Jacksonville and Atlantic Railroad

Last updated April 10, 2019

The Jacksonville and Atlantic Railroad Company was incorporated under the general incorporation laws of Florida for the purpose of constructing, maintaining and operating a railroad for public use in the conveyance of persons and property, from the south bank of the river St. Johns opposite the city of Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, to a point on the Atlantic, at or near section 33, township 2, south, range 29, east. Florida state law chapter 3640, approved January 29, 1885, gave the company enlarged powers, including running boats across the St. Johns River.

Florida is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is Florida's most populous urban area. Tallahassee is the state's capital.

The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles (500 km) long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in elevation from headwaters to mouth is less than 30 feet (9 m); like most Florida waterways, the St. Johns has a very low flow rate 0.3 mph (0.13 m/s) and is often described as "lazy". Numerous lakes are formed by the river or flow into it, but as a river its widest point is nearly 3 miles (5 km) across. The narrowest point is in the headwaters, an unnavigable marsh in Indian River County. The St. Johns drainage basin of 8,840 square miles (22,900 km²) includes some of Florida's major wetlands. It is separated into three major basins and two associated watersheds for Lake George and the Ocklawaha River, all managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Jacksonville, Florida Largest city in Florida

Jacksonville is the most populous city in Florida, the most populous city in the southeastern United States and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968. Consolidation gave Jacksonville its great size and placed most of its metropolitan population within the city limits. As of 2017 Jacksonville's population was estimated to be 892,062. The Jacksonville metropolitan area has a population of 1,523,615 and is the fourth largest in Florida.

The company was organized by John Q. Burbridge, J. J. Daniel, James M. Schumacher, H. S. Ely, F. F. L'engle, S. B. Hubbard, M. M. Drew, P. McQuaid, W. T. Forbes and W. A. McDuff. The 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line was built with 35 pound rail and ran 16.25 miles from South Jacksonville to Pablo Beach.

Three foot gauge railways have a track gauge of 3 ft or 1 yard. This gauge is a narrow gauge and is generally found throughout North, Central, and South America. In Ireland, many secondary and industrial lines were built to 3 ft gauge, and it is the dominant gauge on the Isle of Man, where it is known as the Manx Standard Gauge. Modern 3 ft gauge railways are most commonly found in isolated mountainous areas, on small islands, or in large-scale amusement parks and theme parks. This gauge is also popular in model railroading, and model prototypes of these railways have been made by several model train brands around the world, such as Accucraft Trains (US), Aristo-Craft Trains (US), Bachmann Industries, Delton Locomotive Works (US), LGB (Germany), and PIKO (Germany).

The J&A was sold at foreclosure on December 5, 1892, and reorganized as the Jacksonville and Atlantic Railroad Company. In 1897, the new company's officers and directors were: J. W, Archibald, President and General Manager; B. P. Hazeltine, Vice-President; W. A. McDuff, Secretary and Treasurer; and W. B. Barnett, all of Jacksonville. The road owned two locomotives, five passenger coaches, one baggage car, and twelve freight cars.^[1]

In 1899 the J&A was bought by Henry Flagler, whose Florida East Coast Railway converted the line to 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge and extended the line north to Mayport.

Henry Morrison Flagler was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder of what became the Florida East Coast Railway. He is known as the father of Miami and Palm Beach, Florida.

Florida East Coast Railway Class II railroad operating 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.

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References

↑ Poor's Manual of the Railroads of the United States, 1897 Edition, Poor's Railroad Manual Co., New York, N. Y., p. 164

Jacksonville and Atlantic Railroad

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References

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