Manchester Subdivision

The Manchester Subdivision was built in 1906 by the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway (AB&A). In 1926, the AB&A went into receivership and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (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.[3]

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.[3] 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.[4] Beginning in January 1940, the line also carried the Dixie Flagler, a streamlined all-coach train, daily on its route between Chicago and Miami.[5]

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.[6]

In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation. 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.[7] The line continues to be a major freight route for CSX.

• List of CSX Transportation lines
• Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railroad