Savannah, Florida & Western Railway Henry B. Plant purchased the Atlantic & Gulf Railroad in November 1879 at a foreclosure sale. He organized the SF&W on December 9, 1879 to operate the line. Plant served as president of the road from 1880 until his death in 1899. Poors 1881 Manual indicated that the SF&W recently completed the Waycross and Florida Railroad, from Waycross on its own line to Florida State line, and the East Florida RR. from Georgia line to Jacksonville, Florida (71 miles in all), which roads are owned by and operated as the Jacksonville Branch of the S.F. and W. RR. In 1882, Plant established the Plant Investment Company to acquire other railroads. Also in 1882, the SF&W built the 32-mile line from Climax to Chattahoochee, Florida. This extension of its main line connected with the Pensacola & Atlantic, an L&N Railroad subsidiary line in northern Florida. In 1884, Plant consolidated the Waycross and Florida Railroad, along with several railroads in Florida, into the SF&W. In the same year Plant bought the Brunswick and Western Railroad. He allowed it to operate independently until 1901 when it was absorbed into the SF&W. The Monticello Branch, from Thomasville to Monticello, Fla., was built in 1888. In the 1889 edition of The Official Railway List, the SF&W reported operating 569 miles of railroad with 79 locomotives, 102 passenger cars, and 1,337 freight and miscellaneous cars. In 1894 the figures were 569 miles of railroad with 92 locomotives, 136 passenger cars, and 2,257 freight and miscellaneous cars. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad bought the Plant System (including the SF&W) in 1902. Standard SF&W combination depot Maps and timetables: 1881 map (530K) 1882 timetable (270K) 1882 map (167K) 1886 map, SE (326K) 1886 map, SW (242K) Suggested Reading: Gregg M. Turner and Seth H. Bramson. The Plant System of Railroads, Steamships and Hotels; The South's First Great Industrial Enterprise. Laurys Station, PA: Garrigues House, Publishers, 2004. Gregg M. Turner. A Journey into Florida Railroad History. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2008.   RailGa.com. Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. © Steve Storey Railroad History | The Depot List | Locomotives On Display | Odds & Ends | Sources & References | Home