The Manchester Subdivision is a railroad line currently operated by
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
in Central
Georgia. Its northern terminus is in
Peachtree City (a suburb of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
), where it continues south from the
Atlanta Terminal Subdivision. From Peachtree City, it runs for south to
Manchester, Georgia
Manchester is a town in Meriwether County, Georgia, Meriwether and Talbot County, Georgia, Talbot Counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, although primarily in Meriwether. The population was 4,230 at the 2010 census. CSX Trans ...
, where it connects with CSX's
Lineville Subdivision and
Fitzgerald Subdivision. It is a major north-south route for CSX in Georgia.
History
The Manchester Subdivision was built in 1906 by the
Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway
The Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway was formed in 1914 as a reorganization of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railroad, which had been created in 1905 to purchase the Atlantic and Birmingham Railway and extend its track into Birmingh ...
(AB&A). In 1926, the AB&A went into receivership and the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...
(ACL) purchased a majority stock in the AB&A. The Atlantic Coast Line reorganized the AB&A as the
Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad (AB&C) and continued to operate it as a separate company.
The Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad operated passenger service on the line from Atlanta, which continued south on the AB&C network to
Waycross,
Brunswick, and
Thomasville.
From January 1936, the line was a link in the route of the ''Dixieland'', which ran in the winter season only, with the AB&C carrying coaches and Pullmans between Atlanta and Waycross on its route from Chicago to Miami. Beginning in January 1940, the line also carried the ''
Dixie Flagler'', a streamlined all-coach train, daily on its route between Chicago and Miami.
In 1946, the Atlantic Coast Line fully absorbed the AB&C and it became their Western Division. The Atlantic Coast Line became the
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) in 1967 after merging with their rival, the
Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL). The Seaboard Coast Line adopted the Seaboard Air Line's method of naming their lines as subdivisions which resulted in the line from Atlanta to Manchester being named the Manchester Subdivision.
[Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Florence and Atlanta Division Timetable (1982)](_blank)
/ref>
In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System
Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Western Maryland Railway (WM), and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT). Trains operated und ...
, creating the CSX Corporation
CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merger. T ...
. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
. CSX subsequently truncated the Manchester Subdivision designation at Peachtree City and redesignated the line north of there to Atlanta as the Atlanta Terminal Subdivision as it is today.CSX Atlanta Division Timetable (2005)
/ref> The line continues to be a major freight route for CSX.
Historic stations
See also
* List of CSX Transportation lines
CSX Transportation owns and operates a vast network of rail lines in the United States east of the Mississippi River. In addition to the major systems which merged to form CSX – the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroa ...
* Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railroad
The Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway was formed in 1914 as a reorganization of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railroad, which had been created in 1905 to purchase the Atlantic and Birmingham Railway and extend its track into Birmingh ...
References
{{Reflist
CSX Transportation lines