Petersburg near Tropicana Field. The distance from Gary to St. Petersburg along the line is 48.6 miles (78.2 km). At the line's north end it continues from the Tampa Terminal Subdivision and at its south end the track comes to an end.

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The Tampa Northern Railroad was a historic railroad line running from just east of downtown Tampa north to the city of Brooksville in Hernando County. The line continues to operate today and is under the ownership of the CSX Corporation, who operates it as their Brooksville Subdivision north of Sulphur Springs and part of their Clearwater Subdivision south of there.

The Tampa and Thonotosassa Railroad was a 13-mile railroad line running from Tampa, Florida northeast to Thonotosassa. The line began operation in 1893 and began at a junction with the South Florida Railroad in Tampa. The line had a station in Thonotosassa. The line was bought out by the Plant System in 1901 which was then sold to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902.

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Perry Cutoff was a historic rail line in northern Florida running from Monticello southeast to Perry. The line provided a shortcut through the Big Bend of Florida for rail traffic running between the Midwest and the Tampa Bay area by providing a more direct route and a bypass for the busy rail hub in Jacksonville. It was completed in 1928 to reduce travel times for its passenger trains to the west coast, or Gulf Coast, of Florida during the Florida land boom of the 1920s.

The Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad was a historic railroad in Florida chartered by railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant. It was built as an extension of Plant's Live Oak and Rowlands Bluff Railroad. Together, the two lines ran from Live Oak, Florida to Gainesville via High Springs. The lines were completed in 1884.

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's DuPont—Lakeland Line was a historic rail line in southern Georgia and the northern west coast of Florida. On employee timetables, the line was actually divided into the DuPont—High Springs Line and the High Springs—Lakeland Line. The line was primarily used for freight, though some passenger services ran on parts of it in Florida. While parts of the line were built as early as 1863, the full line was not complete until 1913. Parts of the line in Florida are still active today.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Turner, Gregg (2003). A Short History of Florida Railroads. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7385-2421-4.
  2. Mulligan, M. (2008). Railroad Depots of Central Florida. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 40, 84, 117–119.
  3. 1 2 Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Jacksonville Division and Tampa Division Timetable (1977)
  4. 1 2 Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Jacksonville Division and Tampa Division Timetable (1982)
  5. "STB Notice of Exemption 47348 (Docket FD-36365)" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. November 22, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  6. "SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD [Docket No. AB 507 (Sub-No. 2X)] Florida Northern Railroad Company, Inc.—Discontinuance of Service Exemption—in Marion County, Fla" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  7. Cook, David (17 Jan 2010). "Ocala begins love affair with railroads". Ocala Star Banner. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  8. Murawski, John (2011-01-10). "Merger means uncertainty for Raleigh utility's workers". News & Observer . Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  9. "The High Springs Railroad". Mount Sutro: An Electronic Periodical. Retrieved 12 March 2018.