I noticed a post-war (40's or 50's)ACL timetable that showed an Oklahoma Ave stop for the Southwind in Waycross, vs Plant Ave for other trains. Was this a separate depot?

-- Scott Young (syoung01@sprynet.com), September 09, 2004

Answers

I took one photo of it in Oct. 1977 - the street (north) side and east side show in the photo, and they are enclosed. A door also shows on the east side so very likely it was enclosed all around by then. It was probably just a room with a few chairs - the street side has a pay telephone and a bulletin board.

-- Larry Goolsby (lgoolsby@aphsa.org), September 11, 2004.

I have seen a photo of the Oklahoma Ave. stop, which showed it as a covered open-air shelter, something like a picnic table shelter you'd see at a public park. I believe the photo was taken during the SCL period. I didn't know it was still in use for Amtrak's Floridian; I just assumed the main Plant Ave. station was used. But seeing how so many plexiglass AmBenches were erected adjacent to actual depots, it's stands to reason the Floridian would stop at Oklahoma Ave. to avoid a back-up move on an already too lengthy schedule.

-- Bob Venditti (bobvend@bellsouth.net), September 09, 2004.

The ACL Oklahoma Avenue stop was 2 miles southwest of the original Waycross station on the line coming in from Montgomery, Ala. There is still a street crossing there named Oklahoma Avenue. In about December 1951 a stop was created there. At the same time, the original Waycross station was renamed Waycross (Plant Avenue). As Larry has stated, the new stop was created so that the South Wind could use a wye track connection to the Jacksonville line about half way between the two stations, and not have to back down to the wye after stopping at "Plant Avenue". The South Wind began using this route in December 1951, also. The "Plant Avenue" name was dropped from the original station sometime between October and December 1964. The South Wind continued to use Oklahoma Avenue up to the SCL merger.

-- Tom Underwood (tlu1650@attglobal.net), September 09, 2004.

In the 1960s and 70s, at least, it was only an open-air shelter. I am not aware it was ever an enclosed building. Does anyone have other info, especially including a photo of it in the 40s or 50s?

The stop was created so the South Wind (and its Amtrak successor, the Floridian) did not have to back up into the Plant Ave. station, which was located on the line to Savannah and not on the South Wind's direct route from Montgomery to Jacksonville. The Plant Ave. station is now fully restored as the Chamber of Commerce, but the Okla. Ave. shelter is long gone.

-- Larry Goolsby (lgoolsby@aphsa.org), September 09, 2004.