The Alabama and Florida Railroad was a line of

rail track A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, ...

connecting

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

with

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

during the late 1850s and early 1860s. The portion of the line in Alabama was first owned by the

Alabama and Florida Rail Road Company The Alabama legislature chartered the Alabama and Florida Rail Road Company in February 1850. The Congress of the United States in legislative session authorized the grant of public lands to the company in May 1856. The Alabama legislature consolid ...

(of Alabama), while the portion of the line in Florida was owned by the Alabama and Florida Railroad (of Florida).

First attempt (1834–1838)

Citizens of Pensacola, led by William Chase, a captain in the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

, developed a plan to construct a railroad from Pensacola to the interior of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

in the early 1830s. The Florida, Alabama and Georgia Rail Road was chartered by the

Florida Territory The Territory of Florida was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 30, 1822, until March 3, 1845, when it was admitted to the Union as the state of Florida. Originally the major portion of the Spanish te ...

in February 1834 to build a railroad from Pensacola to the border with Alabama. In December 1834, Alabama chartered the Alabama, Florida and Georgia Rail Road to connect the Florida railroad with

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

. The next year, Florida rescinded the charter for the Florida, Alabama and Georgia Rail Road, and accepted the Alabama chartered Alabama, Florida and Georgia Rail Road as the operator of the proposed line from Pensacola to Columbus, with William Chase as president of the company. Funds were raised with the sale of stock and of bonds issued by the Bank of Pensacola and guaranteed by the

Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida The Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, often referred to as the Florida Territorial Council or Florida Territorial Legislative Council, was the legislative body governing the American territory of Florida (Florida Territory) before st ...

, and a roadbed was graded and trestles built from Pensacola to the

Escambia River The Conecuh River and Escambia River constitute a single river in Alabama and Florida in the United States. The Conecuh River rises near Union Springs in the state and flows in a general southwesterly direction into Florida near Century. The r ...

. Strap rail and freight and passenger cars were ordered. The Bank of Pensacola closed during the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

. The railroad company managed to obtain some further loans, and sold off much of the equipment it purchased earlier to raise funds. To shorten the length of the railroad, and reduce construction costs, the plan was changed to connect to Montgomery rather than Columbus, but work on the railroad ended in 1838. The Bank of Pensacola failed to pay the interest on the bonds due in 1840, and the Territorial Council repudiated its backing of the bonds.

Two companies

The project for a rail link between Pensacola and Montgomery was revived in the early 1850s. Alabama chartered the

(of Alabama) to build a railroad between a town that became known as

Pollard, Alabama Pollard is a town in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. It was the first established county seat of Escambia County, from its creation in 1868 until 1883, when it lost that distinction to Brewton. At the 2020 census, the population was 128 ...

(just north of the Alabama-Florida state line) and the city of Montgomery, with Charles T. Pollard as president of the said company. In 1853, Florida chartered its own Alabama and Florida Railroad (of Florida), with William Chase as president, to build a railroad from Pensacola to Pollard. Construction on the Florida portion of the line began in Pensacola in 1856 and reached Pollard in 1861. The Alabama portion of the railroad reached Montgomery in May 1861, and through passenger service (a ten-hour trip) was instituted between Montgomery and Pensacola. The Alabama & Florida Railroad used five-foot gauge tracks. Construction of the rail lines had been financed, in part, by sales of land granted to the rail companies by the Federal government under the Land Grant Act of 1850. The A & F RR (of Alabama) received almost from the Federal government, and the A & F RR (of Florida) received almost .

After the Civil War

The Alabama and Florida Railroad suffered severe damage during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Most of the rail on the Florida portion of the line was removed, and the engines and rolling stock belonging to the A & F RR (of Florida) were seized by the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

government and turned over to the A & F RR (of Alabama) and the Mobile and Great Northern Railroad. The Florida legislature chartered the

Pensacola and Louisville Railroad Company Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

in July 1868 to replace the Alabama and Florida Railroad (of Florida). The new company completely rebuilt the line from Pensacola to Pollard. The Pensacola Railroad Company purchased the Pensacola & Louisville RR in 1878, and it in turn was taken over by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1880. The Alabama and Florida Railroad (of Alabama) and the Mobile and Great Northern Railroad were merged in 1868 to form the Montgomery and Mobile Railroad. The Montgomery and Mobile Railroad was in turn acquired by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1880.

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