Seaboard Railroad History

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad is a network of railroads built to transport travelers along the eastern seaboard. The railway operation has been in business in some form and under different names since 1888.

Beginnings

Sections of track that ran as the Portsmouth and Weldon railroad, laid between 1833 and 1835, are the oldest in the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. It was not until 1888, when more then 100 smaller railways formed a partnership, that it became the Seaboard Air Line Railway.

Consolidation

In 1900, the smaller railroads officially merged to become a single company, united under the Seaboard Air Line Railway name. The railroad continued under that name through the mid-1940s, when the company controlled 2,600 miles of track that ran from Virginia to Florida. In 1946, the name was changed to the Seaboard Air Line Railroad.

Continuing Changes

In 1967, the railroad merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and became known as the Seaboard Coastline Railroad. In 1972, the company formed a partnership with six other railroads; the partnership led to a merger in 1982, when the merged company began operations as the Seaboard System Railroad. The last merger for the company came in 1986, when it joined with the Chessie System Railroad to become CSX Transportation; the company operates under that name to this day.

References

• Railroad History: Seaboard Air Line Railway
• Train Web: Seaboard Air Line Railroad History

Resources

• Sarasota History Alive: Seaboard Air Line Railway Expansion