High Springs—Croom Line Explained

High Springs—Croom Line
Other Name:Gainesville Subdivision, Ocala Subdivision
Color:8B008B
Status:Some segments still operating
Start:High Springs, Florida
End:Croom, Florida
Owner:Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Linelength Mi:128
Electrification:No
Map State:uncollapsed

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's High Springs—Croom Line was a historic rail line in northern Florida. The line dates back to the late 1800s and was used for both passengers and freight.

Route description

The High Springs—Croom Line began at the Atlantic Coast Line's High Springs Yard, where it also connected with their DuPont—Lakeland Line. From High Springs, the line proceeded southeast to Gainesville and continued south through Ocala and Leesburg before reconnecting with the DuPont—Lakeland Line in Croom (originally known as Pemberton Ferry).[1]

Branches

From Croom, the line continued west another ten miles to Brooksville, which was classified separately on employee timetables as the Brooksville Branch.

The High Springs—Croom Line also connected with the Atlantic Coast Line's Palatka Branch just south of Gainesville at Rochelle. The Palatka Branch ran from Rochelle east to Palatka, where it connected with the Atlantic Coast Line's Main Line. The line's Micanopy Branch ran from the line to the small town of Micanopy and Tacoma. Further south, the High Springs—Croom Line also had a small branches to Citra and Howey-in-the-Hills and it also connected with the Leesburg Branch in Leesburg.

History

See also: Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad and Florida Southern Railway. From High Springs to Gainesville, the line was built by Henry B. Plant in an effort to extend his railroad network further south to Charlotte Harbor. From Gainesville south, the line was built by the Florida Southern Railway. Henry Plant was unaware that the Florida Southern was building north to Gainesville and further north as he was building his line, the Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor Railroad, south. To prevent having competing lines, Plant made a mutually beneficial deal with the Florida Southern that essentially combined the two lines into one, connecting them in Gainesville. The Florida Southern also The Florida Southern also built the Palatka Branch during their initial construction, as well as the branches to Micanopy and Citra. The Florida Southern Railway would eventually become part of the Plant System. After Plant's death, his network of railroads was sold to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) in 1902.[2]

Initially, the Atlantic Coast Line used the Palatka Branch to run trains from Jacksonville to the High Springs—Croom Line, which then went south to Ocala and Tampa. This changed in 1905 when the Atlantic Coast Line built a connection with the Jacksonville and Southwestern Railroad (J&SW), which the Atlantic Coast line bought a year prior. The Atlantic Coast Line then used the J&SW line, which crossed the High Springs—Croom Line at Burnett's Lake (just north of Gainesville), for trains from Jacksonville since it was more direct and went through more communities.[3]

The Atlantic Coast Line would sometimes refer to the High Springs—Croom Line as the "Florida Southern Route" (named after the predecessor that built the line) to differentiate it from their nearly parallel High Springs—Lakeland Line which was called the "West Coast Route" and was primarily a freight route.[3]

In 1948, the Atlantic Coast Line rerouted the line in central Gainesville from Main Street to instead run along 6th Street, where they built a new depot. This rerouted segment used the former right of way of the Gainesville and Gulf Railroad.[4]

For much of its history, the Atlantic Coast Line's West Coast Champion and an additional local passenger train ran the line round-trip daily on its route from Jacksonville to St. Petersburg. Trains continued to come in from Jacksonville via the Jacksonville—Wilcox Line at Burnett's Lake. By the 1950s, a local freight train was running the line from High Springs to Croom six days a week. A mixed train (with both passengers and freight) also ran the line from Burnett's Lake to High Springs six days a week.

In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line became the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) after merging with its rival, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (whose main line ran relatively close to the High Springs—Croom Line). In the Seaboard Coast Line era, both the High Springs—Croom Line and the Jacksonville—Wilcox Line were designated as the Ocala Subdivision. A local passenger train would continue to use the line up until 1971 when Amtrak took over the Seaboard Coast Line's passenger operations.[5] [6]

By 1982, the Seaboard Coast Line abandoned the line from High Springs to Burnett's Lake, and track south of Micanopy Junction was broken up into segments.[7] [8] By 1989, track was abandoned from Gainesville to Rochelle (along with the Palatka Branch east to Hawthorne).[9]

Current conditions

Some segments of the High Springs—Croom Line remain active today and some abandoned segments have since become rail trails.

Deerhaven Subdivision

The short 13-mile segment of the line is still in service from Burnett's Lake south to Gainesville, where it terminates just north of central Gainesville at NE 23rd Avenue.[10] This line is now CSX's Deerhaven Subdivision and it is the only remaining rail line in Gainesville.[11] CSX uses the line for local freight and it is connected to the rest of CSX's network via the Brooker Subdivision at Burnett's Lake.

South of Gainesville

The Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail runs on the former right of way between Gainesville and Rochelle.[12] The line is still active between Lowell, Ocala, and Candler. This segment is operated by the Florida Northern Railroad, a shortline run by Regional Rail, LLC, which crosses the S Line in Ocala.[13]

A short segment was still active near Leesburg which had been operated by the Florida Midland Railroad since 1987 (this line also used former Seaboard track from Wildwood to Leesburg). This line was abandoned in late 2000.[14]

The Good Neighbor Trail runs on the former right of way between Croom and Brooksville.[15]

Historic stations

High Springs to Brooksville!Milepost!City/Location!Station!Image!Connections and notes
ARB 717.1High SpringsHigh Springsjunction with DuPont—Lakeland Line (ACL)
ARB 724.7AlachuaEast Alachua
ARB 726.4Burnett's Lakejunction with:
ARB 729.7HagueHague
ARB 736.0GainesvilleParadiseAnnexed by Gainesville
ARB 739.0Teen JayAnnexed by Gainesville
ARB 740.1Gainesvilleoriginal station on Main Street replaced with a new station on 6th Street in 1948.
junction with:
ARB 749.5
AS 737.5
RochelleRochellejunction with Palatka Branch
AS 743.1Micanopy Junctionjunction with Micanopy Branch
AS 745.7EvinstonEvinston
AS 748.6McIntoshMcIntosh
AS 750.2Orange LakeOrange Lake
AS 751.1Proctorjunction with Citra Branch
ASB 757.2CitraCitralocated on Citra Branch
AS 753.7ReddickReddick
AS 756.9LowellLowell
AS 760.0MartinMartin
AS 763.5KendrickKendrick
AS 768.3OcalaOcala Union Stationjunction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Main Line
AS 774.9Welchton
AS 781.2CandlerCandler
AS 785.2OcklawahaOcklawaha
AS 787.7East Lake
AS 790.2WeirsdaleWeirsdale
AS 793.7Conant
AS 795.0Lady LakeLady Lake
AS 799.1Fruitland ParkFruitland Park
AS 802.7LeesburgLeesburgjunction with:
AS 808.3OkahumpkaOkahumpkajunction with Howey-in-the-Hills Branch
AS 816.9Center HillCenter Hilljunction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Miami Subdivision
AS 821.5WebsterWebster
AS 826.6St. CatherineSt. Catherinejunction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Main Line
AS 833.1CroomCroomPreviously known as Pemberton Ferry
junction with DuPont—Lakeland Line
AS 843.1BrooksvilleBrooksvillestation still standing and is now a museum
junction with Tampa Northern Railroad (SAL)
Palatka Branch!Milepost!City/Location!Station!Image!Connections and notes
AS 698.6PalatkaPalatkarebuilt in 1908
junction with:
AS 703.0Francis
AS 710.5HollisterHollister
AS 715.8InterlachenInterlachen
AS 719.9EdgarEdgar
AS 728.7HawthorneHawthornejunction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Main Line
AS 733.3Grove ParkGrove Park
AS 737.5RochelleRochellejunction with High Springs—Croom Line
Micanopy Branch!Milepost!City/Location!Station[16] !Image!Connections and notes
ASA 743.1Micanopy Junctionjunction with High Springs—Croom Line
ASA 746.5MicanopyMicanopy
ASA 751.5Tacoma
Howey-in-the-Hills Branch!Milepost!City/Location!Station[17] !Image!Connections and notes
AS 808.3OkahumpkaOkahumpkajunction with High Springs—Croom Line
YalahaYahala
ASF 816.2Howey-in-the-HillsHowey-in-the-Hillslocated on Howey-in-the-Hills Branch

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/ACL/ACL%20ETT%20Southern%20Div%20%233%2012-16-1949.pdf Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Southern Division Timetable (1949)
  2. Book: Turner. Gregg. A Short History of Florida Railroads. 2003. Arcadia Publishing. 978-0-7385-2421-4.
  3. McFarland . Warren . Murdock . Ken . Memories of Burnett’s Lake – Part 1 . Lines South . 2017 . 34 . 2 . 4 February 2023.
  4. Web site: Gainesville's Railroads . Explore Historic Alachua County . 6 August 2020.
  5. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Jacksonville Division Timetable (1969)
  6. http://www.multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/SCL/SCL%20ETTs/SCL%20Jville%20%26%20Tampa%20Divs%20ETT%20%238%2010-30-1977.pdf Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Jacksonville Division and Tampa Division Timetable (1977)
  7. http://www.multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/SCL/SCL%20ETTs/SCL%20Jville%20&%20Tampa%20Divs%20ETT%20%239%2010-31-1982.pdf Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Jacksonville Division and Tampa Division Timetable (1982)
  8. Web site: When Trains First Came to Central Florida. Tampa Bay Trains. 7 August 2017.
  9. Web site: Parcel: 19801-300-000. Alachua County Property Appraiser. 2 November 2012.
  10. Web site: Dupont, GA to Alachua, FL . Abandoned Rails . 8 April 2020.
  11. http://www.multimodalways.org/docs/railroads/companies/CSX/CSX%20ETTs/CSX%20Jacksonville%20Div%20ETT%20%234%201-1-2005.pdf CSX Jacksonville Division Timetable
  12. https://www.traillink.com/trail/gainesville-hawthorne-state-park-trail/ Gainesville-Hawthorne State Park Trail
  13. Web site: Florida Central, Midland, and Northern Railroads. Pinsly Railroad Company. 7 August 2017. 7 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170807112702/https://www.pinsly.com/services-solutions/florida-central-midland-and-northern-railroads/. dead.
  14. Web site: Surface Transportation Board Decision Document . 2022-11-03 . 2016-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215730/http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/ReadingRoom.nsf/7eee0e1f65a81f3f8525723b0071ddec/b38cc7fea4247700852569c900587563?OpenDocument . dead .
  15. https://www.traillink.com/trail/good-neighbor-trail/ Good Neighbor Trail
  16. Web site: Florida Railroad: Passenger Stations & Stops . Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists . 5 June 2020.
  17. Web site: Florida Railroad: Passenger Stations & Stops . Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists . 5 June 2020.