Atlantic Coast Line (ACL)

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (reporting marks "ACL") was a Class I railroad serving the Southeastern United States. It operated a north-south network connecting Virginia with the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, running roughly parallel to its principal competitor, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL). The two roads spent decades competing for the lucrative traffic moving between the Northeast and Florida.

History

• 1967 - The Atlantic Coast Line merged with the Seaboard Air Line (SAL) to form the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL).

Operations

The ACL carried heavy freight traffic in phosphate, agricultural products, and general merchandise, and it was a major host of Florida-bound passenger service. The railroad also held a controlling interest in the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N), which gave the Coast Line a much larger combined system across the South.

Modern Status

The 1967 union with the rival Seaboard Air Line ended the Atlantic Coast Line as a separate company and created the Seaboard Coast Line. Through that road and the later Seaboard System, the ACL became one of the predecessor railroads folded into CSX Transportation, and its routes remain part of the modern CSX network in the Southeast.