Seminole Gulf

Company History: The SGLR launched in 1987 as a spinoff from Seaboard System. There are two disconnected routes. The larger runs from Arcadia to the North Naples area. The smaller runs from Oneco south to Venice with branches to Sarasota, Matoka, and Fruitville, all in the southwestern portion of Florida. A branch to Venice was abandoned in segments between 2004 and 2019. Total mileage is 118, putting it between RF&P and Chicago & Illinois Midland in relative size. The lines originally belonged to Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line. In the early days, Seminole Gulf ran with seven GP9’s and a GP10. SGLR also picked up a C425 but later sold it to an Alco-heavy shortline in New York. Recently they picked up a trio of B39-8E’s for heavy freight service.

Since 1991, SGLR has run passenger excursion service with a recent focus on murder mystery dinner trains. SGLR picked up an F9Am and F7Am to lead the excursion trains. These are in the same blue with yellow and orange paint scheme used on freight units. Freight traffic includes limestone, forest products and wallboard, newsprint, and LPG. Seminole Gulf has a sister railroad, the Bay Colony Railroad in Massachusetts.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.