Seaboard Coast Line Railroad – SCL
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Seaboard Coast Line – SCL
The Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) and the Seaboard Air Line (SAL) were the toughest competitors as they were the two primary railroads along the Atlantic Seaboard, from Richmond VA to Miami FL. By the 1950s, the two railroads realized that growth and success would only be possible through consolidation. With ACL being the strongest financially, the two merged in 1967. With a tip of the hat to the SAL, the new railroad’s fist name would be Seaboard.
The SCL had limited trackage that at least partially penetrated the Appalachian Mountains. The lone segment would be the SAL’s original line from Atlanta to Birmingham, which crossed a very low section of the Appalachian Plateau.
What the SCL did have was controlling interest in the Clinchfield Railroad and the Louisville & Nashville Railway. Thus the SCL was the recipient of a tremendous amount of interchange freight from those two lines.
The Clinchfield Railroad was jointly leased by the Seaboard Coast Line and the Louisville & Nashville Railroads. The SCL, thanks to the Atlantic Coast Line’s past investments, also owned controlling stock in the Louisville & Nashville. The bottom line was that even though the Clinchfield and L&N operated independently, the SCL was the ultimate owner.
More content to be added in the near future.
Seaboard Coast Line Stats
- Reporting Mark: SCL
- Operated: 1967 – 1983
- Predecessors: Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line
- Length: 9,230 miles
- Mainline: Richmond VA to Miami/Tampa FL and Atlanta GA/Birmingham AL
- Primary Cities: Richmond VA, Norfolk VA, Raleigh NC, Wilmington NC, Columbia SC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Atlanta GA, Birmingham AL, Montgomery AL, Jacksonville FL, Tampa FL, Miami FL
- Headquarters: Jacksonville FL, Richmond VA
- Passenger Trains: Champion, Everglades, Florida Special, Silver Comet, Silver Meteor, Silver Star
- Successor: Seaboard System Railroad
- SCL Today: Part of CSX Transportation
For More Information – Sources and Resources
The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the history and operation of the Appalachian Railroads. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Appalachian-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.
- Association: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society
- Association: Carolina Clinchfield Chapter National Railway Historical Society
- Association: ET&WNC Railroad Historical Society and their Facebook Page
- Association: George L. Carter Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Norfolk & Western Historical Society
- Association: Southern Railway Historical Association
- Association: Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia: Documents, maps, timetables, and track charts
- Archives of Appalachia: ETSU, Johnson City TN
- Book – Castner, Flanary & Dorin: Louisville & Nashville Railroad, The Old Reliable
- Book – Drury. The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Book – Flanary: The Louisville & Nashville Cumberland Valley Division
- Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi. The Southern Railway
- Book – Flanary, Oroszi & McKee: ‘The Louisville & Nashville in the Appalachians’
- Books – Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield‘ and ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield‘
- Book – Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City‘
- Book – Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter‘
- Book – Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review’
- Book – King: ‘Clinchfield Country‘
- Book – Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color‘
- Book – Oroszi & Flanary: ‘Dixie Lines, The Louisville & Nashville Railroad’
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina‘
- Book – Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century‘
- Book – Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine‘
- Book – Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains‘
- Book – Webb: ‘The Southern Railway System: An Illustrated History’
- Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
- Magazines/Online: ‘Trains‘, ‘Classic Trains‘
- Newspaper Articles: Newspapers.com
- Online Article: Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘; Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
- Online Videos: Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1 | Video #2:
- Website: Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website: HawkinsRails.net
- Website: StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- Website: RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin
- Website: SteamLocomotive.com
- Website: VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia
- Website: WvncRails.org – North Carolina and West Virginia Railroads
Contact Us
Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the railroads or model railroading.
3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org
