I've seen this railroad shown on a few maps around 1890. Additionally, an 1887 plat of Woodbridge ( http://web.mit.edu/spui/www/temp/PB-71.pdf ) shows it. It appears it only made it from Forest City to Mayo/Woodbridge (north of Maitland). I haven't been able to trace its path anywhere but in Woodbridge (thanks to the plat) - does anyone have a map accurately showing it in relation to other features? Or even a map showing exactly where it intersected the Orange Belt Railway at Forest City?

-- SPUI (drspui@gmail.com), November 05, 2004

Answers

SPUI,

I have not been able to locate any maps or plats with the Apopka & Atlantic RR depicted on them.

The Apopka & Atlantic is mentioned in "The Story of The Florida Railroads 1834 - 1903" by George W. Pettengill, Jr., published by The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, July, 1952. This publication mentions that the Apopka & Atlantic extended for a total length of 5 miles, and was the only tangible part of an otherwise "paper" railroad named the "Alabama, Florida & Atlantic Railway", that was proposed to extend for a distance of 633 miles between Montgomery, Alabama and Turtle Harbor, Florida. The Apopka & Atlantic apparently existed for a very short time (circa 1885 - 1888). It's rolling stock consisted of one locomotive, two passenger cars, one combination car, three platform cars, one boxcar, and somewhat surprisingly, one observation car.

I'll keep searching through the maps and plats, and post any information that is found.

Aaron Dowling

-- Aaron Dowling (adowling@merandb.com), November 09, 2004.

I just found a map of the Forest City end on the fifth page of http://web.mit.edu/spui/www/temp/T1-67.pdf . Strangely it does not show the Orange Belt Ry north of it; this has to be an error. But the map clearly shows the A&A splitting from the Orange Belt just west of 434, crossing at Orange Ave, and then curving southeast. For reference, the intersection of 434 and Orange Ave is in the middle of the street-running section, and each block is 1/4 mile.

-- SPUI (drspui@gmail.com), November 05, 2004.