Florida Southern Railway

Florida Southern Railway
Map
Interactive map of Florida Southern Railway lines (red). The South Florida Railroad's Pemberton Ferry Branch (blue) connected the two segments.
Overview
LocaleFlorida
Dates of operation1881–1903
SuccessorAtlantic Coast Line Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Previous gaugeoriginally 3 ft (914 mm) gauge

The Florida Southern Railway was a railway that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railways when it was built along with the South Florida Railway and the Orange Belt Railway. The Florida Southern was originally chartered to run from Lake City south through central Florida to Charlotte Harbor.[1] However, with the influence of Henry B. Plant, it operated with two discontinuous segments that would be part of the Plant System, which would later become part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railway.[2]

  1. ^ Hensley, Donald. "Florida Southern's Narrow Gauge Years 1879-1896". Tap Lines. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  2. ^ Turner, Gregg (2003). A Short History of Florida Railroads. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-2421-4.