Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad

The Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad was assigned land grants on March 12, 1879 by the state legislature of Florida. This was accomplished by Florida State Law Chapter 3170.[1] The line was complete between Ocala and Dunellon in 1887 and used to transport phosphate and limestone.[2] It connected with the Florida Southern Railway in Ocala. One of the early organizers of the railroad was John F. Dunn, for whom Dunnellon is partially named for.[3]

The line was extended southwest to Crystal River and Homosassa by 1888. Track was then built from Dunnellon (at a point near Citrus Springs) south to Hernando and Inverness in 1891, which connected with the newly built northern extension of the South Florida Railroad's Pemberton Ferry Branch, which continued south to Lakeland. In 1893, track was built from Juliette (near Rainbow Springs) north to Morriston. In 1901, the line became part of the Plant System, which also operated the South Florida Railroad and the Florida Southern Railway. The Plant System had been owned by Florida railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant prior to his death in 1899. The Plant System was acquired by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902.[2]

The Atlantic Coast Line would then extend the track from Morriston north to Archer in 1913 to connect with its track from High Springs. The line from Morriston to Inverness via Dunnellon was then the middle link in what became the Atlantic Coast Line's High Springs–Lakeland Line (R Line). By then, track to Ocala and to Homosassa were downgraded to branch status (RC and RD Branches respectively).[4]

In 1914, the Atlantic Coast also built track from just north of Dunnellon to Wilcox, which would later be part of the Perry Cutoff in the 1920s. Around the same time, track from Dunnellon south to Inverness and Vitis Junction was expanded to double track.[2] The R Line was a busy route for the Atlantic Coast Line, which was running six daily freight trains round-trip by 1949. The Atlantic Coast Line would run passenger trains on the line between Dunnellon and Inverness on their route from the midwest (via the Perry Cutoff) to Tampa, including the Southland which ran this route daily.[4]

Track between Homosassa and Crystal River was abandoned in 1941. The Atlantic Coast Line became the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1967 after merging with their rival, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. The Seaboard Air Line's Brooksville Subdivision paralleled the former Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad though Inverness, Dunnellon, and Morriston. The lines even crossed each other twice (once just south of Dunnellon and again near Rainbow Springs where the Juliette Falls Golf Course's driving range is currently located).[5] Seaboard's line was abandoned in the wake of the merger as well as parts of the former Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad from Rainbow Falls to just west of Ocala. The remaining lines were then known as the West Coast Subdivision and the Crystal River Subdivision, which by then were only carrying freight. The Seaboard Coast Line became CSX Transportation in 1986. Track was removed between Crystal River and Red Level by 1982.[6][7] CSX abandoned the line from Dunnellon to Inverness (along with track from Inverness to Owensboro) in 1987.

All former track of the Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad has been operated by the Florida Northern Railroad since 1988. This includes the now discontinuous segments in Ocala (which is now a short industrial spur) and track from Dunnellon to the Crystal River Energy Complex in Red Level.

State Road 40 runs close to the former right of way between Ocala and Dunnellon.[8]

The line from Dunnellon south to Inverness is now part of the Withlacoochee State Trail, the longest rail trail in Florida.