The Louisville and Nashville Railroad officially opened on November 1, 1859. The original purpose of the railway was to connect the two cities of its namesake, but L & N quickly began to purchase other railroad companies, thus extending their reach. The railroad that runs along Scenic Highway and Escambia Bay is just one branch of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Originally the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad, construction began in 1881, with financial backing from L & N, who purchased the railway just a few years later. The system linked Pensacola to Alabama, New Orleans, and Florida's eastern coast. Thirty five L & N cars derailed near Gull Point in 1977, spilling lethal chemicals, including ammonia. The accident resulted in the evacuation of approximately 1,500 area residents and at least one death due to ammonia poisoning.