 Inaugural Orange Blossom Special in Miami on January 8, 1927 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | East and West Coasts of Florida |
| Successor | Seaboard Air Line Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
TheSeaboard–All Florida Railway was a subsidiary of theSeaboard Air Line Railroad that was created in June 1925. It oversaw two major extensions of the system to southern Florida on each coast in response to theFlorida land boom of the 1920s. The company gave the construction contract for the extension to Foley Brothers ofSt. Paul, Minnesota, who was one of the largest railroad contractors in the country at the time.[1]: 125 Both extensions were heavily championed by Seaboard Air Line presidentS. Davies Warfield (who died months after its completion), and were constructed by Foley Brothers railroad contractors. Both extensions also allowed the Seaboard to better compete with theFlorida East Coast Railway and theAtlantic Coast Line Railroad, who already served the lower east and west coasts of Florida respectively.[2]
On the east coast, the Seaboard–All Florida Railway oversaw the extension of the Seaboard Air Line's line at West Palm Beach south toFort Lauderdale andMiami. Seaboard's line to West Palm Beach, which originated at theirmain line inColeman (just south ofWildwood), was built a year prior by another Seaboard Air Line subsidiary, the Florida Western and Northern Railroad.[2] Upon completion of the extension, the Seaboard–All Florida Railway from West Palm Beach to Miami (along with track north of West Palm Beach to Coleman) was designated as the Seaboard Air Line Railroad'sMiami Subdivision.[3]
The east coast route is still in service today and is now the state-owned South Florida Rail Corridor (which notably hostsTri-Rail andAmtrak service for South Florida).[4][2]
On the west coast, the Seaboard–All Florida Railway oversaw construction of a line fromHull (nearFort Ogden) south toFort Myers to theEstero River inEstero, with branches from Fort Myers toLaBelle andPunta Rassa. Another Seaboard Air Line subsidiary, the Naples, Seaboard and Gulf Railway, oversaw the construction of the line from the Estero River toNaples.[1]
Unlike the east coast route, the west coast route was not as successful and would exist for less than thirty years. It was gradually abandoned from 1942 to 1952.[1]
The route west coast route commenced operation on January 7, 1927, and the east coast route began service the following day. On each opening day, President S. Davies Warfield rode aboard a special section of the Seaboard'sOrange Blossom Special with a number of special guests and dignitaries including Florida GovernorJohn W. Martin.Dorothy Walker Bush, mother of U.S. PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush was also aboard the first train to Miami.[5] The train stopped at points along the lines for public ovation with nearly 20,000 people attending. The two-day celebration is considered to be one of the largest public relations events in the history of American railroads.[6][7]