Carrabelle, Tallahassee & Georgia Railroad
| Company type | Railroad |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1895 |
| Founder | J. D. Williams |
| Defunct | 1944 |
| Fate | Acquired by Seaboard Air Line Railway |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Georgia, Florida |
| Products | Rail transport services |
The Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad (GF&A), also referred to as the Sumatra Leaf Route and informally called the Gopher, Frog & Alligator, was a -mile railroad stretching from Richland, Georgia to Carrabelle, Florida. Established in 1895 initially as the logging-oriented Georgia Pine Railway, the GF&A never operated any track within Alabama despite its designation.
Although the northernmost and southernmost portions have been discontinued, the stretch between Cuthbert, Georgia, and Tallahassee, Florida, continues to function under several different operators.
Route description
Starting at Richland, the line connected with both the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway and the Columbus Southern Railway. From there, it proceeded southward through Cuthbert, Edison, and Arlington—crossing the Central of Georgia Railway—before continuing through Colquitt and Bainbridge. After traversing the Flint River, the route entered Florida and passed through Tallahassee en route to Sopchoppy, ultimately terminating at Carrabelle on the Gulf Coast.
Construction and early development
The Bainbridge, Cuthbert and Columbus Railroad was promoted by Hannibal Kimball in 1869 with plans for a north-south line across southwest Georgia. Construction commenced in 1870 but ceased by 1872 due to financial setbacks and issues surrounding bond endorsements, which resulted in accusations against Kimball. Efforts to restart construction during the 1880s were unsuccessful.
In 1895, businessman J. D. Williams began laying track along part of this corridor, founding the Georgia Pine Railroad that linked Bainbridge to Arlington. While originally intended for timber transport, the railroad attracted increased traffic by providing a fresh rail connection between Georgia and Florida. By 1898, it was renamed the Georgia Florida and Alabama Railroad (GF&A), and by 1901 it had been extended northward to Richland. The section connecting Tallahassee to Bainbridge was completed by GF&A in 1902.
Tallahassee to Carrabelle extension
In 1906, GF&A acquired the Carrabelle, Tallahassee & Georgia Railroad (CT&G), which ran southward from Tallahassee to Carrabelle along the Gulf of Mexico. The CT&G began as the Thomasville, Tallahassee and Gulf Railroad in 1883 but construction stopped at the Sopchoppy River because of insufficient funds for a bridge.
After reorganizing as the Augusta, Tallahassee and Gulf Railroad in 1889, it was bought by William Clark, who owned large pine timber holdings nearby. Clark reestablished it as CT&G in 1891; by October 1893 construction reached Tallahassee.
The CT&G route included stops at Hilliardville, Crawfordville, MacIntyre, and Lanark, which featured a prominent casino/hotel. From Carrabelle, CT&G operated the paddle steamer Crescent City, providing daily service to Apalachicola, which at that time lacked road or rail connections.
Following its acquisition of CT&G, GF&A expanded its line from Richland, Georgia all the way south to Carrabelle, Florida, covering a total of approximately 180 miles.
Later developments
In 1927, the GF&A was leased to the Seaboard Air Line Railway. However, after Seaboard entered receivership in 1930, the lease was terminated in 1931. Following financial assistance from government loans, Seaboard underwent reorganization and consented to operate the GF&A without renewing the lease. In 1944, the court managing Seaboard's receivership approved its acquisition of 90% of GF&A's bonds. Under Seaboard's control, the section north of Bainbridge was named the Richland Subdivision, while the portion south became known as the Bainbridge Subdivision.
The track from Carrabelle to Tallahassee was discontinued in 1948.
By 1980, Seaboard Air Line had merged into CSX Transportation. In 1983, the former GF&A line north of Bainbridge was sold to the South Carolina Central Railroad, and subsequently incorporated into the Georgia Southwestern Railroad in 1989. The stretch from Richland down to Cuthbert was abandoned in 1997. Later, in 2002, the Georgia Department of Transportation purchased the remaining segment between Cuthbert and Bainbridge. The Georgia Southwestern Railroad continues operations on this section.
North of Bainbridge
Ownership of the line from Cuthbert to Bainbridge lies with the Georgia Department of Transportation, while operations are managed by the Georgia Southwestern Railroad.
Bainbridge Subdivision
The active Bainbridge to Tallahassee segment is known as the Bainbridge Subdivision. CSX runs services from Bainbridge to Attapulgus, whereas the portion from Attapulgus to Tallahassee was transferred to the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad in 2019.
Mileposts start at Tallahassee with number 52, reflecting the original full route length extending to Carrabelle, which previously held milepost zero before track abandonment south of Tallahassee.
South of Tallahassee
A 2.4-mile section of the defunct Tallahassee-Carrabelle line has been converted into the Tallahassee-Georgia Florida and Alabama (GF&A) Trail, located within the Apalachicola National Forest. This rail-to-trail initiative was developed with research assistance from Genesis Group.
Historic stations
| State | Milepost | City/Location | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL | SLC 0.0 | Carrabelle | Carrabelle | |
| SLC 5.0 | Lanark | Lanark | ||
| SLC 13.5 | McIntyre | |||
| SLC 15.0 | Curtis Mill | |||
| SLC 19.2 | Sopchoppy | Sopchoppy | ||
| SLC 21.4 | Ashmore | |||
| SLC 29.5 | Crawfordville | Crawfordville | ||
| SLC 30.9 | Raker's Mill | |||
| SLC 37.0 | Hilliardville | Hilliardville | ||
| SLC 40.1 | Spring Hall | |||
| SLC 41.9 | Turner | |||
| SLC 50.0 | Tallahassee | Tallahassee | junction with Florida Central and Western Railroad (Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad/Seaboard Air Line Railroad) | |
| SLC 58.5 | Lake Jackson | Lake Jackson | ||
| SLC 66.6 | Havana | Havana | ||
| SLC 68.3 | Hinson | Hinson | ||
| SLC 70.9 | Jamieson | |||
| GA | SLC 77.8 | Attapulgus | Attapulgus | |
| SLC 82.3 | Jamieson | |||
| SLC 90.3 | Bainbridge | Bainbridge | junction with (Savannah, Florida and Western Railway) (Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) | |
| SLC 96.2 | Lynn | |||
| SLC 101.0 | Eldorendo | |||
| SLC 105.7 | Babcock, Georgia | |||
| SLC 110.9 | Colquitt, Georgia | Colquitt | ||
| SLC 114.9 | Corea | |||
| SLC 119.7 | Damascus, Georgia | Damascus | ||
| SLC 125.4 | Rowena, Georgia | |||
| SLC 129.5 | Arlington, Georgia | Arlington | junction with Central of Georgia Railway | |
| SLC 139.2 | Edison, Georgia | Edison | ||
| SLC 145.4 | Carnegie, Georgia | Carnegie | ||
| SLC 154.7 | Cuthbert, Georgia | Cuthbert | ||
| SLC 163.7 | Benevolence, Georgia | |||
| SLC 168.5 | Troutman | |||
| SLC 174.6 | Kimbrough | junction with Columbus Southern Railway (Seaboard Air Line Railroad) | ||
| SLC 181.0 | Richland, Georgia | Richland | junction with: |
External links
- "Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railway" featured in Seaboard Air Line Railway: Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History authored by Richard E. Prince, originally published in 1966 and reissued in 2000.
- "The Story of the Georgia Florida and Alabama RR" written by Donald R. Hensley, Jr., hosted on Taplines.net – contains a comprehensive map illustrating the GF&A prior to its 1927 acquisition by Seaboard.
- Defunct railroad companies of the United States
- American companies established in 1895
- American companies disestablished in 1944
- Defunct Florida railroads
- 1895 establishments in Florida
- Defunct Georgia (U.S. state) railroads
- Railway companies established in 1895
- Railway companies disestablished in 1944
- Predecessors of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
- Predecessors of CSX Transportation
- American companies established in 1891