Live Oak and Gulf Railway

Live Oak & Gulf Railway
Live Oak & Gulf Railway in Luraville around 1896
Timetable of October 6, 1895
Route length:	32 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Legend miles 0 Live Oak 30 ° 17 '50.8 "  N , 82 ° 59' 7.7"  W. 2 Dowling 7th Laurent 11 Rossburg 17th Densler 19th Luraville 30 ° 7 '20.6 "  N , 83 ° 10' 9.5"  W. 20th Peek

The Live Oak & Gulf Railway was a privately operated standard gauge railway in Suwannee County , Florida from 1895 to 1916 .

history

founding

Charles White and James White of New York City , who managed French real estate in Citra , co-founded the Live Oak & Gulf Railway Company with Robert L. Anderson of Ocala on January 4, 1895 with a share capital of $ 5,000. Anderson was President, Charles White was Vice President, and James White was Secretary and Treasurer. They took over the trackbed and assets of the Live Oak, Luraville & Deadman's Bay Railroad (LOL & DBRR) but not their charter.

Originally Robert Anderson had 5 shares, Charles White 10 and James White 35. But on March 5, 1895, the capital was increased to $ 150,000, although only $ 5,000 had been issued at the time. WC Remick and Thomas McIntosh from LOL & DBRR were also brought on board and each held 5 shares that they took over from Charles and James White. A mortgage account was then opened with the New York Security and Trust Co. of New York City.

construction

Construction work began in February 1895 at a rapid pace, so that by March 1, 1895 a mile (1.6 km) of track had already been laid. James R. Morehead supervised the construction as a so-called roadmaster. On May 15, 1895, the entire 12-mile stretch from the terminus of Dowling's Log Railroad to the Suwannee River at Peek , two miles west of Luraville , was completed. Bonds worth $ 100,000 were issued by the mortgage company.

business

Operations began on May 1, 1895 with Charles McGehee of Live Oak as General Manager. The Live Oak & Gulf Railway had two locomotives. The engine shed was on the grounds of the mill in Live Oak. The company also owned a passenger car and a matching baggage car. Two flat cars rounded off the fleet. Operations went well in the first year: over 9,000 tons of phosphate were transported on a turnover of $ 11,388. The company earned $ 1,854 for the transportation of general cargo and $ 1,036 for the transportation of passengers. The expenses were only $ 6,080, which resulted in a positive result.

Decline and closure

1897 was a bad year and a turning point for the Live Oak & Gulf Railway as phosphate production ceased in late 1896 after it was discovered that the iron content was too high. In 1897, no phosphate was shipped at all, and the railroad had to switch from transporting ore to general freight transport. The Live Oak & Gulf was merged on June 30, 1905 together with the Suwannee & San Pedro Railroad (S&SP) to the Florida Railway. The Florida Railway operated the route to Luraville and the original 9 miles (14.5 km) of the former LO&G for the next eleven years until 1916, when operations ceased and the rails were scrapped.

Remarks

1. ↑ The Danforth Cooke steam locomotive No. 98 was leased by the locomotive builder WE Boone from Jacksonville. The first freight car with the type no. 600 is from the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway . The second freight car has different doors: a massive door and a lattice door. The Jim Crow passenger and freight cars bring up the rear.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Donald R. Hensley, Jr .: The Saga of the Live Oak & Gulf, Part February 2 , February 6, 1999. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
2. ↑ Donald R. Hensley, Jr .: The Saga of the Live Oak & Gulf, Part February 3 , 1999. Retrieved April 22, 2018.

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap