Live Oak and Rowland's Bluff Railroad
The Live Oak and Rowland's Bluff Railroad was a historic railroad in Florida that acted as an extension of the Florida Division of Henry Plant's Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Florida |
| Dates of operation | 1883–1902 |
| Successor | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
History
The Florida Division was built in 1861 by the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad, which was later acquired by Henry Plant, who renamed it the Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad. The Florida Division originated from the SF&W's main line at Lawton, Georgia, which is now known as DuPont, and proceeded south to Live Oak, Florida. It was the first railroad to cross the Florida/Georgia Border.
Henry Plant chartered the Live Oak and Rowland's Bluff Railroad to extend the Florida Division further south into Florida, where he saw great opportunity. Upon completion, the line extended from Live Oak south to the town originally known as Rowland's Bluff on the Suwannee River.[1] Rowland's Bluff has since been renamed Branford.
Plant's ambitions did not end at Rowland's Bluff. He would quickly charter another line, the Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad, to continue the line further south into peninsular Florida.[1]
The Plant System was acquired by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902, which became the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1967.[1] The Live Oak and Rowland's Bluff Railroad, along with track north to DuPont and south to High Springs remained in service in the Seaboard Coast Line-era as their DuPont Subdivision.[2] In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation. CSX abandoned the original Live Oak and Rowland's Bluff Railroad in the late 1980s.[3]
Station Listing
| Milepost[2] | City | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AR 670.5 | Live Oak | Live Oak | continues from Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad Florida Division (Plant/ACL) junction with Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad Northern Division (SAL) |
| Pine Mount | |||
| AR 682.8 | McAlpin | ||
| AR 688.5 | O'Brien | ||
| AR 694.2 | Branford | Branford | originally Rowland's Bluff continues as Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad (Plant/ACL) |
References
- Turner, Gregg (2003). A Short History of Florida Railroads. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-2421-4.
- Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Savannah and Waycross Division Timetable (1982)
- "Dupont, GA to Alachua, FL". Abandoned Rails. Retrieved 8 April 2020.