Seaboard Air Line

History:
The origins of this line date back to the early 1880's when a series of consolidations resulted in the creation of the Florida Railway and Navigation Company. By 1885 the FRNC was already in receivership, but continued to lay down tracks despite being broke. They laid down tracks from Jacksonville to Plant city during this time. Then in 1888 the line was purchased and the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad was created. It was under this entity that the 138 mile extension from Savannah to Jacksonville was completed in 1894 which created a 274 miles of track from Columbia, SC to Jacksonville, FL. The extension's close proximity to the coast, caused it to cross over many marshes, rivers, creeks, estuaries and swamps of all sizes, forcing a trestle of some sort at almost every mile. The cost to build and maintain so many trestles varying in size from a few feet to a few miles in length, had to be a financial drain on the company. In 1899 the FCP was purchased by the Williams and Middendorf group of Richmond, Va and they absorbed it into their Seaboard Air Line Railway by 1903. A total acquisition of 1017 rail miles increasing the overall mileage of the Seaboard company's rail mileage to 2600 miles, with coverage from Virginia to Florida, and a key part being the section from Savannah to Jacksonville. In 1946 the SAL RW reorganized to become the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, with it's slogan being, "Through the Heart of the South." Between 1900 and 1946 the SAL Railway acquired many other lines and at one point had 4146 miles in total track length. During it's hay day, the SAL, with it's headquarters in Richmond, VA employed around 18,000 people, transported 43 million tuns of freight, had 1,465,186 passengers, had 399 diesel engines, 213 steam engines,  24,000 freight cars, and 490 passenger cars.


Communities:
Lecount
Jones
Brickstone (Brickton) Extinct, only scattered bricks remain
Around 1906 this was a busy brick making operation. Perhaps many of the brick homes in the area are made from the very bricks made here. After WWI the brick making operation went out of business and today the only evidence left are the bricks scattered and pressed into the dirt road and a random brick in the railbed every few feet as you draw near it's location.

Darien Junction (Warsaw) Extinct, 1 remaining building
Became known as Warsaw around 1920 about the time it became one of the biggest sawmill centers in Southeast Georgia. Also became a major railroad stop as well and the GC&P crossed the SAL here. The town boasted several stores, a hotel and homes for the mill workers. Warsaw reached it's peak in the 1930's. When the lumber mill closed Warsaw closed down too. By 1950 there was hardly anything left. Today, as far as I know, the only remaing evidence of the town is a small brick building visible from Warsaw Rd. The structure is the old vault from the Lumber company office. Other than that, you'd never know that there was ever any activity here. The land is now part of a pine farm.


94 (Huxford) Extinct, no known relicts
If Warsaw beckons the imagination with it's mysterious old vault, Huxford is even more obscure. Huxford was said to have had one of the largest turpentining stills in southeast Georgia at the time. Today you may see a silo near it's location. This is from the Georgia Land and Cattle Company. They tried to introduce Texas longhorn steer to the area without success. For a few decades there where cattle roaming about McIntosh county. Soon fencing laws where posted and shortly after the cows where made into hamburger without any new stock being brought in.


Townsend (96)
Became busy in 1900 with the growing pine industry. Had several stores and businesses, a sawmill, church and busy train depot. The mills and stores are gone, as well as the train depot. The church which was build in 1910 sits overgrown and empty with a forsale sign. The electric box for the rail line sits in a grassy field where the tracks used to be. Most of the town has moved eastward and closer to Eulonia.

Cox Station (Cox)
Today a small town with hunt clubs that own the land which the SAL runs through. To get to the old Altamaha and swamp trestles you must first do some hiking through the woods to get to the Altamaha WMA river lands. Don't let the locals fool you, that's not their land on the river. However, it's best not to annoy the local hunters, since they have guns and friends near by. So be polite and cautious during hunting season, which round here is pretty much all year.


~Altamaha River~

Everett
small community. Altamaha Park has the bridge across the river turned so you can't venture across the river. Spoil sports. You can ride the old railbed into the town which is mostly trailers with goat farms in their back yards. The plumcreak WMA is located here and you can ATV as much as you like.
Thalmann
Once was a busy intersection of the SAL and B&B. It had a busy depot and general store both located adjacent to the track intersection. Passengers could make connections and ride an electric train shuttle to Brunswick.
Bladen
Glencoe
Waverly
White Oak
Woodbine

Source: McIntosh County History (LaVerne A. Gardner)