Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad was the final name of a system of railroads throughout Florida
, becoming part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900. The system, including some of the first railroads in Florida, stretched from Jacksonville west through Tallahassee and south to Tampa.
The Tallahassee Rail Road was first organized in 1832 as the Leon Railway, changing its name in 1834. It opened in 1837, connecting Tallahassee, Florida
to the Gulf of Mexico
port of St. Marks, Florida
. This was the second steam railroad
in Florida, opening just a year after the Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and Railroad
.
The Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad
was chartered January 24, 1851, to build west from Jacksonville, Florida
, and construction began in 1857. The Pensacola and Georgia Railroad
was chartered in January 1853, to be built east from Pensacola, Florida
, but started at Tallahassee. The two lines met at Lake City, Florida
in 1860, and the latter also built from Tallahassee west to four miles (6 km) short of Quincy, Florida
, stopping in 1863 in the middle of the American Civil War
.
In 1855 the Pensacola and Georgia bought the Tallahassee. In 1869 the two merged to form the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad
, which obtained trackage rights
over the Florida Central Railroad, the 1868 reorganization of the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf. The railroad eventually was built west to Chattahoochee, Florida
, a major junction with the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad
continuing west and the Chattahoochee and East Pass Railroad running northeast. In 1882, Sir Edward Reed
purchased the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile, absorbing the Florida Central and reorganizing the two as the Florida Central and Western Railroad
.
The Florida Railroad
was incorporated January 8, 1853, to build a line across the state, from Fernandina, Florida (north of Jacksonville, Florida
) southwest to Cedar Key, Florida
. The first train ran in 1861, but the line failed and the company was reorganized in 1866. In 1872 it was reorganized again as the Atlantic, Gulf and West India Transit Company. In 1881, Sir Edward Reed purchased the railroad and reorganized it as the Florida Transit Company, which in 1883 was reorganized again as the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad. The Florida Transit and Peninsular operated two subsidiaries, the Peninsula Railroad and Tropical Florida Railroad, organized to build lines respectively from the Florida Transit at Waldo, Florida
to Ocala, Florida
and beyond to Tampa, Florida
.
In 1884-85, Reed merged the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad with the Florida Central and Western Railroad
, Fernandina and Jacksonville Railroad, and Leesburg and Indian River Railroad as the Florida Railway and Navigation Company, which instantly became the largest railroad system in Florida. The new company was placed in receivership in October 1885, sold at foreclosure and reorganized as the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad Company in 1886.
On May 1, 1889, the company was reorganized again, as the Florida Central and Peninsular Railway, and on January 16, 1893, the final reorganization produced the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad, along with a merger of the Florida Northern Railroad (a line north of Jacksonville). The Seaboard Air Line Railway leased the FC&P on July 1, 1900, and the latter was merged into the former on August 15, 1903.
In addition to the two main lines - Jacksonville to Chattahoochee (Western Division) and Fernandina to Cedar Key (Southern Division) - and the original line from Tallahassee to St. Marks, the FC&P had many other lines.
The FC&P also bought the Santa Fe Canal in 1892.
A branch was planned but never built to Brooksville.
Tampa Division
The Tampa Division ran from the Fernandina-Cedar Key line at Waldo south to Tampa. This had been chartered as the Peninsula Railroad north of and the Tropical Florida Railroad south of Ocala.
Northern Division
The Fernandina and Jacksonville Railroad was organized in 1874 and opened in 1881, connecting Jacksonville north to the Southern Division at Yulee
. It was consolidated into the Florida Railway and Navigation Company in 1885.
The South Bound Railroad
was organized in 1887 and completed in 1891, connecting Columbia, South Carolina
to Savannah, Georgia
. The FC&P leased it in 1893. In 1892 the Florida Northern Railroad was chartered by the FC&P to continue the Fernandina and Jacksonville Railroad north into Georgia
, where the FC&P would continue the line to Savannah. This opened in 1894, forming a continuous line from Jacksonville to Columbia. In 1899 and 1900, the South Bound Railroad was extended north to Camden, South Carolina
to meet the Seaboard Air Line Railway's Chesterfield and Kershaw Railroad
.
At some point, a cutoff was built from the Northern Division near the Florida
/Georgia
state line southwest to the Southern Division at Callahan.
Orlando Division
The Leesburg and Indian River Railroad was incorporated in 1884 and merged into the Florida Railway and Navigation Company in 1885. It built a line from the Tampa Division at Wildwood east to Tavares, with plans to continue east to Titusville. That extension was not built, but pieces were built by other companies.
The Tavares, Orlando and Atlantic Railroad
was incorporated in 1883, and built a line continuing from Tavares to Orlando. The FC&P leased it in 1891.
The Orlando and Winter Park Railway was incorporated in 1886 and built a line from Orlando to Winter Park. The Osceola and Lake Jesup Railway, incorporated 1888, continued the line past Oviedo to Lake Charm. In 1891 the two companies merged into the East Florida and Atlantic Railroad
, which was leased by the FC&P in 1892.
Monticello
The Monticello Branch ran from the Western Division at Drifton
north to Monticello.
Amelia Beach
The Fernandina and Amelia Beach Railway
was organized in 1883 to run from Fernandina at the end of the Southern Division south to Amelia Beach. The FC&P leased it in 1891, and it was abandoned around 1900.
Wannee
Early Bird
Silver Springs
The short Silver Springs Branch from Ocala east to Silver Springs was built along with the Tampa Division.
Lake Weir
The Lake Weir Branch ran from Summerfield
east to South Lake Weir, and was built along with the Tampa Division.
Sumterville
The short Sumterville Branch from Sumterville Junction to Sumterville
was built with the Tampa Division.
Whitehall
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, becoming part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900. The system, including some of the first railroads in Florida, stretched from Jacksonville west through Tallahassee and south to Tampa.
History
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
port of St. Marks, Florida
St. Marks, Florida
St. Marks is a city in Wakulla County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 272 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 299 .-Geography:...
. This was the second steam railroad
Steam railroad
Steam railroad is a term used in the United States to distinguish conventional heavy railroads from street railways, interurban streetcar lines, and other light railways usually dedicated primarily to passenger transport....
in Florida, opening just a year after the Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and Railroad
Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and Railroad
The Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and Railroad was the first steam railroad in Florida and one of the first in the U.S., opening in 1836. It was soon abandoned, and is now mostly a state highway.-History:...
.
The Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad
Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad
The Florida, Atlantic and Gulf Central Railroad was a railroad company that, in 1860, completed a railroad line running from Jacksonville, Florida, west to Lake City, Florida...
was chartered January 24, 1851, to build west from 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...
, and construction began in 1857. The Pensacola and Georgia Railroad
Pensacola and Georgia Railroad
The Pensacola and Georgia Railroad was a railroad line chartered in January 1853 that, by 1863, ran from Tallahassee, Florida east to Lake City, Florida and west to Quincy, Florida...
was chartered in January 1853, to be built east from Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, but started at Tallahassee. The two lines met at Lake City, Florida
Lake City, Florida
Lake City is the county seat of Columbia County, Florida, in the United States. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 12,614. In addition, it is the Principal City of the Lake City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is composed of Columbia County, and had an...
in 1860, and the latter also built from Tallahassee west to four miles (6 km) short of Quincy, Florida
Quincy, Florida
Quincy is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,982 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,975...
, stopping in 1863 in the middle of the American 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 1855 the Pensacola and Georgia bought the Tallahassee. In 1869 the two merged to form the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad
Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad
The Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad was a Florida railroad line charted in 1869. It consisted of the former Pensacola and Georgia Railroad, which ran east from Quincy, Florida through Tallahassee to Lake City, Florida, and the subsequently consolidated Florida Central Railroad, which...
, which obtained trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
over the Florida Central Railroad, the 1868 reorganization of the Florida, Atlantic and Gulf. The railroad eventually was built west to Chattahoochee, Florida
Chattahoochee, Florida
Chattahoochee is a city in Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,287 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 3,720. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Chattahoochee is...
, a major junction with the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad
Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad
The Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad was incorporated by an act of the Florida Legislature on March 4, 1881, to run from Pensacola to the Apalachicola River near Chattahoochee, a distance of about . No railroad had ever been built across the sparsely populated panhandle of Florida, which left...
continuing west and the Chattahoochee and East Pass Railroad running northeast. In 1882, Sir Edward Reed
Edward James Reed
Sir Edward James Reed , KCB, FRS, was a British naval architect, author, politician, and railroad magnate. He was the Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy from 1863 until 1870...
purchased the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile, absorbing the Florida Central and reorganizing the two as the Florida Central and Western Railroad
Florida Central and Western Railroad
The Florida Central and Western Railroad was a railroad company that was the 1882 reincarnation of the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad , which ran from Lake City, Florida, west to Chattahoochee, Florida The Florida Central and Western Railroad was a railroad company that was the 1882...
.
The Florida Railroad
Florida Railroad
The Florida Railroad was the first railroad to connect the east and west coasts of Florida, running from Fernandina to Cedar Key. The line later became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, and, where still in use, is operated by CSX Transportation and the First Coast Railroad...
was incorporated January 8, 1853, to build a line across the state, from Fernandina, Florida (north of 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...
) southwest to Cedar Key, Florida
Cedar Key, Florida
Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 790 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 958. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands close to the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on...
. The first train ran in 1861, but the line failed and the company was reorganized in 1866. In 1872 it was reorganized again as the Atlantic, Gulf and West India Transit Company. In 1881, Sir Edward Reed purchased the railroad and reorganized it as the Florida Transit Company, which in 1883 was reorganized again as the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad. The Florida Transit and Peninsular operated two subsidiaries, the Peninsula Railroad and Tropical Florida Railroad, organized to build lines respectively from the Florida Transit at Waldo, Florida
Waldo, Florida
Waldo is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. The population was 821 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 784....
to Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
and beyond to Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
In 1884-85, Reed merged the Florida Transit and Peninsular Railroad with the Florida Central and Western Railroad
Florida Central and Western Railroad
The Florida Central and Western Railroad was a railroad company that was the 1882 reincarnation of the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad , which ran from Lake City, Florida, west to Chattahoochee, Florida The Florida Central and Western Railroad was a railroad company that was the 1882...
, Fernandina and Jacksonville Railroad, and Leesburg and Indian River Railroad as the Florida Railway and Navigation Company, which instantly became the largest railroad system in Florida. The new company was placed in receivership in October 1885, sold at foreclosure and reorganized as the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad Company in 1886.
On May 1, 1889, the company was reorganized again, as the Florida Central and Peninsular Railway, and on January 16, 1893, the final reorganization produced the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad, along with a merger of the Florida Northern Railroad (a line north of Jacksonville). The Seaboard Air Line Railway leased the FC&P on July 1, 1900, and the latter was merged into the former on August 15, 1903.
Branches
The FC&P also bought the Santa Fe Canal in 1892.
A branch was planned but never built to Brooksville.
Tampa Division
The Tampa Division ran from the Fernandina-Cedar Key line at Waldo south to Tampa. This had been chartered as the Peninsula Railroad north of and the Tropical Florida Railroad south of Ocala.
Northern Division
The Fernandina and Jacksonville Railroad was organized in 1874 and opened in 1881, connecting Jacksonville north to the Southern Division at Yulee
Yulee, Florida
Yulee is a census-designated place in Nassau County, Florida, United States. The population was 8,392 at the 2000 census. The city was named for David Levy Yulee, Senator from Florida.-Geography:Yulee is located at ....
. It was consolidated into the Florida Railway and Navigation Company in 1885.
The South Bound Railroad
South Bound Railroad
The South Bound Railroad was a Southeastern railroad that operated in South Carolina and Georgia in the late 19th century and early 20th century....
was organized in 1887 and completed in 1891, connecting Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
to Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. The FC&P leased it in 1893. In 1892 the Florida Northern Railroad was chartered by the FC&P to continue the Fernandina and Jacksonville Railroad north into 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...
, where the FC&P would continue the line to Savannah. This opened in 1894, forming a continuous line from Jacksonville to Columbia. In 1899 and 1900, the South Bound Railroad was extended north to Camden, South Carolina
Camden, South Carolina
Camden is the fourth oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and is also the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was an estimated 7,103 in 2009...
to meet the Seaboard Air Line Railway's Chesterfield and Kershaw Railroad
Chesterfield and Kershaw Railroad
The Chesterfield and Kershaw Railroad was a railroad that operated in South Carolina in the late 19th and early 20th century.The company was chartered by South Carolina General Assembly in 1889....
.
At some point, a cutoff was built from the Northern Division near the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
/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...
state line southwest to the Southern Division at Callahan.
Orlando Division
The Leesburg and Indian River Railroad was incorporated in 1884 and merged into the Florida Railway and Navigation Company in 1885. It built a line from the Tampa Division at Wildwood east to Tavares, with plans to continue east to Titusville. That extension was not built, but pieces were built by other companies.
The Tavares, Orlando and Atlantic Railroad
Tavares, Orlando and Atlantic Railroad
Florida state law chapter 3499, approved March 5, 1883, incorporated the Tavares, Orlando and Atlantic Railroad Company, owned by Alexander St. Clair-Abrams, W. R. Anno, Nat Poyntz and J. L. Bryan of Orange County, Florida; L. H. Davis of New Jersey; John P...
was incorporated in 1883, and built a line continuing from Tavares to Orlando. The FC&P leased it in 1891.
The Orlando and Winter Park Railway was incorporated in 1886 and built a line from Orlando to Winter Park. The Osceola and Lake Jesup Railway, incorporated 1888, continued the line past Oviedo to Lake Charm. In 1891 the two companies merged into the East Florida and Atlantic Railroad
East Florida and Atlantic Railroad
The East Florida and Atlantic Railroad was a railroad line from Orlando, Florida northeast and east to Lake Jesup via Winter Park and Oviedo. It eventually became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway system, and was most recently part of CSX before being abandoned.Until April 9, 1891, the line was...
, which was leased by the FC&P in 1892.
Monticello
The Monticello Branch ran from the Western Division at Drifton
Drifton, Florida
Drifton is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Florida, United States. It is located near the intersection of US 19 and County Road 158.-Geography:Drifton is located at ....
north to Monticello.
Amelia Beach
The Fernandina and Amelia Beach Railway
Fernandina and Amelia Beach Railway
Florida state law chapter 3497, approved March 1, 1883, incorporated the Fernandina and Amelia Beach Railway Company, owned by W. Naylor Thompson, Samuel A. Swann, D. E. Maxwell, William B. C. Duryee and Augustus O. MacDonell, for the purpose of constructing a line of railway from the City of...
was organized in 1883 to run from Fernandina at the end of the Southern Division south to Amelia Beach. The FC&P leased it in 1891, and it was abandoned around 1900.
Wannee
Early Bird
Silver Springs
The short Silver Springs Branch from Ocala east to Silver Springs was built along with the Tampa Division.
Lake Weir
The Lake Weir Branch ran from Summerfield
Summerfield, Florida
Summerfield is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Florida, United States. It is located near the intersection of US 301 and County Road 475A. The community is part of the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
east to South Lake Weir, and was built along with the Tampa Division.
Sumterville
The short Sumterville Branch from Sumterville Junction to Sumterville
Sumterville, Florida
Sumterville is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Florida within Central Sumter County, Florida. Like the county in which it resides, Sumterville was named after General Thomas Sumter, a hero of the American Revolutionary War. In fact, the community was the original county seat of...
was built with the Tampa Division.
Whitehall
Station listing
For station listings on the branches, see the individual articles. For the main lines, see the following articles:- Western Division - Florida Central and Western Railroad (St. Marks Branch - Tallahassee Rail Road)
- Southern Division - Florida Transit Railroad
- Northern Division - South Bound Railroad
- Tampa Division - Peninsula Railroad
- Orlando Division - Leesburg and Indian River Railroad