I'm interested about the history of a small town called Fitzgerald Fla that was located where two ACL lines crossed in the croom area.Though one house remains from the period, the town appears to have been a busy place at the turn of the last century. The ruins of the right of way indicate that there was a wye and a small yard , the station foundation can be seen with an Acl signature palm planted near by. Any info on the town and the number of trains that once rumbled through there from 1900/1950 is greatly appriciated.

-- vince meisberger (coastlinef7@aol.com), May 03, 2002

Answers

Vince, it also sounds like you may be describing Trilby itself, which still has the depot's concrete foundation and palm tree(s). The wooden depot from Trilby is preserved at the Pioneer Museum in nearby Dade City, well worth a look.

-- Bob Venditti (bobvend@bellsouth.net), August 20, 2002.

Vince, it really seems like you are referring to Croom, since Trilby (about 10 miles south, is the only other location where two ACL lines crossed each other. Very little is left of the Croom community at the present time. The wye was used as access to the Brooksville branch line, which was active until it fell victim to the massive elimination of redundant lines following the ACL/SAL merger in 1967. The ACL's Lakeland-Croom Turn used the little yard for set-outs and pick-ups, as did the Leesburg-Croom Turn and Brooksville Local.

-- Aaron Dowling (aarondowling@cfl.rr.com), August 20, 2002.

Vince the only reference I have been able to find anywhere, including the Florida History Museum website is to a Fitzgerald Cemetary in Mulberry in Polk County, which is down in Central Florida around Lakeland. From looking at some maps it does look like there was a railroad or two that ran nearby. But I can not find any record of any town named Fitzgerald Fla. There is a Fitzgerald Ga in South Ga.

-- John Buckley (dragondog@juno.com), May 08, 2002.