How many station buildings did the ACL have in St. Petersburg? I recently obtained a postcard showing a one story wooden building, yellow in color, listed as an ACL depot. I know of the one replaced in the 1960s and the replacement, but none before.

-- Larry K. Neal, Jr. (lkneal@ncsl.dcr.state.nc.us), November 04, 1999

Answers

There was one more station there just prior to 1900's. It was the Orange Belt Railway station when the line was narrow gauge from Sanford, Florida. You can find a picture of that station at www.geocities.com/TheTropics/4095/March/obstory1.htm. The Orange Belt Railroad was leased by The Plant System than later obsorbed into the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1903. I hope that helps you out.

-- Bill Middlemas (bill@amicomputer.com), September 17, 2000.

The Society has a photo of an old wood ACL St. Pete station, evidently built before the turn of the century, that sounds like the same one as your postcard. The next station was built in the 1920s and is the one that remained in use until replaced in 1963 by the modern station. So there are three that I know of.

-- Larry Goolsby (LGoolsby@aphsa.org), November 05, 1999.