==History==

==History==

The [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]] (ACL) and [[Seaboard Coast Line Railroad]] (SCL) proposed a {{convert|44|mi|km|adj=on|spell=in}} railroad line in August 1965, where the western terminus would be at Port Manatee, which was yet to be constructed.{{cite report

|last1=Hollander

|first1=Richard

|last2=Wells

|first2 = David

|last3 = Beverly

|first3 = Phil

|last4 = Osborn

|first4 = Prime

|last5 = Dell

|first5 = Ralph

|last6 = Howe

|first6 = James

|last7 = Zoll

|first7 = Erle

|date = 1969-11-24

|orig-date = September 9, 1966–November 5, 1969

|title = Tampa Phosphate Railroad v. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad

|chapter = Report and Order recommended by hearing examiner of the Interstate Commerce Commission and Exhibits thereto

|url = https://archive.org/details/micro_IA40385604_1183/micro_IA40385604_1183%2002.%20Appendix%20to%20Patition%20for%20A%20Writ%20of%20Certiorari%20/page/61/mode/1up

|work = [[Supreme Court of the United States]]

|location =

|publisher =

|docket = No. 877

|access-date = 2026-02-27

}}{{rp|44–45}} In a report dated September 9, 1966, the ACL and SCL planned to send [[phosphorite]] and [[superphosphate]] trains of about 150 freight cars directly to Port Manatee; [[Classification yard|switching and classification]] was to only occur at Port Manatee.{{rp|66–68}}

[[File:SCL freight car being unloaded on Port Manatee Railroad, 1971.jpg|thumb|left|A boxcar from the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad being unloaded at Port Manatee, 1971]]

[[File:SCL freight car being unloaded on Port Manatee Railroad, 1971.jpg|thumb|left|A boxcar from the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad being unloaded at Port Manatee, 1971]]

The PMR was given permission to operate by the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] on October 21, 1969. The railroad began service in 1970, operated by the Manatee County Port Authority (MCPA). Joel Wilcox, the port director of the MCPA, received a letter from the [[Seaboard Coast Line Railroad]] {{reporting mark|SCL|bold=no}}, dated May 22, 1970, proposing to construct an interchange track between the [[Tampa Southern Railroad]] and the MCPA. Wilcox recommended approval and requested the railroad to immediately begin construction of the turnout.{{cite conference

The PMR was given permission to operate by the [[Interstate Commerce Commission]] on October 21, 1969. The railroad began service in 1970, operated by the Manatee County Port Authority (MCPA). Joel Wilcox, the port director of the MCPA, received a letter from the [[Seaboard Coast Line Railroad]] {{reporting mark|SCL|bold=no}}, dated May 22, 1970, proposing to construct an interchange track between the [[Tampa Southern Railroad]] and the MCPA. Wilcox recommended approval and requested the railroad to immediately begin construction of the turnout.{{cite conference

}}

}}

[[File:Port Manatee Railroad 7974.png|thumb|PMR 7974 in a Port Manatee livery, September 2007]]The [[Railroad Retirement Board]] determined that the MCPA was a rail carrier under the [[Railroad Retirement Act]] and the [[Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act]], with an effective date of January 1, 1972. The railroad officially began its operations on January 3.{{cite report

The [[Railroad Retirement Board]] determined that the MCPA was a rail carrier under the [[Railroad Retirement Act]] and the [[Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act]], with an effective date of January 1, 1972. The railroad officially began its operations on January 3.{{cite report

|last = Bartholow

|last = Bartholow

|first = Steven

|first = Steven

}}

}}

[[File:Port Manatee Railroad 7974.png|thumb|PMR 7974 in a Port Manatee livery, September 2007]]

The railroad has been used to transport [[lumber]], [[linerboard]], [[fertilizer]], and [[phosphorite]]. During the [[2012–2013 North American drought]], the PMR had transported imports of corn to feed livestock in the [[Midwest]].{{cite news

The railroad has been used to transport [[lumber]], [[linerboard]], [[fertilizer]], and [[phosphorite]]. During the [[2012–2013 North American drought]], the PMR had transported imports of corn to feed livestock in the [[Midwest]].{{cite news

|last = Buqueras

|last = Buqueras

|first = Carlos

|first = Carlos