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40-669: The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad began construction on the Haines City Branch in 1910, with its initial route running from the main line in Haines City south 47 miles to Sebring. This segment would be complete in June 1912 and served many vegetable and citrus growers. In 1916, the Atlantic Coast Line made plans to extend the branch further south to Immokalee . Construction began that year with track reaching

80-589: A 61-mile segment from Deland, Florida to Poinciana, Florida in the Greater Orlando area to the Florida Department of Transportation , who now operates the SunRail commuter rail service on that segment. Other than that, CSX still owns and operates the rest of the line. Many CSX freight trains and Amtrak trains runs the line daily. From north to south, the A Line is designated by CSX as

120-585: A major customer on that part line for its entire history, bought it in 1994 and established its own shortline, the South Central Florida Express, Inc. , who continues to operate it today. State Road 29 continues to run very close to the former right of way between Immokalee and Everglades City. Main Line (Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) The CSX A Line forms the backbone of the historic Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Main Line,

160-586: A short distance to Clewiston , which would be complete in 1921. The Southern Sugar Corporation (which became the U.S. Sugar Corporation in 1931) would be a major customer on the line in Clewiston and they would also build private branch tracks from the line to their sugar fields. The Atlantic Coast Line would extended the line one last time in 1929 to the Miami Canal in Lake Harbor to connect with

200-561: A shorter, and therefore lighter, fuel tank which proved ideal for light density lines. Most units of this type were assigned to the Carolinas. However, in 1978 the SCL decided not to purchase any more locomotives for local service on secondary mainlines and branchlines, instead aging GP7, GP9, and GP18 locomotives would be rebuilt into GP16 models at the Uceta shops. In the years leading up to

240-500: Is now state-owned), the entire line is owned by CSX Transportation . By the time the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) was officially created, track that would make up its main line had already been built by the company's predecessors. The main line was built in the late 1800s by the following companies: The process to combine these individual railroads into a unified system began around 1898. By 1900,

280-637: The CSX Corporation . The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation . By 1982, the company removed track from south of Haines City to Waverly, as well as track from Immokalee to Sunniland. The rest of the Immokalee Subdivision was abandoned in 1989. Despite parts of the Haines City Branch being abandoned, some segments remain in service. At

320-670: The Caloosahatchee River at Ortona by April 1918. This project also included a branch from Harrisburg, just south of Palmdale , to Moore Haven which was completed around the same time. Harrisburg was named after the Harris track-laying machine used to construct the line. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad would then charter the Moore Haven & Clewiston Railway to extend the Moore Haven Branch southeast

360-721: The Durham and Southern Railway from the Duke family in 1979. In 1978, SCL was approached by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) and entered negotiations for a potential transcontinental merger, with the L&;N being used to connect the two railroads. In May of that year, then-SCL president Prime Osborn III personally called off the merger, but SCL still sold some of their stock to the SP. On November 1, 1980, CSX Corporation

400-496: The Florida East Coast Railway 's Kissimmee Valley Line. A spur south and east to Okeelanta would also be built. In 1919, construction resumed on the main route from Ortona south. Track was built from Ortona south across the Caloosahatchee River through Goodno, Sears, and Felda to Immokalee. The first train to Immokalee arrived on October 16, 1921. In later years, the line from Harrisburg to Immokalee

440-569: The North End Subdivision , South End Subdivision , Charleston Subdivision , Savannah Subdivision , Nahunta Subdivision , Jacksonville Terminal Subdivision , Sanford Subdivision , Carters Subdivision , Lakeland Subdivision , and the Tampa Terminal Subdivision . Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad ( reporting mark SCL ) was a Class I railroad company operating in

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480-653: 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. At the end of 1970, SCL operated 9,230 miles of railroad, not including A&WP-Clinchfield-CN&L-GM-Georgia-L&N-Carrollton; that year it reported 31,293 million ton-miles of revenue freight and 512 million passenger-miles. The Seaboard Coast Line emerged on July 1, 1967, following

520-534: The 1967 merger, the newly created SCL network had 1,232 locomotives. The vast majority of the ACL roster contained EMD (Electro-Motive Division of General Motors ) locomotives in addition to some General Electric (GE) and Alco models as well as Baldwin switchers , while the SAL rostered mainly EMD and Alco diesels in addition to some GE models and Baldwin switchers. Both railroads had purchased new freight locomotives in

560-476: The 5 years leading up to the merger. Among the first new locomotives purchased by the Seaboard Coast Line were 28 GE U33B locomotives, acquired in 1967 and 1968. These were followed by 108 GE U36B locomotives between 1970 and 1972. From EMD, SCL purchased SD45 locomotives in 1968, with more to follow in 1971. SD45-2 locomotives were added in 1974. GP40 and GP40-2 locomotives were added to

600-614: The 60 car train was the equivalent of 250 trucks. Today it is no longer operated by SCL successor CSX Transportation , a victim of CSX’s PSR operating philosophy. Tropicana refrigerated boxcars are still transported between Florida and New Jersey, however they are now mixed in with Intermodal trains . In the past, the Juice Trains have been the focus of efficiency studies and awards as examples of how modern rail transportation can compete successfully against trucking and other modes to carry perishable products. Immediately following

640-617: The Amtrak era, many were renamed or combined with other services. The first expansion for the Seaboard Coast Line came in 1969 with the acquisition of the Piedmont and Northern Railway , which operated about 128 miles (206 km) in North and South Carolina. SCL would buy out the remaining shares and gain control of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) in 1971, and also bought

680-540: The Deep Lake Railroad, they rebuilt it to their standards and extended track south from Immokalee to Deep Lake . The line was completed in 1928 and a passenger depot was built in Everglades City (known then as simply Everglades), which would be the farthest south the Atlantic Coast Line would ever reach. In 1925, the Atlantic Coast Line would lose its monopoly in communities on the northern half of

720-548: The Haines City Branch when the Atlantic Coast Line's competitor, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad , built the Florida Western and Northern Railroad through Auburndale , West Lake Wales , Avon Park , and Sebring . The Seaboard line paralleled the Haines City Branch to the west through much of southern Central Florida, and the lines crossed each other just south of Avon Park. By 1949, the line

760-715: The Seaboard in December 1986. Juice Train is the popular name for famous unit trains of Tropicana fresh orange juice operated by railroads in the United States . On June 7, 1970, beginning on Seaboard Coast Line railroad, a mile-long Tropicana Juice Train began carrying one million gallons of juice with one weekly round-trip from Bradenton, Florida to Kearny, New Jersey , in the New York City area. The trip spanned 1,250 miles (2,010 km) one way, and

800-400: 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 (which

840-650: The company's railroad subsidiaries being collectively known as the Family Lines System which consisted of the L&N, SCL, Clinchfield and West Point Routes. During this time, the railroads adopted the same paint schemes but continued to operate as separate railroads. In 1983, CSX combined the Family Lines System units as the Seaboard System Railroad and later CSX Transportation when the former Chessie units merged with

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880-487: The creation of the Seaboard System in 1983, SCL began acquiring the next generation of locomotives from EMD and GE. These orders included GE B23-7 locomotives in 1978 and 1980, including the GE BQ23-7 variant, of which only 10 were built and all belonged to SCL. EMD GP38-2 units were added in 1979 and 1980, and 5 EMD GP40-2 locomotives also delivered in 1980. Six axle GE C30-7 and EMD SD40-2 units were added to

920-472: The fleet between 1968 and 1972 for use on through freights and other high priority freight trains. All former SAL locomotives ran for many years in the "Split-image" scheme, still in full SAL paint, but relettered and renumbered SCL. Two GP-7's 915 & 981 went from pure SAL to SCL Black without being in split-image and GP-7 944 and RS-3 1156 were never painted black, and retained their SAL paint until retired in 1976. The last operating SCL locomotive in SAL paint

960-548: The line in 1987. This segment is now connected to the Auburndale Subdivision via a former Seaboard Air Line track from West Lake Wales to Lake Wales. The short industrial spur in Avon Park is still in service that now branches off the Auburndale Subdivision (former Seaboard line). The remaining track from Sebring to Clewiston and Lake Harbor also remains in service. U.S. Sugar, who has historically been

1000-513: The longstanding short-form names of these two major Southeastern railroads. For years, SAL had been popularly known as "Seaboard," while ACL was known as "the Coast Line." Prior to the creation of Amtrak on May 1, 1971, the Seaboard Coast Line provided passenger service over much of its system, including local passenger trains on some lines. Local trains ended when the Amtrak era began. Although several named passenger trains survived through

1040-399: The main route through the area. The Haines City Branch would then be broken up into smaller branches of the Seaboard line. Track was removed between Waverly and Lake Wales, between Frostproof and Avon Park (with a short piece of the line remaining as a spur), and between the Avon Park spur and Sebring (which eliminated the crossing of the two lines). The Seaboard Coast Line would then operate

1080-579: The merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad . The combined system totaled 9,809 miles (15,786 km), the eighth largest in the United States at the time. The railroad had $ 1.2 billion in assets and revenue with a 54% market share of rail service in the Southeast , facing competition primarily from the Southern . The seemingly redundant name resulted from

1120-484: The merger was complete, the company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL), who largely retained both main lines in the combined network. To differentiate the two main lines, the Seaboard Coast Line designated the ACL's main line as the A Line and the SAL's main line as the S Line. The letter A was added as a prefix to the mileposts on the A Line (A was also added to the beginning of

1160-625: The north end of the line as their Haines City Subdivision from Haines City to Waverly. Track from Lake Wales to Frostproof became part of the Lake Wales Subdivision. Remaining track south of Sebring to Lake Harbor became the Sebring Subdivision, and track from Harrisburg to Immokalee became the Immokalee Subdivision. In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System , creating

1200-496: The north end, the line remains within Haines City but is now serves as an industrial spur off of CSX's A Line (the former Atlantic Coast Line main line). The line remains grade separated through downtown Haines City, owing to how busy the line was in its earlier days. From Lake Wales to Frostproof , the line is still in service and is now operated by the Florida Midland Railroad , a shortline that took over

1240-455: The northeast to Florida, which included: In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line merged with their long-time rival, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL). The SAL also had a main line running from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa, Florida that was roughly parallel to the ACL's main line. The two main lines crossed each other in Centralia , Savannah , Jacksonville , and Plant City . After

Haines City Branch - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-408: The pre-existing letter prefixes on the ACL's branch lines). 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 . The full line from Richmond to Port Tampa is still in service. In 2011, CSX sold

1320-655: The system north of Charleston was officially merged into the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company. In 1902, the Atlantic Coast Line acquired the Plant System , which expanded the network into Georgia and Florida and nearly doubled the size of the network. Due to increasing traffic and the Florida land boom of the 1920s , the ACL began work to double track 661 miles of the main line from Richmond to Jacksonville in 1922. The double track

1360-639: Was GP-40 1559, former SAL 644, and was repainted at Hamlet, NC in March 1976 according to records. There were former P&N locomotives that retained their P&N scheme from 1969 until 1977, only RS-3's 1250 & 1256 and S-4 230 ever were repainted SCL black. Gainesville Midland SD-40, retained its SAL paint until 1986 when it was repainted Seaboard System 8300, it had been SBD 0010 and 8300 in SAL style "split-image" for several years prior to that. SCL supplemented its local freight units with orders of GE U18B and EMD GP38-2 locomotives. Some U18B models contained

1400-407: Was complete in 1925, two years ahead of schedule. Automatic block signals were installed at the same time. In later years, much of the main line would be restored to single track with centralized traffic control and passing sidings. The line carried many of the Atlantic Coast Line's passenger and freight trains though the years. Many of the company's passenger trains on the main line were from

1440-560: Was created as a holding company for the Family Lines and Chessie System Railroad . Effective January 1, 1983, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad became Seaboard System Railroad after a merger with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Clinchfield Railroad . For some years prior to this, the SCL and L&N had been under the common ownership of a holding company, Seaboard Coast Line Industries (SCLI),

1480-405: Was discontinued due to diminished traffic and track was removed between there and Copeland. By 1961, track was removed between Copeland and Sunniland. The Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads would merge in 1967, with the merged company being named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad . The Seaboard Coast Line ended up using the former Seaboard Air Line track in the combined network as

1520-545: Was known as the Immokalee Branch on employee timetables. Shortly after service to Immokalee began, the Atlantic Coast Line's President Henry Walters authorized one last extension of the line south to Everglades City . The Atlantic Coast Line accomplished this extension by purchasing the Deep Lake Railroad from entrepreneur Barron Collier , the namesake of Collier County . The Deep Lake Railroad

1560-405: Was originally built in 1913 by Walter Langford and John Roach, who operated a grapefruit grove near Deep Lake. The line was used to transport grapefruit south to Everglades City to be sold and shipped. In 1921, Collier purchased the line and grapefruit groves and also used the line to transport pine and cypress logs to a sawmill he operated in Everglades City. After the Atlantic Coast Line acquired

1600-434: Was relatively busy with the Atlantic Coast Line running a daily local passenger train from Haines City to Clewiston. A daily local freight train also ran from Haines City to Lake Harbor, and two additional freight trains ran six days a week from Haines City to Sebring. In addition, a mixed train (both passengers and freight) ran six days a week from Palmdale to Immokalee and Everglades City. In 1958, service to Everglades City

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