Seaboard System Railroad
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Seaboard System Railroad
The Third Step in Consolidation
The individual rail companies that would make up the Seaboard System Railroad were already somewhat aligned corporately and operationally. But, this name change and related mergers and acquisitions would be a very important third step in consolidating what would become CSX. The key transaction was the merging of Seaboard Coast Line and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad late in 1982, creating the Seaboard System Railroad
What had been the Family Lines System, a sometimes confusing amalgamation of corporate entities reporting marks and logos trying to provide a seamless rail partnership, could now be united as a singular legal and corporate entity.
Photo by Roger Puta: The popular paint scheme of the Seaboard System
Over the next several years, the Seaboard System methodically merged the smaller lines that had been operating under their marketing umbrella of the Family Lines System into one corporate entity. The Clinchfield, the Georgia Railroad, Atlanta & West Point, and others were merged into the Seaboard System. By 1986, the corporate paperwork and filings had been completed where the legacy reporting marks of SCL, L&N, CRR, A&WP, GA, and others no longer existed….but rather just SBD.
Prep for CSX
By late 1986, the Seaboard System had completed its task of consolidating the Family Lines railroads. It was now time for the final step, merging it and the Chessie System to form CSX Transportation.
Photo by Roger Puta: Chronological CSX locomotives: Family Lines, Seaboard System, and Chessie System soon after the final merger.
More Seaboard System content will be added in the months ahead.
Seaboard System Photo Train by Ron Flanary
October 25, 1984: Seaboard System–the early incarnation of the former SCLI portion of CSX–assembled this “photo train” on the day noted. The three EMD six motor hoods were all in fresh SBD paint, as well as a cut of rebuilt hoppers on the head end. I’m not sure where the company photographer posed this southbound for images, but by the time it got to Copper Creek, I didn’t see anyone else with a camera. The weather that day wasn’t terribly cooperative, and they had missed the peak fall colors by a couple of weeks.
Seaboard System Stats
- Began Operation: 1982
- Reporting Mark: SBD
- Headquarters: Jacksonville FL
- Primary Cities: Richmond VA, Norfolk VA, Cincinnati OH, Chicago IL, St Louis MO, Nashville TN, Atlanta GA, Memphis TN, Jacksonville FL, Tampa FL, Miami FL, New Orleans LA
- Route Miles: 20,000+
- Predecessors: Seaboard Coast Line (ACL and SAL), Louisville & Nashville Railroad, Clinchfield Railroad, Atlanta & West Point Rail Road, The Georgia Railroad, and others
- Successor: CSX Transportation
Clinchfield.org Sources and Resources
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia – Documents, maps and track charts that I have from the CRR, CC&O, and S&W
- Archives of Appalachia
- Book – Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Book – Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield’
- Book – Goforth: ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield’
- Book – Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City’
- Book – Helm: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad in the Coal Fields’
- Book – Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter’
- Book – King: ‘Clinchfield Country’
- Book – Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color’
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina’
- Book – Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century’
- Book – Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine’
- Book – Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains’
- Article – Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Article – Flanary: ‘Men Against Mountains, Running Trains on the Clinchfield‘ October 2001
- Video – Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1
- Video – Ken Marsh on railroads and region’s history Video #2:
- Articles – ‘Johnson City Comet‘
- Article – Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
- Article – Classic Trains: ‘Remembering the Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Article – Railway Age: ‘This Coal Road Is Also A Speedy Bridge Line,’ Sept 1, 1952 edition
- Article – ‘Railway Signaling and Communications‘
- Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website – StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin
- Website – The Radio Reference Wiki
- Website – SteamLocomotive.com
- Website – Clinchfield Railroad 1982 Track Chart at Multimodayways.org
- Website – Newspapers.com
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3Cs Websites
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