History | Seaboard Coast Line Railroad

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad History and Chronology

The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) was formed from the merger of two long-time rivals, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), in 1967. It became a major force in the southeastern U.S. before it was consolidated into the Seaboard System Railroad in 1983. 

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) predecessors

• 1830: The Petersburg Railroad is chartered in Virginia.
• 1840: The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, an early predecessor, is completed between Wilmington and Weldon, North Carolina.
• 1898: The Atlantic Coast Line name is first used for a collection of railroads, with the official consolidation creating the ACL in 1900.
• 1902: ACL acquires the Plant System, which expands the network into Georgia and Florida.
• 1902: ACL acquires a controlling stake in the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N).
• 1925: ACL and L&N jointly lease the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railroad, renaming it the Clinchfield Railroad.
• 1946: The Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad is merged into the ACL.
• 1959: The Charleston and Western Carolina Railway is merged into the ACL. 

Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) predecessors

• 1871: The “Seaboard Air-Line System” is first used informally for a network of railroads.
• 1900: The Seaboard Air Line Railway is formally incorporated.
• 1928: SAL merges with the Georgia, Florida & Alabama Railroad.
• 1946: SAL emerges from bankruptcy, changing its name from “Railway” to “Railroad”.
• 1959: SAL acquires the Gainesville Midland Railroad.
• 1960: SAL opens a new headquarters in Richmond, Virginia. 

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) (1967–1982)

• September 1958: ACL and SAL first announce intentions to merge.
• July 1, 1967: The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad is officially formed through the merger of the ACL and SAL. The new system is the eighth largest railroad in the U.S. with nearly 10,000 miles of track.
• May 1969: Seaboard Coast Line Industries is created as a holding company for SCL and its subsidiaries.
• July 1, 1969: SCL acquires the Piedmont & Northern Railway.
• May 1, 1971: All of SCL’s passenger operations are transferred to the newly formed Amtrak.
• 1972: SCL and its subsidiaries begin marketing themselves as the “Family Lines System,” though they remain separate companies.
• September 1976: SCL purchases the Durham & Southern Railroad.
• 1978: A failed attempt at a merger with the Southern Pacific Railroad is called off by SCL President Prime Osborn.
• November 1, 1980: SCL’s parent company, Seaboard Coast Line Industries, merges with Chessie System to form CSX Corporation.
• December 29, 1982: Seaboard Coast Line is officially merged with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and other “Family Lines” components to create the Seaboard System Railroad. 

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Bibliography and Additional Reading on the Atlantic and Seaboard Lines

• Personal Maps & Memorabilia: Documents, maps, timetables, and track charts
• Newspaper Articles: Newspapers.com
• Magazines/Online: ‘Trains‘, ‘Classic Trains‘
• Books:
  • Calloway, Warren L. Atlantic Coast Line: The Diesel Years. Halifax: Withers Publishing, 2008.
  • Calloway, Warren L., and Paul K. Withers. Seaboard Motive Power. Halifax: Withers Publishing, 1988.
  • Carleton, Paul. Locomotives of the Seaboard System: Railroad of the South. Dunnellon: D. Carleton Railbooks, 1987.
  • Faulk, Paul. Atlantic Coast Line Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment. Scotch Plains: Morning Sun Books, 2003.
  • Goff, Ernest R., and Larry Goolsby. CSX Diesel Locomotives in Color. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2000.
  • Goolsby, Larry. Atlantic Coast Line Passenger Service: The Postwar Years. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 1999.
  • Goolsby, Larry. Seaboard Air Line Passenger Service: The Streamlined Era. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2011.
  • Griffin, William E., Jr. Atlantic Coast Line: The Standard Railroad of the South. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2001.
  • Griffin, William E., Jr. Seaboard Air Line Railway: The Route of Courteous Service. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 1999.
  • Griffin, William E., Jr. Seaboard Coast Line & Family Lines Railroad 1967–1986. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2004.
  • Griffin, William E., Jr. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad: All Lines North of Raleigh. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 2007.
  • Johnson, Robert Wayne. Through the Heart of the South: The Seaboard Air Line Railroad Story. San Jose: Boston Mills Press, 1995.
  • Nuckles, Douglas B. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Lynchburg: TLC Publishing, 1995.
  • Prince, Richard E. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad: Steam Locomotives, Ships, and History. Green River, WY: R.E. Prince, 1966 (Reprinted by Indiana University Press, 2000).
  • Prince, Richard E. Seaboard Air Line Railway: Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History. Green River, WY: R.E. Prince, 1969 (Reprinted by Indiana University Press, 2000).
  • Solomon, Brian. CSX. St. Paul: MBI Publishing Company, 2005.
  • Stout, Greg. Seaboard Coast Line Through Passenger Service in Color. Scotch Plains: Morning Sun Books, 2019.
• Websites:
  • Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
  • TheDieselShop.us
  • SteamLocomotive.com
  • Wikipedia.org