I just moved back to the tampa bay area recently from gainesville. In fact just up the road from where i used to live in my teenage years. I live in Odessa, actually. And there was a line i remember as a kid being there, now is long gone and im trying to find out more about it. I know the line diverged from the SAL sulfur springs - clearwater line at a point called tarpon junction. This point is actually in the town and country area of tampa, right near the intersection of wilsky blvd and linebaugh ave. The line headed north from there through citrus park and north following near gunn hwy. It diverged again and headed west towards elfers and north to "cosme". This is where things get fishy. I BELIEVE the line which headed west towards elfers was crossed the ACL near tarpon springs, heading toward victor and elfers. I have no clue where the north branch went. I know it followed gunn hwy through odessa and to where i dont know. Did it by chance cross or join the ACL line from trilby to tarpon springs? Much of this line is now so grown over or developed that i cannot trace it. There are also some very large trees growing in the middle of where the track was, indicating that it has been abandoned for some time. Parts of this line now is property of the city of st. petersburg, and it has water pipelines and pumps on the former ROW (this line and the ex-ACL line). The timetables i have also show this line gone in parts (or at least not in service) by 1974 with access to elfers and victor being gained over the ex-ACL line through tarpon springs (this was the last part of this line to be abandoned, in the late 80's) to serve the power plant at anclote key. What i am looking for is some good maps of the area and some accounts of when the lines were taken out, where they went, etc. but any help would be good

-- troy nolen (kirkwood@gdn.net), October 10, 2001

Answers

Troy: A small section of track still remains, south of Tarpon Rd. on the east side of Gunn Hwy. It's been a few years since I've passed there, but it was clearly visible from the road. It was cutting through a paved driveway, and since the driveway is also abandoned, it just seems to have escaped everyone's notice (except old rail line buffs). I suppose it was easier to leave the tracks in place rather than have to pay for a new driveway... Lyle

-- Lyle Lamboley (lamboley1@earthlink.net), March 05, 2002.

fascinating, is there any way you could possibly scan that and make it available to me? Or photocopy and mail it to me? I would cover your expenses, please email me. Any other info on this from others would be appreciated

-- troy (kirkwood@gdn.net), October 13, 2001.

The line to Elfers crossed the ACL about where the Pasco-Pinellas county line is. I have a map circa 1920 showing a line north from Gulf Pine to the ACL, connecting at a place called Mexico, which may now be Odessa. This map also shows the line to Elfers continuing to Port Richey, as well as branches between Fivay Jct. and Hudson as well as from Tooke Lake Jct. and Centralia. A 1952 Florida Dept. of Agriculture map shows the SAL to Victor off the Elfers branch (but no continuation to Mexico- and no Hudson or Centralia lines, either), and the ACL with a spur to Anclote. That's all I have close to the computer for a quick answer, but I'm sure someone else can give you more complete in

-- Larry Brennan (lpbrennan@aol.com), October 13, 2001.

wow, no one??

-- troy nolen (kirkwood@gdn.net), October 11, 2001.