Atlantic, Suwannee River and Gulf Railway

The Atlantic, Suwannee River and Gulf Railroad Company was a railroad under the control of the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad (FC&PR) that ran westward from Starke, Florida, eventually terminating at Wannee, Florida, on the Suwannee River. It was later absorbed by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad.

Atlantic, Suwannee River and Gulf Railway
Overview
LocaleFlorida
Dates of operation1891–1903
SuccessorSeaboard Air Line Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

History

The Starke to Wannee rail line was initiated in 1891 with the incorporation of the Starke, Florida and Sampson City Railway Co.[1] The company failed after grading the right-of-way, and in 1892 transferred the right-of-way to the Ambler Lumber Co.[2]

The Atlantic, Suwannee River and Gulf Railroad (ASR&G) was incorporated under the general incorporation laws of Florida in 1893.[3][4] It was established to construct, maintain, manage and operate one of more lines of railway, as follows:

Beginning at or near the town of Starke, in the county of Bradford, Florida, and extending from thence through the counties of Bradford and Alachua to a point on or near the Suwannee River between Clay Landing[5] and Fort White, and a branch or branches through the counties of Levy, Columbia, Lafayette and Taylor, and with a branch or branches through the counties of Bradford, Clay and Duval, to a point on the St. Johns river.[6]

The company had the right to build canals as feeders for the railroad, which was to be standard gauge. The railroad was promised land grants along its line.[7]

Shortly after incorporation, the company purchased the graded right-of-way between Starke, Florida and Sampson City from the Ambler Lumber Co. and start laying track. The track from Starke, Florida reached Sampson City in August, 1863, and LaCrosse in March, 1894. After a pause, The track reach Alachua in July, 1896, and Buda, between High Springs and Newberry, in July, 1897. The FC&PR leased the ASR&G in 1899, and pushed the rail head 22 miles (35 km) to Wannee by 1902. Operation of both the FC&PR and the ASR&GR was taken over by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in July, 1900, and both were formally adsorbed by the SAL in June, 1903. From its founding until its absorption by the SAL, the ASR&GR had served primarily to feed timber and lumber to the FC&PR.[8]

The Seaboard Air Line would remove track between Wannee and Bell in the 1930s. Much of the line west of Brooker was abandoned after the Seaboard Air Line merged with its competitor, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, in 1967.[9] Though, track from Buda to Bell would remain as a spur until the 1980s.[10]

The Seaboard Coast Line would become CSX Transportation in the 1980s. In the 1990s, CSX would rebuild a short segment of the Atlantic, Suwannee River and Gulf Railway to Hainesworth to reconnect with the remains of the former Jacksonville and Southwestern Railroad, which had just been severed from its system. This segment is now CSX Transportation's Brooker Subdivision and is still in service. The line's connection with the CSX S Line is still known as Wannee Junction.[11]

Station listing
Milepost City/Location Station[12][13] Connections and notes
SN 679.0 Starke Wannee Junction junction with Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad Southern Division (SAL)
SN 685.6 Sampson City junction with Georgia Southern and Florida Railway (SOU)
Wainright's
SN 689.5 Clayno
Atlantic
SN 693.7 Brooker Brooker
SN 696.0 Darby
SN 699.0 La Crosse La Crosse
Getzens
SN 702.3 Hainesworth junction with Jacksonville and Southwestern Railroad (ACL)
Alachua Burnett's Lake junction with Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad (ACL)
SN 706.5 Alachua
Hodges
SN 711.9 Arno
SN 715.2 Buda junction with Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad (ACL)
SN 720.3 Neals Neals
SN 725.5 Williford
Harvard
SN 730.3 Bell Bell
N 733.2 Curtis
N 735.7 Wannee

Notes
  1. Prince (p, 79) lists Sampson City as being on the line west of Starke. Sampson City was also a terminal point for the Gainesville and Gulf Railroad (Turner 2008: 178) and was served by the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad.(1918 Timetable for Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad "Suwannee River Route")
  2. Pettengill p. 57
  3. Prince, R.E. (1969). Seaboard Air Line Railway: Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History. Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History Series. Indiana University Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-253-33695-8. Retrieved May 18, 2018. The ATLANTIC, SUWANNEE RIVER & GULF RY began construction in 1893 and passed westward through Sampson City, Burnetts Lake, and Alachua, to be completed 36 miles as far as Buda in 1897. On September 14, 1899 the company ...
  4. Mulligan, M. (2008). Railroad Depots of Central Florida. Images of rail. Arcadia Pub. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7385-5390-0. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  5. Manatee Springs State Park. See Clay Landing Days Accessed May 27, 2018
  6. Legislature of Florida pp. 223-24
  7. Legislature of Florida pp. 224, 225, 227
  8. Pettengill pp. 57-59
  9. Turner, Gregg (2003). A Short History of Florida Railroads. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-2421-4.
  10. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Jacksonville Division and Tampa Division Timetable (1977)
  11. CSX Jacksonville Division Timetable
  12. Florida Railroads, Passenger Stations and Stops
  13. Seaboard Air Line Railroad North Florida Division Timetable (1949)

References
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