Editing Seaboard Air Line Railroad (section)

{{Short description|Defunct American railroad, merged to form Seaboard Coast Line}}
{{Distinguish|text=the unrelated cargo carrier [[Seaboard World Airlines]]}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020|cs1-dates=ly}}
{{Infobox rail
|gauge={{Track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
|railroad_name=Seaboard Air Line Railroad
|logo_filename=File:Seaboard_Air_Line_Railroad_Logo,_April_1955.svg
| logo_size=150
| system_map=SAL map 1916.jpg
| map_caption=1916 map of the Seaboard routes
| map_size=300px
|marks=SAL
|locale=[[Virginia]], [[North Carolina]], [[South Carolina]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Alabama]], [[Florida]]
|start_year=1900
|end_year=1967
|successor_line=[[Seaboard Coast Line Railroad|Seaboard Coast Line]]
|old_gauge=
|hq_city=[[Seaboard Coastline Building|Seaboard Air Line Railway Building]], 1 High Street, [[Portsmouth, Virginia]] (1900–1958)<br>
 3600 W. Broad Street, [[Richmond, Virginia]] (1958–1967)
}}

[[Image:SAL Thru Tropical Florida.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Postcard illustrating the allure of streamliner travel to Florida, along with the "citrus" paint scheme used on SAL's [[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]] [[diesel locomotive]]s from 1939 to 1954.]]

The '''Seaboard Air Line Railroad''' {{reporting mark|SAL}}, known colloquially as the '''Seaboard Railroad''' during its time, was an American [[railroad]] that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]], its longtime rival, to form the [[Seaboard Coast Line Railroad]]. Its predecessor railroads dated from the 1830s and reorganized extensively to rebuild after the [[American Civil War]], and by 1900 had merged together to form the SAL. The company was headquartered in [[Portsmouth, Virginia]] until 1958, when its main offices were relocated to [[Richmond, Virginia]].

Styling itself as "The Route of Courteous Service", Seaboard, along with its main competitors [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]], [[Florida East Coast Railway]] and [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]], contributed greatly to the economic development of the [[Southeastern United States]], and particularly to that of [[Florida]] throughout the first half of the 20th century. Its trains brought vacationers to Florida from the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]] and carried southern timber, minerals and produce, especially Florida [[citrus]] crops, to the northern states. 

At the end of 1925 SAL operated 3,929 miles of road, not including its flock of subsidiaries; at the end of 1960 it reported 4,135 miles. The [[Main Line (Seaboard Air Line Railroad)|main line]] ran from [[Richmond, Virginia]] to [[Tampa, Florida]] via [[Raleigh, North Carolina]], [[Columbia, South Carolina]], [[Savannah, Georgia]], and [[Jacksonville, Florida]]. Jacksonville itself was a major interchange point for [[passenger trains]] bringing travelers to the Sunshine State. Seaboard rails continued around [[Tampa Bay]] to [[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg]], and by 1927 extended to [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]] and [[Miami, Florida|Miami]] starting from [[Wildwood, Florida|Wildwood]].

Other important Seaboard routes included a line from Jacksonville via [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]] to a connection with the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] (L&N) at [[Chattahoochee, Florida]], for through service to [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]]; a line to [[Atlanta, Georgia]], and [[Birmingham, Alabama]], connecting with the [[Main Line (Seaboard Air Line Railroad)|main line]] at [[Hamlet, North Carolina]]; and a line from the main at [[Norlina, North Carolina]], to [[Portsmouth, Virginia]], the earliest route of what became the Seaboard.