The Starke to Wannee rail line was initiated in 1891 with the incorporation of the Starke, Florida and Sampson City Railway Co. The company failed after grading the right-of-way, and in 1892 transferred the right-of-way to the Ambler Lumber Co. The Atlantic, Suwannee River and Gulf Railroad was incorporated under the general incorporationlaws of Florida in 1893. It was established to construct, maintain, manage and operate one of more lines of railway, as follows:
Beginning at or near the town of Starke, in the county of Bradford, Florida, and extending from thence through the counties of Bradford and Alachua to a point on or near the Suwannee River between Clay Landing and Fort White, and a branch or branches through the counties of Levy, Columbia, Lafayette and Taylor, and with a branch or branches through the counties of Bradford, Clay and Duval, to a point on the St. Johns river.
The company had the right to build canals as feeders for the railroad, which was to be standard gauge. The railroad was promised land grants along its line. Shortly after incorporation, the company purchased the graded right-of-way between Starke, Florida and Sampson City from the Ambler Lumber Co. and start laying track. The track from Starke, Florida reached Sampson City in August, 1863, and LaCrosse in March, 1894. After a pause, The track reach Alachua in July, 1896, and Buda, between High Springs and Newberry, in July, 1897. The FC&PR leased the ASR&G in 1899, and pushed the rail head to Wannee by 1902. Operation of both the FC&PR and the ASR&GR was taken over by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad in July, 1900, and both were formally adsorbed by the SAL in June, 1903. From its founding until its absorption by the SAL, the ASR&GR had served primarily to feed timber and lumber to the FC&PR. The Seaboard Air Line would remove track between Wannee and Bell in the 1930s. Much of the line west of Brooker was abandoned after the Seaboard Air Line merged with its competitor, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, in 1967. Though, track from Buda to Bell would remain as a spur until the 1980s. The Seaboard Coast Line would become CSX Transportation in the 1980s. In the 1990s, CSX would rebuild a short segment of the Atlantic, Suwannee River and Gulf Railway to Hainesworth to reconnect with the remains of the former Jacksonville and Southwestern Railroad, which had just been severed from its system. This segment is now CSX Transportation's Brooker Subdivision and is still in service. The line's connection with the CSX S Line is still known as Wannee Junction.
