Plant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroad


The Plant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroad was a railroad line that once operated from Plant City, Florida, south to Welcome, a distance of 11.4 miles. The line remains in service today and is owned by CSX Transportation, which it operates as their Plant City Subdivision.

History

The Plant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroad was built 1898 by the Warnell Lumber & Veneer Company. It connected to the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad in Plant City, which would become the main line of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1900.
Seaboard bought the Plant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroad in 1905, rebuilt it, and extended it east from Welcome to Bartow and Lake Wales. The line notably served Coronet Industries phosphate processing plant.
The line's role was diminished in 1925 when Seaboard built the Valrico Cutoff which connected the line at Welcome with the Seaboard main line at Valrico. This connection provided a shorter route to Tampa.
Through many mergers, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad network became part of CSX in 1980.