The original line of the system was the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, running across southern Georgia.

The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad went bankrupt on January 1, 1877, and Henry Plant bought it on November 4, 1879, reorganizing it as the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway on December 9.

During this time, its Charlotte Harbor branch operated independently and converted this portion of the line to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in.

The Florida Southern Railroad was integrated with the rest of the Plant System in 1896 and was converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in that same year.

The Winston and Bone Valley Railroad, opened in 1892 to serve phosphate mines near Lakeland, became part of the Plant System in 1896.

The Plant System built the nearly straight 54 mi (87 km) Folkston Cutoff in southeast Georgia in 1901.

[6] In 1901, the following companies were also merged into the SF&W: In 1902 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad acquired the entire Plant System, connecting at Charleston, SC.

Main Line (Savannah, Florida and Western Railway) Florida Division Chattahoochee Branch Monticello Branch Associated with the railroad were the Plant Steamship Line and Canada Atlantic and Plant Steamship Co., Ltd., both with Henry B.

[12] The Tampa based steamships served Cuba by way of Key West, Mobile, Alabama, and two local routes.

The Canada Atlantic and Plant Steamship Co., Ltd., with no direct company terminal as at Tampa, served Boston and Canadian points at Halifax, Cape Breton, and Prince Edward Island.