Seaboard System Railroad
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A Seaboard freight train crosses the James River in 1985.
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| Reporting mark | SBD |
|---|---|
| Locale | Southeastern United States |
| Dates of operation | December 29, 1982–July 1, 1986 |
| Predecessor | Seaboard Coast Line Industries (Family Lines) |
| Successor | CSX Transportation |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville, Florida |
The Seaboard System Railroad, Inc. (reporting mark SBD) was a short-lived former US Class I railroad that was created after the consolidation of the Family Lines System railroads (notably the Louisville & Nashville, Seaboard Coast Line, and Clinchfield) on December 29, 1982. Under the Family Lines era, the railroads shared common ownership but used different names when conducting business. On July 1, 1986, the Seaboard System renamed itself as the CSX Transportation and absorbed the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway on August 31, 1987 which ended the CSX Corporation's shared ownership of the Seaboard System and Chessie System railroads.
The Seaboard System's roots trace back to SCL Industries, a holding company created in 1968 that combined the SCL's subsidiary railroads into one entity. In 1969, SCL was renamed Seaboard Coast Line Industries. Known as the Family Lines System, this entity adopted its own logo and colors, but each railroad maintained its own identity. Over time, this caused confusion among customers. In comparison to the neighboring Chessie System, which had three railroads, the Family Lines had five railroads. In 1971 SCL bought out the remaining shares and made the Louisville & Nashville a subsidiary.
On November 1, 1980, the holding company CSX Corporation was created after the merger of Seaboard Coast Lines Industries and Chessie System. This now simplified ownership of both the Chessie and Seaboard's railroads under one holding company while still keeping their identities separate. On December 29, 1982, the Seaboard Coast Line and Louisville & Nashville (under the Family Lines entity) were merged to form the Seaboard System Railroad, Inc. This was the first step under the CSX Corporation holding company to combine all railroads into one railroad.
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