Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
Encyclopedia
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. Eventually the railroad was merged with its affiliate lines to create the Seaboard System
in 1983.
with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
. Following the merger, the combined system totaled 9809 miles (15,786 km), the eighth largest in the United States at the time. In addition, the railroad had $1.2 billion in assets and revenue, with a 54% market share of rail service in the Southeast
, facing competition primarily from the Southern.
Prior to the creation of Amtrak
on May 1, 1971 the Seaboard Coast Line provided passenger service over its system, including local passenger trains on some lines. Local trains came to an end as the Amtrak era began. Although several named passenger trains survived through the Amtrak era, many were renamed or combined with other services.
The first expansion for the Seaboard Coast Line came in 1969 with the acquisition of the Piedmont and Northern Railway
, which operated approximately 128 miles (206 km) in North and South Carolina. Later, the SCL would gain control of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
and the Durham and Southern Railway
.
On November 1, 1980, CSX Corporation
was created to serve as a holding company for the Family Lines and Chessie System Railroad. In 1983, CSX combined the Family Lines System units as the Seaboard System Railroad
and later became CSX Transportation
when the former Chessie units merged with the Seaboard in December 1986.
Effective January 1, 1983, The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad became Seaboard System Railroad
as a result of a merger with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
and Clinchfield Railroad
. For some years prior to this, the SCL and L&N had been under the common ownership of a holding company, Seaboard Coast Line Industries
(SCLI), the company's railroad subsidiaries being collectively known as the Family Lines System which consisted of the L&N, SCL, Clinchfield and West Point Routes. During this time, the railroads adopted the same paint schemes, but continued to operate as separate railroads.
is the popular name for famous unit train
s of Tropicana
fresh orange juice
operated by railroads
in the United States
. On June 7, 1970, beginning on Seaboard Coast Line railroad, a mile-long Tropicana Juice Train train began carrying one million gallons of juice with one weekly round-trip from Bradenton, Florida
to Kearny, New Jersey
, in the New York City
area. The trip spanned 1250 miles (2,011.7 km) one way, and the 60 car train was the equivalent of 250 trucks.
Today operated by SCL successor CSX Transportation
, CSX Juice Trains have been the focus of efficiency studies and awards as examples of how modern rail transportation can compete successfully against trucking and other modes to carry perishable products.
and ALCO diesels in addition to EMD builds. Both railroads had purchased new freight locomotives in the 5 years leading up to the merger. Among the first new locomotives purchased by the Seaboard Coast Line were 28 GE U33B
locomotives, acquired in 1967 and 1968. These were followed by 108 GE U36B
locomotives between 1970 and 1972. From EMD, SCL purchased SD45
locomotives in 1968, with more to follow in 1971. SD45-2
locomotives were added in 1974. GP40
and GP40-2
locomotives were added to the fleet between 1968 and 1972 for use on through freights and other high priority freight trains.
SCL supplemented its local freight units with orders of GE U18B
and EMD GP38
locomotives. Some U18B models contained a shorter, and therefore lighter, fuel tank which proved ideal for light density lines. Most units of this type were assigned to the Carolinas. However, in 1978 the SCL decided not to purchase any more locomotives for local service on secondary mainlines and branchlines, instead aging GP7, GP9, and GP18 locomotives would be rebuilt into GP16 models at the Uceta shops.
In the years leading up to the creation of the Seaboard System
in 1983, SCL began acquiring the next generation of locomotives from EMD and GE. These orders included GE B23-7
locomotives in 1978 and 1980, including the GE BQ23-7
variant, of which only 10 were built and all belonged to SCL. EMD GP38-2
units were added in 1979 and 1980, and 5 EMD GP40-2
locomotives also delivered in 1980. Six axle GE C30-7
and EMD SD40-2
units were added to the roster between 1979 and 1980.
Class I railroad
A Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.Smaller railroads are classified as Class II and Class III...
railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak
Amtrak
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...
in 1971. Eventually the railroad was merged with its affiliate lines to create the Seaboard System
Seaboard 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...
in 1983.
History
The Seaboard Coast Line emerged on July 1, 1967 following the merger of the Seaboard Air Line RailroadSeaboard 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...
with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
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...
. Following the merger, the combined system totaled 9809 miles (15,786 km), the eighth largest in the United States at the time. In addition, the railroad had $1.2 billion in assets and revenue, with a 54% market share of rail service in the Southeast
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
, facing competition primarily from the Southern.
Prior to the creation of Amtrak
Amtrak
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...
on May 1, 1971 the Seaboard Coast Line provided passenger service over its system, including local passenger trains on some lines. Local trains came to an end as the Amtrak era began. Although several named passenger trains survived through the Amtrak era, many were renamed or combined with other services.
The first expansion for the Seaboard Coast Line came in 1969 with the acquisition of the Piedmont and Northern Railway
Piedmont and Northern Railway
The Piedmont & Northern Railway was a heavy electric interurban company operating over two disconnected divisions in North and South Carolina. Tracks spanned total between the two segments, with the northern division running from Charlotte, to Gastonia, North Carolina, including a three-mile ...
, which operated approximately 128 miles (206 km) in North and South Carolina. Later, the SCL would gain control of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
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 the Durham and Southern Railway
Durham and Southern Railway
The Durham and Southern Railway operated of railroad from Dunn to Durham, North Carolina, USA. It was originally chartered as the Cape Fear and Northern Railway by Holly Springs resident George Benton Alford in 1892 and construction began in 1898. The name was changed to Durham and Southern in 1906...
.
On November 1, 1980, CSX Corporation
CSX Corporation
CSX Corporation was formed in 1980 by the merger of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries and eventually merged the various railroads owned by those predecessors into a single line that became known as CSX Transportation. Based in Richmond, Virginia, USA after the merger, in 2003...
was created to serve as a holding company for the Family Lines and Chessie System Railroad. In 1983, CSX combined the Family Lines System units as the Seaboard System Railroad
Seaboard 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...
and later became 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...
when the former Chessie units merged with the Seaboard in December 1986.
Effective January 1, 1983, The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad became Seaboard System Railroad
Seaboard 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...
as a result of a merger with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
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 Clinchfield Railroad
Clinchfield Railroad
The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina...
. For some years prior to this, the SCL and L&N had been under the common ownership of a holding company, Seaboard Coast Line Industries
Seaboard Coast Line Industries
Seaboard Coast Line Industries, Inc., incorporated in Delaware on May 9, 1969, was a railroad holding company that owned the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, its subsidiary Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and several smaller carriers. Its railroad subsidiaries were collectively known as the Family...
(SCLI), the company's railroad subsidiaries being collectively known as the Family Lines System which consisted of the L&N, SCL, Clinchfield and West Point Routes. During this time, the railroads adopted the same paint schemes, but continued to operate as separate railroads.
Juice Train
Juice TrainJuice Train
"Juice Train" is the popular name for famous unit trains of Tropicana fresh orange juice operated by railroads in the United States....
is the popular name for famous unit train
Unit train
A unit train, also called a block train, is a railway train in which all the cars making it up are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route...
s of Tropicana
Tropicana Products
Tropicana Products is an American based company, and was founded in 1947 by Anthony T. Rossi in Bradenton, Florida, U.S.A. Since 1998, it has been owned by PepsiCo, Inc. Tropicana's headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois.-Anthony T. Rossi:...
fresh orange juice
Orange juice
Orange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...
operated by railroads
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. On June 7, 1970, beginning on Seaboard Coast Line railroad, a mile-long Tropicana Juice Train train began carrying one million gallons of juice with one weekly round-trip from Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton, Florida
Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
to Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....
, in the 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...
area. The trip spanned 1250 miles (2,011.7 km) one way, and the 60 car train was the equivalent of 250 trucks.
Today operated by SCL successor 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...
, CSX Juice Trains have been the focus of efficiency studies and awards as examples of how modern rail transportation can compete successfully against trucking and other modes to carry perishable products.
Motive power
Immediately following the 1967 merger, the newly created SCL network had 1,232 locomotives. The vast majority of the ACL roster contained EMD locomotives, while the SAL rostered BaldwinBaldwin
- United States of America :* Baldwin, Florida* Baldwin, Georgia* Baldwin, Illinois* Baldwin, Iowa* Baldwin, Louisiana* Baldwin, Maine* Baldwin, Maryland* Baldwin, Michigan* Baldwin, Chemung County, New York* Baldwin, Nassau County, New York...
and ALCO diesels in addition to EMD builds. Both railroads had purchased new freight locomotives in the 5 years leading up to the merger. Among the first new locomotives purchased by the Seaboard Coast Line were 28 GE U33B
GE U33B
The GE U33B diesel locomotive model was offered by GE in 1966, featuring a 16 cylinder motor. It is 60 ft 2 in long.-Original Owners:-External links:* Sarberenyi, Robert. ....
locomotives, acquired in 1967 and 1968. These were followed by 108 GE U36B
GE U36B
GE U36B was a diesel locomotive produced by General Electric beginning in 1969. The U36B was GE's 3600 horsepower answer to the power race with EMD. Only 3 railroads bought this locomotive.-History:...
locomotives between 1970 and 1972. From EMD, SCL purchased SD45
EMD SD45
The EMD SD45 is a six-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December, 1965, and December, 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 twenty-cylinder engine which generated 3,600 HP. This locomotive shared the same common frame with the EMD SD38, EMD SD39, EMD...
locomotives in 1968, with more to follow in 1971. SD45-2
EMD SD45-2
An EMD SD45-2 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division beginning in 1972. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 20-cylinder engine which generated . Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the SD45-2 was an upgraded SD45.The main spotting difference between an SD45 and an...
locomotives were added in 1974. GP40
EMD GP40
The EMD GP40 is a 4-axle diesel-electric road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between November 1965 and December 1971...
and GP40-2
EMD GP40-2
An EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generated 3000 horsepower .- Production :Standard GP40-2 production...
locomotives were added to the fleet between 1968 and 1972 for use on through freights and other high priority freight trains.
SCL supplemented its local freight units with orders of GE U18B
GE U18B
The GE U18B Diesel-electric locomotive was introduced by GE Transportation as a branch line roadswitcher in 1973.Easy to spot due to its relatively short length — 54 ft 8 in — it was the only North American locomotive powered by the 8-cylinder 7FDL engine.The Seaboard Coast...
and EMD GP38
EMD GP38
An EMD GP38 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and December 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine which generated ....
locomotives. Some U18B models contained a shorter, and therefore lighter, fuel tank which proved ideal for light density lines. Most units of this type were assigned to the Carolinas. However, in 1978 the SCL decided not to purchase any more locomotives for local service on secondary mainlines and branchlines, instead aging GP7, GP9, and GP18 locomotives would be rebuilt into GP16 models at the Uceta shops.
In the years leading up to the creation of the Seaboard System
Seaboard 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...
in 1983, SCL began acquiring the next generation of locomotives from EMD and GE. These orders included GE B23-7
GE B23-7
The GE B23-7 is a diesel locomotive model that was offered first by GE in 1977, featuring a 12 cylinder engine. It is 61 ft 2 in long. It competed with the EMD GP38-2. General Electric also produced a variant, the BQ23-7, for the Seaboard Coast Line.Ten Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México...
locomotives in 1978 and 1980, including the GE BQ23-7
GE BQ23-7
The GE BQ23-7 was a model of diesel locomotive manufactured by General Electric, a variant of the B23-7 built between 1978 and 1979 . Identical to a regular B23-7, but equipped with an enlarged operating cab for accommodating the train crew, thus making a case for eliminating the caboose from the...
variant, of which only 10 were built and all belonged to SCL. EMD GP38-2
EMD GP38-2
An EMD GP38-2 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive of the road switcher type built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP38-2 was an upgraded version of the earlier GP38...
units were added in 1979 and 1980, and 5 EMD GP40-2
EMD GP40-2
An EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generated 3000 horsepower .- Production :Standard GP40-2 production...
locomotives also delivered in 1980. Six axle GE C30-7
GE C30-7
The GE C30-7 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems between 1976 and 1986 as an updated U30C. It is powered by a 16-cylinder, FDL-series diesel engine. 1,137 examples of this locomotive were built for North American railroads....
and EMD SD40-2
EMD SD40-2
The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C locomotive produced by EMD from 1972 to 1989.The SD40-2 was first introduced in January 1972 as the mid-range offering in EMD's six-axle "Dash-2" series, competing against the GE U30C and the MLW M630...
units were added to the roster between 1979 and 1980.
Divisions
- Jacksonville
- Tampa
- Waycross
- Florence
- Rocky Mount
- Savannah
- Raleigh
- CN&L
- GM Railroad
See also
- AmtrakAmtrakThe 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...
- Auto TrainAuto TrainAuto Train is an scheduled train service for passengers and their automobiles operated by Amtrak between Lorton, Virginia , and Sanford, Florida . Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States...
- GP16GP16The Uceta GP16 was a series of rebuilt diesel-electric locomotives, a result of a remanufacturing program initiated by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in an effort to spare the cost of purchasing new motive power in the late 1970s...
- Juice TrainJuice Train"Juice Train" is the popular name for famous unit trains of Tropicana fresh orange juice operated by railroads in the United States....
- List of Seaboard Coast Line Railroad milepost prefixes