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 .
56-539: The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad went bankrupt on January 1, 1877, and Henry Plant bought it on November 4, 1879, reorganizing it as the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway on December 9. Plant bought the Savannah and Charleston Railroad (opened 1860) in 1880, reorganizing it as the Charleston and Savannah Railway . That acquisition extended the line from Savannah northeast to Charleston, South Carolina , where
112-525: A main line from Sanford west to Tampa , was via steamboats on the St. Johns River from Jacksonville to Sanford. The Plant Investment Company was formed in 1882 to lease and buy other railroads and expand the system. The various lines of the SF&;W were consolidated into one company in 1884. Specifically, the following companies lost their corporate existence: The Brunswick and Western Railroad , opened in
168-582: A month before the end of hostilities. It was the first railroad connecting the states of Florida and Georgia. After the war, it was operated by the Atlantic and Gulf as the Florida Division. Originally the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad Company had two junctions with the Brunswick and Florida Railroad. The first was with the Brunswick and Florida's branch line from what is now Schlatterville to what
224-714: A route between Brunswick, Georgia and Florida, and forbade another route from existing with 20 miles (32 km) of their own. On that same day, the Great Western Railroad Company received their charter. Theirs allowed for a route from Macon to the start of the Altamaha River on either side of the Ocmulgee River with the option of extending the line to Brunswick and to the Flint River. The latter soon faded into obscurity. By 1836,
280-596: A short branch of the main line to Walterboro, South Carolina . The Walterborough and Western Railroad continued that line to Ehrhardt in 1896, and the two were merged into the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad in 1900. On May 30, 1887, Florida state law chapter 3794 was approved, authorizing the SF&W to build lines from Tallahassee and Monticello north to the Georgia state line, connecting to branches from Thomasville, Georgia. The Tallahassee Branch
336-696: A subsidiary of the Alabama Midland Railway, controlled the railroad by 1889 and incorporated the line from Montgomery to Luverne into its own network. In March 1887, the Alabama Midland Railway was chartered in Alabama, and chartered in Georgia in October of the same year as the Alabama Terminal and Improvement Company. The companies were created with the purpose of constructing a line connecting Montgomery and Bainbridge. The company
392-524: Is between modern Doctortown and Screven in Wayne County, Georgia . Portions of the Brunswick and Florida Railroad Company were being openly critical of the route of the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad until its construction was well underway in late 1859. Another line, the Brunswick and Pensacola Railroad was a second projected route that was to link the junction of the Brunswick and Florida Railroad and
448-528: Is now Waycross, Georgia . The Brunswick and Florida's main line's primary junction with the Atlantic and Gulf was at Glenmore, but during the Civil War 60 miles (97 km) of the branch line which had extended all the way to Waresboro, Georgia was taken up by the Confederate government of Georgia to be used in more militarily important regions. After the Civil War, Brunswick and Florida Railroad's line
504-832: The Ashley River Railroad (operated by the C&;S) connected to the Northeastern Railroad (later part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad main line). The Waycross and Florida Railroad and East Florida Railway were chartered in February 1880, forming the Georgia and Florida parts of the " Waycross Short Line ". That line, running from the main line at Waycross southeast to Jacksonville, Florida , opened in April 1881. In 1882,
560-899: The Chattahoochee Branch opened from Climax on the main line southwest to the Florida state line, where the Chattahoochee and East Pass Railroad (chartered 1881) continued to River Junction, Florida, a hamlet which later came to be known as Chattahoochee, Florida . At River Junction, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad 's Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad continued west, and the Florida Central and Western Railroad ran east to Jacksonville. The Live Oak and Rowland's Bluff Railroad and Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad were chartered in 1881 to continue
616-564: The Florida East Coast Railway ), was reorganized and bought by Plant as the Jacksonville and St. Johns River Railway . This supplied a connection between Jacksonville and Sanford without the need for a steamboat transfer at each end, as well as system connections at Tavares and Palatka . The Plant System built the nearly straight 54 mi (87 km) Folkston Cutoff in southeast Georgia in 1901. This ran from
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#1732781048103672-689: The Satilla River . The Brunswick and Florida Railroad Company was still busy in April 1857 trying to get the citizen of Lowndes and Berrien counties on their side and claimed that $ 40,000 in stock had been raised in Lowndes County alone. At that same time, the Savannah Albany, and Gulf Railroad had finished grading the section of their line between the Altamaha River and the Little Satilla River . That section
728-539: The 24 miles (39 km) of bridging and grading west of Thomasville. The American Civil War disrupted the construction of the Atlantic and Gulf. By April 1861, the railroad had just reached Thomasville. The original completion date to Bainbridge was supposed to be October 15, 1861. The line from the initial point in Wayne County to Savannah continued to operate as the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad until
784-499: The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad and the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad were nominally separate entities before they merged in 1863, the Atlantic and Gulf continued with the station numbering system of the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad. Over time additional stations were created as communities grew up along the route. Most of the engines used by the Atlantic and Gulf were named after rivers running through its route. Alabama Midland Railway The Alabama Midland Railway
840-540: The Atlantic and Gulf constructed a two-mile extension of its line to the Savannah River. By January 1872, the Atlantic and Gulf was still trying to expand beyond Bainbridge to the Gulf of Mexico and was still reporting increasing profits. By August, it asked for financial aid from the state of Georgia to help with the completion of the railroad to Pollard, Alabama , but the bill failed to become law in that session or
896-538: The Atlantic and Gulf met in Milledgeville to plan for the opening of books and the subscription of stocks. By October 22, 1856, the commissioners showed a total of $ 600,000 in stock raised. On October, the state of Georgia subscribed to a total of $ 500,000. James P. Screven was named as the president of the company in December 1856. He was also the president of the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad. Members of
952-399: The Atlantic and Gulf was closely associated with the Savannah and Albany Railroad Company and its successor the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad . In the 1830s, a railroad route through south Georgia to the Atlantic coast was the goal of several different competing companies. The route was desired due to the growth of cotton production in the area and the lack of navigable rivers through
1008-420: The Atlantic and Gulf was forbidden until the junction of the Brunswick and Florida Railroad and the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad. After that junction had been made the line was to state from the intersection of the county lines of Appling , Ware , and Wayne . The borders of those counties have changed substantially since the passage of the act creating the railroad. The act authorized the company to extend
1064-600: The Atlantic and Gulf was in violation of its charter. Construction of the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad began on January 2, 1859, at the Little Satilla River near modern Screven, Georgia . Construction averaged 1.27 miles (2.04 km) a week. In July 1859, James P. Screven died and was replaced by his son John Screven as president of Atlantic and Gulf. In late 1860, Atlantic and Gulf failed to pay contractors McDowell and Callahan due to state securities stagnating and private investors failing to pay their installments. The contracting firm Callahan & Co. had been hired to construct
1120-587: The Atlantic and Gulf's rails were irreparably destroyed, with a total of 25.5 miles (41.0 km) damaged from Georgetown, Chatham County, Georgia to Morgan Lake near the Altamaha River. The trestles across the Ogeechee and the Little Ogeechee rivers were destroyed, but the long trestle across the Altamaha River was undamaged and ready to use by June 1865, when control of the Atlantic and Gulf
1176-412: The Brunswick and Florida Railroad Company also met in December 1856 to discuss the changes to the charter made by the Georgia legislature. They recommended that their company refuse to junction with or surrender charter privileges to the Atlantic and Gulf Company unless it was beneficial to the development of the city of Brunswick. They also wanted the junction, if it was to take place, to be located east of
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#17327810481031232-538: The Brunswick and Florida Railroad Company was advertising their desire for a route from Brunswick to Apalachicola. The Brunswick and Florida faced major setbacks due to funding problems. On December 25, 1847, the Savannah and Albany Railroad Company was chartered by the Georgia General Assembly to construct a rail line from a point along the Central of Georgia Railway near Savannah to Albany with
1288-632: The Florida coast. The company completed around 30 miles (48 km) of narrow gauge track by September 18, 1882. The company was reorganized as the Montgomery and Florida Railway in May 1886, and reorganized a second time as the Northwest and Florida Railroad in 1888. In November 1888, the railroad reached Luverne, Alabama . Now totaling 51 miles (82 km) the line was converted to standard gauge by July 1889. The Alabama Terminal and Improvement Company,
1344-424: The Georgia General Assembly consolidated that line under Atlantic and Gulf effective on May 1, 1863. The Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad had previously operated under its own name between Savannah and Thomasville. At the start of 1864, workers had graded the main line route to a point within about 5 miles (8.0 km) from Bainbridge. 15 miles (24 km) of the portion west of Thomasville already had crossties on
1400-450: The Georgia General Assembly on December 22, 1857 to construct a railroad between Albany, Georgia and Thomasville, Georgia and from there to the most advantageous point on the Florida line. Only the portion of the line from Pelham, Georgia to Thomasville had been completed by the time of the purchase. The line was completed all the way to Albany within a year. The line was operated by the Atlantic and Gulf as their Albany Division. In 1871,
1456-694: The Plant System in 1896. The Tampa and Thonotosassa Railroad was incorporated in 1893, running northeast from the South Florida Railroad in Tampa to the small town of Thonotosassa . In 1895, Plant bought the 3 ft narrow gauge Sanford and St. Petersburg Railroad (previously the Orange Belt Railway ) in 1895, which stretched across the state from Sanford to St. Petersburg . The most profitable section of this line
1512-616: The Plant System on July 1, 1902 with the line becoming part of their Waycross—Montgomery Line . Ownership would remain with the ACL until its 1967 merger with Seaboard Air Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line and the mergers into the Seaboard System and CSX Transportation in 1983 and 1986 respectively. With the exception of the abandoned Luverne branch, all of the former Alabama Midland remains active today as part of
1568-405: The Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad at what is now Glenmore, Georgia to the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad at Thomasville, Georgia. That line was never constructed. The Brunswick faction began focusing on the branch line they had planned to Albany, which would evolve into Brunswick and Albany Railroad by 1861. The Wiregrass Region that the route of the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad was to pass through
1624-522: The Sea from Summer to Autumn 1864. On December 19, 1864, the Battle of Altamaha Bridge took place at Atlantic and Gulf's trestle over the Altamaha River near Doctortown. The Confederate victory temporarily kept the only train route from coastal Georgia to south Georgia open. The railroad sustained some damage the during Civil War compared to other railroads in Georgia. An estimated 6.5 miles (10.5 km) of
1680-480: The Withlacoochee River at Mineral Springs. On June 17, 1858, the company announced it had chosen the southernmost route of the three. In July 1858, a meeting of citizens from Berrien and Lowndes counties expressed their disapproval with the route chosen. They commented that the route chosen was too close to the Florida state line to be beneficial to the citizen of south Georgia and that because of it,
1736-532: The area. The head of navigation on the Flint River was at Albany, Georgia , the center of cotton trade in the region; however, the Flint River was relatively small and Apalachicola Bay lacked a decent harbor. There were two major ports on Georgia's Atlantic coast at the time: Brunswick and Savannah . The Brunswick and Florida Railroad Company received its charter from the Georgia General Assembly on December 22, 1835. Their charter allowed them to select
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1792-468: The following companies were also merged into the SF&W: In 1902 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad acquired the entire Plant System, connecting at Charleston, SC. The components were soon merged into the ACL. The system has since become part of CSX after several mergers. Main Line (Savannah, Florida and Western Railway) Florida Division Chattahoochee Branch Monticello Branch Associated with
1848-456: The grade. In April 1861, the Atlantic and Gulf and Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad began building a branch line between Lawton, Georgia and Live Oak, Florida , on the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad to enable the movement of troops and supplies between Georgia and Florida. Grading of the route was completed by May 1863. This link was not completed until March 1865,
1904-478: The late 1850s as the Brunswick and Florida Railroad , was bought by Plant in 1884. In 1886, the system was changed to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge ; it had previously consisted of 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) broad gauge lines and 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge lines. In 1887 the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railway opened as
1960-611: The latter connected Abbeville to Grimes, Alabama , by 1901. After the completion of the Alabama Midland railroad it was acquired in July 1890 by Henry B. Plant of the Plant System and merged with the Savannah, Florida & Western. Together the railroads formed a continuous mainline from Savannah to Montgomery, colloquially known as the "bow line" due to its distinctive shape. The Atlantic Coast Line gained control of
2016-422: The legal right to a more southern route that the Brunswick and Florida Railroad had by its charters. By April 1854, citizens in south Georgia were hoping that the two companies would avoid competition with one another and construct a "main trunk" line together. In November 1855, a bill was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly by Alexander Lawton to give the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf's southern branch line
2072-663: The line to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in . In 1892, Plant bought the Florida Southern Railway under foreclosure and reorganized it as the Florida Southern Railroad. At this time, the Florida Southern system stretched from the south end of the Plant System at Gainesville south via Ocala , using trackage rights over the South Florida Railroad's Pemberton Ferry Branch, to Punta Gorda . The Florida Southern Railroad
2128-520: The next. In March 1874, the state of Georgia sold 75% of its shares of stock in Atlantic and Gulf. On January 1, 1877, Atlantic and Gulf declared bankruptcy after defaulting on several bonds. It had been hard hit by the Long Depression . In November 1879, it was bought by Henry B. Plant at a foreclosure sale and reorganized in December as the Savannah, Florida, and Western Railway , which developed into his Plant System . The construction of
2184-515: The old Waycross and Florida Railroad at Folkston north via Nahunta to Jesup on the SF&W mainline, allowing trains to bypass Waycross and save 19 mi (31 km) over the old route. In 1901, the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad, the Ashley River Railroad , the Abbeville Southern Railway ; and Southern Alabama Railroad were all consolidated into the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway . In 1901,
2240-534: The ports of 3 great nations: United States (Port Tampa, Key West, Mobile, Boston), England (Dominion of Canada), Spain (Cuba)." Atlantic and Gulf Railroad (1856%E2%80%9379) The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad was chartered in February 1856 by act of the Georgia General Assembly. It was also known as the Main Trunk Railroad . It traversed south Georgia from Screven to Bainbridge, Georgia . Construction began in early January 1859. Its construction
2296-477: The possibility of extending the railroad to the Chattahoochee River at any time. The bill was introduced by Nelson Tift . By 1853, some in the company were discussing a branch line to Florida. In February 1854, the stock company rebranded themselves the Savannah, Albany, and Gulf Railroad through a new charter from the state, but had also completed very little of the planned route. They also lacked
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2352-437: The railroad had a profound effect upon the geography of south Georgia. The coming of railroad helped establish a number of new counties and moved several county seats. In general, the Atlantic and Gulf opened up south Georgia to settlement and population growth while also connecting it to areas from which it had previously been isolated. For decades after the railroad's establishment, new towns grew up along its route. Even though
2408-548: The railroad were the Plant Steamship Line and Canada Atlantic and Plant Steamship Co., Ltd., both with Henry B. Plant as chief officer. The Tampa based steamships served Cuba by way of Key West, Mobile, Alabama, and two local routes. The Canada Atlantic and Plant Steamship Co., Ltd., with no direct company terminal as at Tampa, served Boston and Canadian points at Halifax, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island. Advertising touted "Plant Steamship Line — Ships ply between
2464-495: The right to cross the line of the Brunswick and Florida, but it did not pass. In early 1856, a compromise was reached between the two competing companies and passed by the Georgia General Assembly. They would both build to a certain point in south Georgia, and then a main trunk line was to be built. The company chartered to build that line was incorporated as the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad Company in February 1856. Construction of
2520-522: The route to the western state line at any point between Fort Gaines, Georgia and the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers with the route chosen to allow for speedy access to the Gulf of Mexico through either Pensacola, Florida or Mobile, Alabama . At that time the Brunswick and Florida had only completed the first 32 miles (51 km) of its line. On March 31, 1856, the board of commissioners for
2576-441: The short Florida Branch south from Live Oak further into Florida (eventually reaching Gainesville with a branch to Lake City ). Plant tried to acquire the 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow gauge Florida Southern Railway to continue this line, but was unsuccessful, and on May 4, 1883, he bought 3/5 of the stock of the 3 ft narrow gauge South Florida Railroad . At the time, the only connection between this system, with
2632-605: Was consolidated on October 28, 1888, and completed the entire 175 miles (282 km) between the two cities in 1890, including a branch from Sprague to Luverne, Alabama , built by the Northwest & Florida Railroad, a distance of 33.5 miles (53.9 km). Two subsidiary railroads of the Alabama Midland were tasked with constructing branchlines, the Southwestern Alabama Railway and the Abbeville Southern Railway . The former reached Elba in 1898 and
2688-484: Was converted to 3 ft narrow gauge . By keeping these two connecting lines the same narrow gauge, they were able to work in conjunction with one another, utilizing the same narrow gauge equipment from both the Sanford and St. Petersburg Railroad and the recently converted Florida Southern Railroad. In 1899, the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway , except for the branch to Titusville (which had been sold to
2744-535: Was halted by the American Civil War . Construction began again after the end of the war and the line was completed to Bainbridge, Georgia by late December 1867. The route never reached all the way to the Gulf of Mexico as it had originally intended. The company went bankrupt in 1877 and was bought in 1879 by Henry B. Plant and became incorporated into his Plant System . Its main line is currently operated by CSX Transportation . Throughout its history,
2800-531: Was immediately converted to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in , leaving the remaining section from Trilby to Sanford in its original gauge. The 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in Florida Midland Railway in the Orlando area was acquired in 1896, its line north of the Sanford and St. Petersburg Railroad was abandoned, and its remaining track from Sanford to Kissimmee
2856-464: Was incorporated in Alabama and Georgia in 1887, and built a line from Bainbridge, Georgia , to a point near Montgomery, Alabama . The route was completed in 1890. It became part of the Plant System in 1894, and in 1901 it was merged into the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway . On July 2, 1880, the Montgomery and Southern Railway was created to construct a new railroad linking Montgomery to
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#17327810481032912-522: Was integrated with the rest of the Plant System in 1896 and was converted to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in that same year. The Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad was chartered in 1877 and opened in 1892, running from Ocala west to Dunnellon and then south to Homosassa and Inverness . A connection was built from Inverness to the South Florida Railroad at Pemberton Ferry . The Winston and Bone Valley Railroad , opened in 1892 to serve phosphate mines near Lakeland , became part of
2968-718: Was never built, but the Monticello Branch opened in 1888. Plant obtained a controlling interest in the Alabama Midland Railway in July 1890. That line continued the main line from Bainbridge west to Montgomery, Alabama . The Southwestern Alabama Railway and Abbeville Southern Railway , two branches of that line, were acquired in the 1890s. In 1890, the 3 ft narrow gauge Florida Southern Railway went into receivership and remained so for two years. During this time, its Charlotte Harbor branch operated independently and converted this portion of
3024-520: Was restored to its board of directors by General Henry Warner Birge . By November 1865, the grading of the route to Bainbridge had been completed and the rails were set to be purchased when company finances allowed. By late December 1867, the Atlantic and Gulf's line had been completed to Bainbridge, Georgia . In 1869, the Atlantic and Gulf purchased the line under construction by the South Georgia and Florida Railroad . It had been chartered by
3080-410: Was sparsely populated. It dominated by large stands of longleaf pines and wetlands , and crossed by several rivers. Most of the work was done by enslaved people. Three different routes through Lowndes County were surveyed by E.L. Heriot, Chief Engineer for the company: a route through northern Troupville a line through northern Lowndes County, and a line passing through Lowndes County and crossing
3136-497: Was taken over by the Brunswick and Albany Railroad in 1869. The Schlatterville to Glenmore route was abandoned because of the growth of Waycross. The Atlantic and Gulf line remained open throughout most of the Civil War. Its remaining open allowed many people from central Georgia and coastal Georgia to take refuge in towns like Thomasville and Valdosta in south Georgia during the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's March to
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