The Ashley River Railroad was a shortline railroad that served the South Carolina Lowcountry region in the late 19th century.

The Ashley River Railroad was incorporated by the South Carolina General Assembly

South Carolina General Assembly

The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and the upper South Carolina Senate. Altogether, the General...

 in 1875 and, according to an article in the New York Times in late December 1877, the line opened on December 27, 1877, and was the final link in the coast line of railways from New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...

. A new bridge over the Ashely River replaced a ferry, according to the article.

In 1901, the Ashley River Railroad was consolidated, along with the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad

Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad

The Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad was formed in 1900 by the merger of Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railway with the Walterboro and Western Railway....

; the Abbeville Southern Railway

Abbeville Southern Railway

The Abbeville Southern Railway was incorporated in Alabama in September 1892 for the purpose of building a branch line from a connection with the Alabama Midland Railway at Grimes, Alabama towards Abbeville, Alabama. The route was completed in December 1893, totaling , and was operated by the...

; and Southern Alabama Railroad

Southern Alabama Railroad

The Southern Alabama Railroad was a shortline railroad formerly operating between a connection with CSX Transportation at Troy to Goshen, Alabama, about . The railroad currently exists as the Conecuh Valley Railroad subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways....

, into the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway.

In 1902 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad acquired the Savannah, Florida and Western.