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Seaboard Coast Line Railroad

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Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersJacksonville, FLandRichmond, VA
Reporting markSCL
LocaleSoutheastern United States
Dates of operation1967–1983
PredecessorAtlantic Coast Line Railroad
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
SuccessorSeaboard System(an operating company ofCSX Corporation)
Technical
Track gauge4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gauge
Length9,809 miles (15,786 km) (July 1967)

TheSeaboard Coast Line Railroad(reporting markSCL) was aClass I railroadcompany operating in theSoutheastern United Statesbeginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over byAmtrakin 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lines to create theSeaboard Systemin 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.

History[edit]

The main lines of the ACL (shown in red) and SAL (shown in blue), which becameCSX's A and S lines

The Seaboard Coast Line emerged on July 1, 1967, following the merger of theSeaboard Air Line Railroadwith theAtlantic Coast Line Railroad.The combined system totaled 9,809 miles (15,786 km), the eighth largest in the United States at the time.[1]The railroad had $1.2 billion in assets and revenue with a 54% market share of rail service in theSoutheast,facing competition primarily from theSouthern.[2]The seemingly redundant name resulted from 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 ofAmtrakon May 1, 1971, the Seaboard Coast Line provided passenger service over much of its system, including local passenger trains on some lines.[3]Local trains ended when the Amtrak era began.[2][4]Although several named passenger trains survived through 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 thePiedmont and Northern Railway,which operated about 128 miles (206 km) in North and South Carolina.[5]SCL would buy out the remaining shares and gain control of theLouisville and Nashville Railroadin 1971, and also bought theDurham and Southern Railwayfrom the Duke family in 1979.

On November 1, 1980,CSX Corporationwas created as a holding company for theFamily LinesandChessie System Railroad.Effective January 1, 1983, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad becameSeaboard System Railroadafter a merger with theLouisville and Nashville RailroadandClinchfield 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), the company's railroad subsidiaries being collectively known as theFamily Lines Systemwhich 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 theSeaboard System Railroadand laterCSX Transportationwhen the former Chessie units merged with the Seaboard in December 1986.[6]

Notable SCL services[edit]

Passenger Trains[edit]

New York - Florida[edit]

Inherited from SAL. Initially an all-coach train (Pullman sleepers added in 1941), firststreamlinerto serve Florida, New York to Tampa/St. Petersburg and Miami. Trains continued beyond Tampa to Sarasota and Venice. Preserving its reputation as "one of the finest [trains] in the country,"[7]the train retained its round-endedobservation carsuntilAmtraktook over operation in 1971. Still in Amtrak service today with updated equipment.[8]
Inherited from SAL. Streamliner, coach and Pullman cars, New York to Tampa/St. Petersburg and Miami. Still in Amtrak service, with updated equipment.
  • Champion,December 1, 1939 - October 1, 1979
Inherited from ACL. Streamliner, coach and Pullman cars, New York to Tampa/St. Petersburg and Miami. Initially continued by Amtrak, it was discontinued in 1979.
  • Gulf Coast Special,1920's – April 30, 1971
Inherited from ACL. Coach and Pullman cars, New York – Tampa. The train was not continued by Amtrak in 1971.
  • Everglades,1940's – April 30, 1971
Inherited from ACL. All-coach, New York – Jacksonville. The train was not continued by Amtrak in 1971.
  • Palmland,Winter 1941 – April 30, 1971
Inherited from SAL. Coach and Pullman cars, New York – St.Petersburg/Miami. The route was cut back to Columbia, South Carolina as the southern terminus by in 1968, and the train was not continued by Amtrak in 1971.[9]
  • Sunland,Winter 1948 – December 1968
Inherited from SAL. Coach and Pullman cars, New York – Tampa/Miami. Connections in Washington to New York and Boston. The route was cut back to Jacksonville, Florida as the southern terminus in February 1968, and later discontinued in December.[10]

Winter Only[edit]

Inherited from ACL. Streamliner, coach and Pullman cars, New York to Tampa/St. Petersburg and Miami. Initially continued by Amtrak, it was discontinued after the 1971-1972 winter season.

Miscellaneous[edit]

Inherited from SAL. Streamliner, coach and Pullman cars, New York – Birmingham via Athens and Atlanta. The train was cut back to Washington – Atlanta only by January 1969, then to Richmond – Atlanta only by May, and finally discontinued October 15, 1969.[11]
Inherited from SAL. Coach and Pullman cars, Jacksonville – New Orleans via Tallahassee, Pensacola and Mobile. Handled jointly by SCL and theLouisville and Nashville Railroad,with motive power changed at Chattahoochee. The train was not continued by Amtrak in 1971.[12]
  • Tidewater,November 1, 1953 – February 1968
Inherited from SAL. Streamliner, coach and Pullman cars, Portsmouth, Virginia – Jacksonville, Florida, forwarding cars to theSilver Cometat Hamlet, North Carolina. Ferries would transport passengers between Norfolk and Portsmouth. Coach only by 1968.[13]
Inherited from ACL. All-coach, New York – Savannah. The name and route was later revived by Amtrak in 1976 and still operates today.

Juice Train[edit]

Juice Trainis the popular name for famousunit trainsofTropicanafreshorange juiceoperated byrailroadsin theUnited 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 fromBradenton, FloridatoKearny, New Jersey,in theNew York Cityarea. The trip spanned 1,250 miles (2,010 km) one way, and the 60 car train was the equivalent of 250 trucks.[14]

Today it is no longer operated by SCL successorCSX Transportation,a victim of CSX’sPSRoperating philosophy. Tropicanarefrigerated boxcarsare still transported between Florida and New Jersey, however they are now mixed in withIntermodal 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.

Motive power[edit]

Immediately following the 1967 merger, the newly created SCL network had 1,232 locomotives. The vast majority of the ACL roster containedEMD(Electro-Motive Division ofGeneral Motors) locomotives in addition to someGeneral Electric(GE) andAlcomodels as well asBaldwinswitchers,while the SAL rostered mainly EMD and Alco diesels in addition to some GE models and Baldwin switchers.[15]Both railroads had purchased new freight locomotives in the 5 years leading up to the merger. Among the first new locomotives purchased by the Seaboard Coast Line were 28GE U33Blocomotives, acquired in 1967 and 1968. These were followed by 108GE U36Blocomotives between 1970 and 1972.[2]From EMD, SCL purchasedSD45locomotives in 1968, with more to follow in 1971.SD45-2locomotives were added in 1974.GP40andGP40-2locomotives were added to 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 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 ofGE U18BandEMD GP38-2locomotives. Some U18B models contained a shorter, and therefore lighter, fuel tank which proved ideal for light density lines. Most units of this type were assigned to the Carolinas.[2]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 intoGP16models at the Uceta shops.

In the years leading up to the creation of theSeaboard Systemin 1983, SCL began acquiring the next generation of locomotives from EMD and GE. These orders includedGE B23-7locomotives in 1978 and 1980, including theGE BQ23-7variant, of which only 10 were built and all belonged to SCL.[2][15]EMD GP38-2units were added in 1979 and 1980, and 5EMD GP40-2locomotives also delivered in 1980. Six axleGE C30-7andEMD SD40-2units were added to the roster between 1979 and 1980.

Former Seaboard Coast Line Railroad class M-6 caboose on display at the Mulberry Phosphate Museum inMulberry, Florida

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Transport Statisticsshows 9306 route-miles operated by SCL itself at the end of 1967, not including numerous subsidiaries.
  2. ^abcdeGriffin, William (2004).Seaboard Coast Line & Family Lines.TLC Publishing. pp. 4–16.ISBN0-9766201-0-3.
  3. ^Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Passenger Schedules,July 1, 1967.
  4. ^Harwell, Jeffrey (2008). "Operations In and Around Dothan".Lines South.25(1). White River Productions: 4–19.
  5. ^Hilton, George W. (2000).The Electric Interurban Railways in America.Stanford University Press. pp. 331–333.ISBN0-8047-4014-3.
  6. ^Solomon, Brian (2005).CSX.MBI Publishing Company. pp. 63–67.ISBN0-7603-1796-8.
  7. ^Seaboard condensed timetable, April 25, 1954http://streamlinermemories.info/South/SAL54TT.pdf
  8. ^Amtrak FY19 Ridership
  9. ^Goolsby, Larry (2011).Seaboard Air Line Railroad Passenger Service: The Streamlined Era.TLC Publishing Inc. pp. 46–48.ISBN9780939487981.
  10. ^Goolsby, Larry (2011).Seaboard Air Line Railroad Passenger Service: The Streamlined Era.TLC Publishing Inc. pp. 48–50, 124.ISBN9780939487981.
  11. ^Goolsby, Larry (2011).Seaboard Air Line Railroad Passenger Service: The Streamlined Era.TLC Publishing Inc. pp. 124, 125.ISBN9780939487981.
  12. ^Goolsby, Larry (2011).Seaboard Air Line Railroad Passenger Service: The Streamlined Era.TLC Publishing Inc. pp. 53, 54.ISBN9780939487981.
  13. ^Goolsby, Larry (2011).Seaboard Air Line Railroad Passenger Service: The Streamlined Era.TLC Publishing Inc. pp. 50–51, 122–124.ISBN9780939487981.
  14. ^"The Great White Train".The Family Lines Rail System Magazine.8(1). Family Lines Railroad: 16–17. 1981.
  15. ^abNuckles, Douglas B. (1995).Seaboard Coast Line Railroad.TLC Publishing.ISBN1-883089-13-1.

External links[edit]

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