ThePlant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroadwas arailroadline that once operated fromPlant City, Florida,south toWelcome,a distance of about 13 miles. The line remains in service today and is owned byCSX Transportation,which it operates as theirPlant City Subdivision.[1][2]
 Route (click to enlarge) | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1898–1905 |
| Successor | Seaboard Air Line Railroad Seaboard Coast Line Railroad CSX Transportation |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Length | 11.4 miles |
History
editThe Plant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroad was first built as a logging railroad in 1898 by the Warnell Lumber & Veneer Company.[3]It connected to theFlorida Central and Peninsular Railroadin Plant City, which would become themain lineof theSeaboard Air Line Railroadin 1900.
The Seaboard Air Line bought the Plant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroad in 1905 and rebuilt it. The line notably servedCoronet Industriesphosphate processing plant. Seaboard would also build a line from just south of Keysville (at a point which would then be known as Welcome Junction) east toMulberryandBartowin 1912. This line would be extended toLake Walesby 1916. Track south of Welcome Junction to Welcome is now abandoned.
In 1925, Seaboard built theValrico Cutoffwhich connected the line at Welcome Junction with the Seaboard main line (CSX'sS Line) at Valrico. This connection provided a shorter route from theBone Valleyto Tampa. The Valrico Cutoff and track east of Welcome Junction became Seaboard'sValrico Subdivision.
From 1926 to 1952, the Seaboard would designate the former Plant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroad as the northernmost segment of theirFort Myers Subdivision(which would overlap the Valrico Subdivision from Welcome Junction a short distance to Edison Junction, where Seaboard's track continued south and connected toFort Myersat the time).[4]
By 1940, the line would be used by Seaboard's local passenger trains toBoca Grandeas well as their Cross Florida Limited (which ran from Tampa to Miami).[4]
After abandonment of Seaboard's track to Fort Myers, the line was considered a spur of the Valrico Subdivision.[5]
Current operations
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Through many mergers, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad network became part ofCSX Transportationin 1980.[6]Today, the former Plant City, Arcadia, and Gulf Railroad operates as CSX's Plant City Subdivision and still runs from Plant City to Welcome Junction.[2]
At the north end, the Plant City Subdivision connects with CSX'sS Line(former Seaboard main line) just south of Plant City Interlocking (where the S Line andA Linecross). The junction with the S Line towards Tampa is still known today as Lake Wales Junction (which references that this was once the Seaboard Air Line's access to Lake Wales despite the fact that the track no longer continues there). The Plant City Subdivision’s connection to the S Line in the northbound direction (which was relocated north of the A Line in the 1990s) is known as Sandler Junction.
For the most part, the Plant City Subdivision is only used for local freight today. While trains once could run the line at 40 miles per hour, its speed limit has been reduced to 25 miles per hour to reduce maintenance costs.
Historic Stations
edit| Milepost | City/Location | Station[7] | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SV823.1 | Plant City | Plant City | later known as Lake Wales Junction junction withFlorida Central and Peninsular RailroadTampa Division (SAL) |
| SV 825.6 | Coronet Junction | ||
| SVA 827.1 | Coronet | located on a spur from Coronet Junction | |
| SV 827.3 | Hopewell Gardens | Trapnell | |
| SV 829.5 | Hopewell | Hopewell | |
| SV 831.6 | Alafia | Alafia | |
| SV 833.5 | Keysville | Keysville | |
| SV 834.2 | Welcome Junction | junction withSeaboard Air Line RailroadValrico Subdivision | |
| Welcome | Welcome |
See also
editReferences
edit
- ^CSX Plant City Sub
- ^abCSX Jacksonville Division Timetable
- ^"Florida Logging Railroads".Florida Railroad History Website - Fernandina & Cedar Key.Archived fromthe originalon 29 January 2020.Retrieved11 January2021.
- ^abSeaboard Air Line Railway South Florida Division Timetable (1940)
- ^Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Jacksonville Division and Tampa Division Timetable (1977)
- ^Turner, Gregg (2003).A Short History of Florida Railroads.Arcadia Publishing.ISBN978-0-7385-2421-4.
- ^"Florida Railroad: Passenger Stations & Stops"(PDF).Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists.Retrieved5 June2020.