Georgia Florida and Alabama 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 known as the Gopher, Frog & Alligator, was a -mile railroad stretching between Richland, Georgia and Carrabelle, Florida. Established in 1895 initially as the logging-oriented Georgia Pine Railway, the GF&A never operated any tracks within Alabama despite its designation.
Although the northern and southern segments have been discontinued, the stretch from Cuthbert, Georgia, down to Tallahassee, Florida continues to be in use under several different operators.
Route description
The line’s northern endpoint was located at Richland, where it connected with both the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railway and the Columbus Southern Railway. From there, it proceeded southward through Cuthbert, Georgia, Edison, Georgia, and Arlington—where it intersected with the Central of Georgia Railway—before advancing through Colquitt, Georgia and Bainbridge, Georgia. After crossing over the Flint River, the route entered Florida territory and traveled through Tallahassee en route to Sopchoppy, finally terminating at Carrabelle on the Gulf Coast.
Construction and early years
In 1869, Hannibal Kimball championed the creation of the Bainbridge, Cuthbert and Columbus Railroad, designed to run north-south across southwest Georgia. Although construction started in 1870, work ceased in 1872 due to financial setbacks and bond controversies involving Kimball. Efforts to restart this project during the 1880s were unsuccessful.
By 1895, businessman J. D. Williams had laid tracks along part of this corridor, founding the Georgia Pine Railroad between Bainbridge and Arlington. While initially focused on timber transport, the railway expanded its traffic by linking Georgia with Florida and connecting to other rail lines. By 1898, it adopted the name Georgia Florida and Alabama Railroad (GF&A), extending northward to Richland by 1901. The segment between Tallahassee and Bainbridge was completed in 1902.[1]
Tallahassee to Carrabelle
In 1906, GF&A acquired control of the Carrabelle, Tallahassee & Georgia Railroad (CT&G), which ran south from Tallahassee to Carrabelle on the Gulf Coast. Originally chartered as the Thomasville, Tallahassee and Gulf Railroad in 1883, construction stalled at the Sopchoppy River due to insufficient funds for a bridge.[2]
The line was reorganized as the Augusta, Tallahassee and Gulf Railroad in 1889 before being purchased by William Clark—who owned large pine timber tracts nearby. Clark reincorporated it as CT&G in 1891; by October 1893 construction had reached Tallahassee.[2]
CT&G served communities including Hilliardville, Crawfordville, MacIntyre, and Lanark, which featured a prominent casino and hotel. From Carrabelle, CT&G operated a paddle steamer named Crescent City, providing daily service to Apalachicola, then inaccessible by road or rail.[2]
Following its acquisition of CT&G, GF&A’s route extended from Richland, Georgia all the way to Carrabelle, Florida, spanning approximately 180 miles.
Later years
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 government-backed loans, Seaboard reorganized and consented to operate the GF&A without leasing it. By 1944, the court managing Seaboard's receivership allowed the company to acquire 90% of GF&A's bonds. Under Seaboard’s ownership, the section north of Bainbridge was designated as the Richland Subdivision, while the portion south of Bainbridge became known as the Bainbridge Subdivision.
The stretch from Carrabelle to Tallahassee was abandoned 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, which later became part of the Georgia Southwestern Railroad in 1989. The segment from Richland down to Cuthbert was discontinued in 1997. In 2002, the Georgia Department of Transportation purchased the remaining track from Cuthbert to Bainbridge, with Georgia Southwestern continuing operations.
North of Bainbridge
The track between Cuthbert and Bainbridge is under ownership of the Georgia Department of Transportation and is operated by the Georgia Southwestern Railroad.
Bainbridge Subdivision
The active section from Bainbridge to Tallahassee is referred to as the Bainbridge Subdivision. CSX manages operations from Bainbridge to Attapulgus, while the segment from Attapulgus to Tallahassee was sold to the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad in 2019.
Milepost numbering begins at 52 in Tallahassee, a reflection of the original full route extending to Carrabelle prior to abandonment south of Tallahassee.
South of Tallahassee
A 2.4-mile portion of the former Tallahassee-Carrabelle line has been transformed into the Tallahassee-Georgia Florida and Alabama (GF&A) Trail located within the Apalachicola National Forest. This rail-to-trail project was spearheaded by 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 Plant System (Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) | |
| SLC 96.2 | Lynn | |||
| SLC 101.0 | Eldorendo | |||
| SLC 105.7 | Babcock | |||
| SLC 110.9 | Colquitt | Colquitt | ||
| SLC 114.9 | "Corea" | |||
| "119.7" | "Damascus, Georgia" | "Damascus" | "" | |
| "125.4" | "Rowena" | "Rowena" | "" | |
| "129.5" | "Arlington, Georgia" | "Arlington" | "Junction with Central of Georgia Railway" | |
| "139.2" | "Edison, Georgia" | "Edison" | "" | |
| "145.4" | "Carnegie, Georgia" | "Carnegie" | "" | |
| "154.7" | "Cuthbert, Georgia" | "Cuthbert" | "" | |
| "163.7" | "Benevolence, Georgia" | "Benevolence" | "" | |
| "168.5" | "Troutman" | "Troutman" | "" | |
| "174.6" | "Kimbrough" | "Kimbrough" | "Junction with Columbus Southern Railway (Seaboard Air Line Railroad)" | |
| "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" by Donald R. Hensley, Jr., hosted on Taplines.net – provides an extensive map illustrating the GF&A prior to its 1927 takeover 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