Palatka station explained

Palatka, FL
Style:Amtrak
Address:220 North 11 Street
Borough:Palatka, Florida
Country:United States
Coordinates:29.65°N -81.6406°W
Owned:City of Palatka
Line:CSXT
Platforms:1 side platform
Tracks:1
Connections: The Ride Solution
Parking:15 long term and 5 short term parking spaces
Accessible:Yes
Opened:May 1909
Other Services Header:Former services
Other Services Collapsible:yes
Nrhp:
Old A.C.L. Union Depot
Embed:yes
Location:Palatka, Florida
Built:1909
Added:1988
Refnum:88000162[1]
Mapframe:yes

Palatka station is a historic train station that was built in Palatka, Florida in 1908. The station currently serves Amtrak's Silver Service line and also houses the Palatka Railroad Preservation Society and the David Browning Railroad Museum. It is located at 220 North Eleventh Street, at the corner of North Eleventh Street's intersection with US 17/SR 100.[2]

History

The station was built in 1908 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) and was constructed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It served as a union depot for the ACL's Jacksonville-Tampa-Sarasota mainline as well as for the Florida Southern Railway and the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway. In addition to local service to Sarasota, the station served the ACL's West Coast Champion (New York City – Sarasota).[3] [4] In 1914 the station began to serve the short-lived Ocklawaha Valley Railroad. In 1988, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1971, most passenger service in the United States was transferred to Amtrak, however Palatka had its stop discontinued.[5] In 1976, Amtrak decided to reinstate the stop at Palatka, under a trial period. They would later add Palatka as a permanent stop in 1979.[6] The station is currently served by Amtrak's Silver Meteor and Silver Star trains.

In November 2021, the US Department of Transportation awarded $1.5 billion in RAISE discretionary grants for infrastructure projects around the nation.[7] One such grant awarded $8.2 million to fund the development of the A. Philip Randolph Regional Multimodal Transportation Hub.[8] Under this redevelopment, the station's platform will be lengthened to accommodate a baggage area and raised to meet accessible requirements, and allow bicycles to be loaded and unloaded at the station. Other improvements around the station include resurfacing the roadway, installing new accessible-compliant sidewalks and curb and gutter designating bike lanes, and adding other accessory safety improvements in the project area.[9] It is likely that the station's agent will be reinstated under this redevelopment to help with what will be the newly-introduced checked baggage service.

David Browning Railroad Museum

The station is home to the David Browning Railroad Museum, operated by the Palatka Railroad Preservation Society. The museum features a model train layout, historic documents, photographs, maps, signs and railroad artifacts.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/FL/Putnam/state.html Putnam County listings on the National Register of Historic Places
  2. Web site: PALATKA FLORIDA (PAC). TrainWeb. 7 August 2010.
  3. http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/PAK "Palatka, FL (PAK)"
  4. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Table 8 . Official Guide of the Railways . National Railway Publication Company . 86 . 7 . December 1953.
  5. Amtrak Timetable effective December 17, 1971, p. 59 http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19711114&item=0060
  6. Web site: Trackside: Did You Know?. Palatka Railroad Preservation Society. July 27, 2022.
  7. Web site: RAISE Discretionary Grants. US Department of Transportation. July 27, 2022.
  8. Web site: USDOT awards $1 billion in RAISE grants for FY2021. Progressive Railroading. July 27, 2022.
  9. Web site: RAISE GRANTS DIRECT $250 MILLION TO RAIL AND TRANSIT. Rail Passengers Association. July 27, 2022.
  10. Web site: Home Palatka Railroad Preservation Society. Palatka Railroad Preservation Society. 7 August 2010.