Chartered in 1897, the Atlantic, Valdosta and Western Railway operated from

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, Lowndes County in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, ...

, to

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, and was nicknamed the ''Jacksonville Short Line''. The line was opened in July 1899, prefaced by a "bohemian smoker" banquet in Valdosta on June 27, 1899. In May 1902, the railroad was purchased by the

Georgia Southern and Florida Railway The Georgia Southern and Florida Railway , also known as the ''Suwanee River Route'' from its crossing of the Suwanee River, was founded in 1885 as the Georgia Southern and Florida ''Railroad'' and began operations between Macon, GA and Valdo ...

and their parent company Southern Railway. The line was quickly integrated into Southern's passenger schedules with travel between Valdosta and Jacksonville advertised at about 3 hours. Southern took control of the AV&W on July 1, 1902. In 1899, the railroad wanted to access the Jacksonville union terminal for its passenger trains. The Jacksonville Terminal Company, owners of the station, refused the railroad entry so the railroad took the matter to the Florida railroad commission. The commission, issuing its very first ruling ever, decided on September 4, 1899, that the railroad should be granted access in exchange for an appropriate station fee, which was specified by the commission at a rate $4,300 less per year than the other railroad companies that were already using the station, but the Terminal Company still refused, taking the matter to court. While the case was making its way, the railroad purchased one fourth of the stock of the Jacksonville Terminal Company, so that when it finally arrived at the state supreme court in December 1900, the court dismissed the case noting that the railroad had full access through its stock ownership and the case was no longer valid. Shortly before the railroad was sold, work began on an extension of the line from Valdosta to

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in Southwest Geo ...

, with the goal of reaching Moultrie. The line remains in service today, and it now operates as

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

's Valdosta District.Norfolk Southern Georgia Division Timetable
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Historic stations

References

External links

Defunct Florida railroads Defunct Georgia (U.S. state) railroads Railway companies established in 1897 Railway companies disestablished in 1902 Predecessors of the Southern Railway (U.S.) 1897 establishments in Florida 1897 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) American companies established in 1897 {{US-rail-transport-stub