The Atlantic Coast Line was a US Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871.
The Atlantic Coast Line served the Southeast, with a concentration of lines in Florida.
During World War II, ACL's passenger traffic increased 200% and freight traffic 150%.
In 1956 the company moved its headquarters from North Carolina to Jacksonville Florida.
During the Great Depression, ACL's freight traffic declined by 60%
ACL's passenger traffic consisted almost entirel of Florida-bound traffic, largely from the Northeast.
The backbone of the Atlantic Coast Line was its main line, which ran nearly 900 miles from Richmond Virginia to just south of Tampa Florida.
In 1939, in response to the Seaboard's popular new streamliner, the Silver Meteor, the ACL launched it's first streamlined train, the "Champion."
The earliest predessor of the ACL was the Petersburg Railroad between Petersburg Virginia and a point near Weldon, North Carolina, founded in 1830.
In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Much of the network is now part of CSX Railroad.
The Atlantic Coast Line was a US Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871.
