Dothan Subdivision
Encyclopedia
The Dothan Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation
in the U.S. states of Georgia
and Alabama
. The line runs from Thomasville, Georgia
to Montgomery, Alabama
, for a distance of 211.1 miles (339.7 km).
. The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad
completed their line into Thomasville shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War
in 1861 interrupted further construction. An extension to Bainbridge was not completed until 1867. Henry B. Plant
acquired the Atlantic & Gulf in November 1879 and reorganized the railroad as the Savannah, Florida & Western the following month.
In March 1887 the Alabama Midland Railroad was chartered in Alabama and Georgia in October to construct a line connecting Montgomery and Bainbridge. The company was consolidated on October 28, 1888 and completed the entire 175 miles (281.6 km) between the two cities in 1890, including a branch from Sprague to Luverne, Alabama
, a distance of 33.5 miles (53.9 km).
After the completion of the Alabama Midland railroad it was acquired in July 1890 by Henry B. Plant of the Plant System
and merged with the Savannah, Florida & Western. Together the railroads formed a continuous mainline from Savannah to Montgomery, colloquially known as the "bow line" due to its distinctive shape.
The Atlantic Coast Line
gained control of the Plant System on July 1, 1902. Ownership would remain with the ACL until its 1967 merger with Seaboard Air Line
to form the Seaboard Coast Line
.
originated on the Louisville & Nashville
and traversed the route bound for Florida. Additionally the Seaboard Coast Line railroad operated a pair of local passenger trains in both directions on the line, regularly meeting near Dothan. These local trains were discontinued in May 1971 with the creation of Amtrak.
as the new national passenger service company numerous changes came to passenger service on the Dothan Subdivision. In addition to the cancellation of local passenger trains, the South Wind experienced a schedule change and was renamed the Floridian on November 14, 1971. On October 9, 1979 the Floridian was canceled, ending passenger service over the Dothan Subdivision.
was formed to consolidate the railroads of the Family Lines collective into a single entity. Later, in 1986 the Seaboard System merged with the Chessie System
to form CSX Transportation
. Around the same time CSX sought to eliminate redundancies within their network, and the Dothan Subdivision came into consideration for abandonment. CSX retained the line, satisfied after the abandonment of the Americus Subdivision, which largely paralleled the bow line route less than 100 miles to the north.
Additionally in the 80s CSX sold a pair of lines branching off the Dothan Subdivision at Grimes
and Newton, Alabama
to shortline operators.
completed the construction of a new automotive assembly plant near Montgomery. This plant generates significant traffic for the line. The railroad also provides an important relief route for the frequently congested Manchester Subdivision, a purpose the line has also served for CSX's predecessors.
A number of shortlines also interchange with CSX between Montgomery and Thomasville, including the Conecuh Valley Railroad
at Troy
, the Wiregrass Central Railroad
near Newton, the Bay Line at Grimes
and Dothan, the Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad
at Saffold, Georgia, and the Georgia Southwestern Railroad
at Bainbridge.
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
in the U.S. states of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. The line runs from Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The city is the second largest in Southwest Georgia after Albany.The city deems itself the City of Roses and holds an annual Rose Festival. The town features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large...
to Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, for a distance of 211.1 miles (339.7 km).
History
What is now the Dothan Subdivision was built in two parts by two different railroads over a period of approximately 23 years. The oldest portion of the line is from Thomasville to Bainbridge, GeorgiaBainbridge, Georgia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,722 people, 4,444 households, and 3,013 families residing in the city. The population density was 255.6/km² . There were 5,051 housing units at an average density of 285.2 per square mile...
. The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad
Atlantic and Gulf Railroad
Atlantic and Gulf Railroad may refer to:*Atlantic and Gulf Railroad , predecessor of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad*Atlantic and Gulf Railroad , Gulf and Ohio Railways subsidiary...
completed their line into Thomasville shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1861 interrupted further construction. An extension to Bainbridge was not completed until 1867. Henry B. Plant
Henry B. Plant
Henry Bradley Plant , was involved with many transportation projects, mostly railroads, in the U.S. state of Florida. Eventually he owned the Plant System of railroads which became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad...
acquired the Atlantic & Gulf in November 1879 and reorganized the railroad as the Savannah, Florida & Western the following month.
In March 1887 the Alabama Midland Railroad was chartered in Alabama and Georgia in October to construct a line connecting Montgomery and Bainbridge. The company was consolidated on October 28, 1888 and completed the entire 175 miles (281.6 km) between the two cities in 1890, including a branch from Sprague to Luverne, Alabama
Luverne, Alabama
Luverne is a city in Crenshaw County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 2,635.The city is the county seat of Crenshaw County.-History:...
, a distance of 33.5 miles (53.9 km).
After the completion of the Alabama Midland railroad it was acquired in July 1890 by Henry B. Plant of the Plant System
Plant System
The Plant System was a system of railroads and steamboats in the U.S. South, taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The original line of the system, named after its owner, Henry B...
and merged with the Savannah, Florida & Western. Together the railroads formed a continuous mainline from Savannah to Montgomery, colloquially known as the "bow line" due to its distinctive shape.
The Atlantic Coast Line
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
gained control of the Plant System on July 1, 1902. Ownership would remain with the ACL until its 1967 merger with Seaboard Air Line
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
to form the Seaboard Coast Line
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a former Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971...
.
Passenger Service
From the beginning local passenger rail service was provided for the line in the form of local services between towns. A named train, the South WindSouth Wind (passenger train)
The South Wind was a named passenger train equipped and operated jointly by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , and the Florida East Coast Railway. The South Wind began operations in December 1940, providing streamliner service...
originated on the Louisville & Nashville
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
and traversed the route bound for Florida. Additionally the Seaboard Coast Line railroad operated a pair of local passenger trains in both directions on the line, regularly meeting near Dothan. These local trains were discontinued in May 1971 with the creation of Amtrak.
Amtrak
With the arrival of AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
as the new national passenger service company numerous changes came to passenger service on the Dothan Subdivision. In addition to the cancellation of local passenger trains, the South Wind experienced a schedule change and was renamed the Floridian on November 14, 1971. On October 9, 1979 the Floridian was canceled, ending passenger service over the Dothan Subdivision.
1980s
In 1983 the Seaboard SystemSeaboard System Railroad
The Seaboard System Railroad was a former Class I railroad created by merging the railroads of the Family Lines System. Although sharing common ownership, the railroads of the Family Lines System used different names when conducting business...
was formed to consolidate the railroads of the Family Lines collective into a single entity. Later, in 1986 the Seaboard System merged with the Chessie System
Chessie System
Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , the Western Maryland Railway , and several smaller carriers. It was incorporated in Virginia on February 26, 1973, and it acquired the C&O on June 15...
to form CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
. Around the same time CSX sought to eliminate redundancies within their network, and the Dothan Subdivision came into consideration for abandonment. CSX retained the line, satisfied after the abandonment of the Americus Subdivision, which largely paralleled the bow line route less than 100 miles to the north.
Additionally in the 80s CSX sold a pair of lines branching off the Dothan Subdivision at Grimes
Grimes, Alabama
Grimes is a town in Dale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 459. It is part of the Enterprise–Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Grimes is located at .According to the U.S...
and Newton, Alabama
Newton, Alabama
Newton is a town in Dale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census its population was 1,708. Once the county seat of Dale County, Newton lost this distinction to nearby Ozark in 1870, and is now a small farming community. The city currently forms a part of the Enterprise-Ozark...
to shortline operators.
Present Day
Perhaps the biggest boon to the Dothan Subdivision came in 2005 as HyundaiHyundai Motor Company
Hyundai Motor Company is a Korean multinational automaker based in Seoul, South Korea which, along with Kia, comprises the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, the world's fourth largest automaker as of 2009. As of 2011, it is the world's fastest growing automaker for two years running...
completed the construction of a new automotive assembly plant near Montgomery. This plant generates significant traffic for the line. The railroad also provides an important relief route for the frequently congested Manchester Subdivision, a purpose the line has also served for CSX's predecessors.
A number of shortlines also interchange with CSX between Montgomery and Thomasville, including the Conecuh Valley Railroad
Conecuh Valley Railroad
The Conecuh Valley Railroad connects with the CSX at Troy, Alabama, and travels to Goshen, Alabama. This short line railroad was created after 2001 from the former Southern Alabama Railroad and is currently owned and operated by Gulf and Ohio Railways....
at Troy
Troy, Alabama
Troy is a city in Pike County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,003. Troy experienced a growth spurt of over 4,000+ people since 2000. The city is the county seat of Pike County....
, the Wiregrass Central Railroad
Wiregrass Central Railroad
The Wiregrass Central Railroad is a shortline railroad operating of track from a CSX Transportation connection at Newton to Enterprise, Alabama via the south side of Fort Rucker. The company, a subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways, began operations in 1987 on a former CSX Transportation...
near Newton, the Bay Line at Grimes
Grimes, Alabama
Grimes is a town in Dale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 459. It is part of the Enterprise–Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Grimes is located at .According to the U.S...
and Dothan, the Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad
Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad
Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad is a class III railroad located in southern Georgia.It connects Cedar Springs, Hilton and Saffold over a 15 mile route, interconnecting with CSX Corporation and Norfolk Southern....
at Saffold, Georgia, and the Georgia Southwestern Railroad
Georgia Southwestern Railroad
The Georgia Southwestern Railroad is a Class III short line railroad company that operates over of track in southwestern Georgia and southeastern Alabama...
at Bainbridge.