Seaboard Air Line Railway - Specimen Railroad Stock Certificate

Specimen Stock. Security Bank Note Co. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad, identified by the reporting mark SAL and known as 'The Route of Courteous Service,' was an American railroad that operated from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with its long-time competitor, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, to create the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Its predecessor railroads date back to the 1830s and underwent significant reorganization to recover following the American Civil War. The company was based in Norfolk, Virginia, until 1958, when it moved its headquarters to Richmond, Virginia. The Seaboard Air Line Railway Building, located in Norfolk's historic Freemason District, remains standing and has been transformed into residential apartments.

By the end of 1925, SAL managed 3,929 miles of track, excluding its subsidiaries; by the end of 1960, this figure had increased to 4,135 miles. The primary route extended from Richmond through Raleigh, North Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, to Jacksonville, Florida, which served as a key transfer point for passenger trains heading to the Sunshine State. From Jacksonville, Seaboard tracks continued to Tampa, St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, and Miami. Other significant routes included a line from Jacksonville through Tallahassee to connect with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) at Chattahoochee, Florida, facilitating service to New Orleans; a route to Atlanta, Georgia, and Birmingham, Alabama, linking with the main line at Hamlet, North Carolina; and a line from the main line at Norlina, North Carolina, to Portsmouth, Virginia, which was the earliest path of what eventually became the Seaboard.