Georgia Southern and Florida Railway

Last updated
Georgia Southern and Florida Railway listed in Sholes' Directory, 1893 Sholes' directory of the city of Macon, August 1st, 1893. Volume VI - DPLA - 1f28479a65266654a4156954e1f4d1ce.pdf
Georgia Southern and Florida Railway listed in Sholes' Directory, 1893

The Georgia Southern and Florida Railway( reporting mark GSF), also known as the Suwanee River Route from its crossing of the Suwanee River, was founded in 1885 as the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad and began operations between Macon, GA and Valdosta, GA in 1889, extending to Palatka, FL in 1890. The railroad went bankrupt by 1891, was reorganized as the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway in 1895, and was controlled by the Southern Railway.

Contents

In 1902, the GS&F purchased the Atlantic, Valdosta and Western Railway that ran from Valdosta, GA to Jacksonville, FL. The GS&F also owned the Macon and Birmingham Railway and the Hawkinsville and Florida Southern Railway, both of which were operated as separate companies; [1] both ended up going bankrupt and being mostly abandoned. The GS&F was eventually acquired by the Norfolk Southern Railway and still operates as a subsidiary. As of November 2012, at least one operating Norfolk Southern locomotive retains GSF reporting marks.

The line was abandoned south of Lake City, Florida in the late 1980s. The Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail runs along some of the abandoned right of way. The remaining line is still in service and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway. [2] It is designated as Norfolk Southern's Macon District from Macon to Valdosta, and the Navair District from Valdosta to end of the line in Navair (just south of Lake City). [3]

Historic stations

StateMilepostCity/LocationStation [4] [5] [3] Connections and notes
GA 0.0 G Macon Terminal Station opened in 1916
junction with:
0.9 GMacon Junctionjunction with Central of Georgia Railway
1.3 GMacon Yard
4.4 GTamworth
7.9 GSofkeejunction with Macon and Birmingham Railway (GSF) [6]
10.6 G Avondale
13.0 G Elberta
16.0 G Warner Robins Warner Robinsoriginally named Wellston
21.3 G Bonaire
24.9 G Kathleen Kathleen
29.0 GTivola
30.9 G Clinchfield
34.9 G Grovania
38.4 G Elko
43.9 G Unadilla Unadilla
48.8 G Pinehurst Pinehurst
51.7 G Findlay
56.2 G Vienna Vienna
59.5 G Richwood
64.5 G Cordele Cordelejunction with:
69.2 G Wenona
74.4 G Arabi
77.5 GSibley
79.2 G Dakota
81.5 G Worth Worthjunction with Hawkinsville & Florida Southern Railway (GSF) [6]
84.8 G Ashburn Ashburn
87.4 G Sycamore
91.6 GInaha
95.3 G Sunsweet
98.1 G Chula
105.2 G Tifton Tifton
111.9 G Eldorado
118.1 G Lenox Lenox
123.0 G Laconte
125.5 G Sparks Sparks
127.7 G Adel Adel
131.0 GHeartpine
134.2 G Cecil Cecil
138.1 G Hahira Hahira
144.3 G Mineola Mineola
151.2 G Valdosta Valdostajunction with:
157.6 B Dasher Dasher
163.4 B Lake Park Lake Park
167.2 BMelrose
FL 170.7 B Jennings Jennings
176.1 B Avoca Avoca
182.2 B Jasper Jasperjunction with Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad Florida Division (ACL)
192.8 BGenoa
196.3 BFacil
199.7 B White Springs White Springs
203.2 BSuwanee Valley
206.0 BWinfield
211.6 B Lake City Lake City junction with:
212.7 BWatertown Junction
219.0 BJefferson
222.3 B Lulu Lulu
227.9 BGuilford
229.1 BCliftonville
232.9 B Lake Butler Lake Butlerjunction with Jacksonville and Southwestern Railroad (ACL)
239.2 BNew River
243.9 B Sampson City Sampson Cityjunction with:
249.6 B Hampton Hamptonjunction with Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad Southern Division (SAL)
253.4 BTheressa
257.8 BBrooklyn
258.5 B Keystone Heights Keystone Heights
259.9 B Lake Geneva Lake Geneva
264.5 B Putnam Hall Putnam Hall
267.1 B Grandin Grandin
269.1 B Florahome Florahome
273.0 BBaywood
275.4 BCarraway
278.0 BWoodburn
280.0 BSpringside
285.6 B Palatka Palatka relocated to union depot in 1908
junction with:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida East Coast Railway</span> Class II railroad operating in Florida

The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad</span> Historic railroad system

The Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad was the final name of a system of railroads throughout Florida, becoming part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900. The system, including some of the first railroads in Florida, stretched from Jacksonville west through Tallahassee and south to Tampa. Much of the FC&P network is still in service under the ownership of CSX Transportation.

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

The Plant System, named after its owner, Henry B. Plant, was a system of railroads and steamboats in 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.

Chartered in 1897, the Atlantic, Valdosta and Western Railway operated from Valdosta, Georgia, to Jacksonville, Florida, and was nicknamed the Jacksonville Short Line. The line was opened in July 1899, prefaced by a "bohemian smoker" banquet in Valdosta on June 27, 1899. In May 1902, the railroad was purchased by the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway and their parent company Southern Railway. The line was quickly integrated into Southern's passenger schedules with travel between Valdosta and Jacksonville advertised at about 312 hours. Southern took control of the AV&W on July 1, 1902.

The Charleston and Savannah Railway was a 19th-century American railroad serving the coastal states of South Carolina and Georgia and running through part of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Its name varied slightly over time:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valdosta Railway</span>

The Valdosta Railway is a shortline railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia, connecting Clyattville to CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway at Valdosta. The company began operations in 1992 as a subsidiary of the Rail Management and Consulting Corporation, and was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in 2005.

Elko is an unincorporated community in Houston County, Georgia, United States, south of the city of Perry. Founded circa 1890 as a railroad town, Elko prospered in the early 1900s as a local depot and trading center for cotton planters in southern Houston County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Union Station (1930)</span> Smaller of two principal train stations in downtown Atlanta

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.

<i>Royal Palm</i> (train) Defunct American long-distance train

The Royal Palm was a named train of the Southern Railway that ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Jacksonville, Florida, and then on the Florida East Coast Railway's East Coast Champion to Miami, Florida. The train was discontinued in 1970.

The Florida Southern Railway was a railroad that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railway when it was built along with the South Florida Railroad and the Orange Belt Railway. The Florida Southern was originally chartered to run from Lake City south through central Florida to Charlotte Harbor. However, with the influence of Henry B. Plant, it operated with two discontinuous segments that would be part of the Plant System, which would later become part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail</span>

The Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail (PLB) corridor stretches nearly 47 miles (76 km) from the vicinity of Lake Butler, Florida to Palatka, Florida. The project is located along the former Georgia Southern and Florida Railway right-of-way and the trail is being constructed on top of the existing abandoned railroad bed through Putnam, Clay, Bradford, and Union counties.

The Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway was a Southeastern railroad that operated in the Carolinas immediately after Reconstruction. It ran from Mount Airy, North Carolina southeast through Greensboro and Fayetteville to the Atlantic port of Wilmington, North Carolina. A significant branch also ran from Fayetteville south to Bennettsville, South Carolina.

The Jacksonville & Southwestern Railroad (J&SW) was a railroad that served Florida from 1899 to 1904. It was purchased by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1904. The Atlantic Coast Line would extend the line further west and it would become their Jacksonville—Wilcox Line. Some of the original right-of-way was converted to a recreational path in the rails to trails program in the 1990s.

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 Waycross Short Line was the unofficial name of a railroad line built by Henry B. Plant that ran from Waycross, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida on the St. Johns River. The line through Georgia was chartered by Plant as the Waycross and Florida Railroad and the Florida segment was chartered as the East Florida Railway. The line crossed the Georgia/Florida border just south of Folkston, Georgia at the St. Marys River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad</span>

The Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad was chartered in 1885 as the Macon and Dublin Railroad. It was built to connect its namesake towns, Macon and Dublin. Eventually, it became a 96-mile short line operating between Macon and Vidalia.

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 2022, 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 Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's High Springs—Croom Line was a historic rail line in northern Florida. The line dates back to the late 1800s and was used for both passengers and freight.

References

  1. Map of Georgia Southern and Florida Railway and connections (Official Guide of the Railways, April 1918, via RailGA)
  2. "Lake City to Palatka, FL". Abandoned Rails. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  3. 1 2 Norfolk Southern Georgia Division Timetable
  4. "Georgia Railroads: Passenger Stations & Stops" (PDF). Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists (Georgia). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. "Florida Railroads: Passenger Stations & Stops" (PDF). Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists (Florida). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. 1 2 Georgia Southern and Florida