Orange Belt Railway
A portion of CSX's Clearwater Subdivision in Pinellas Park, Florida in 2016 along the former right-of-way of the Orange Belt Railway.
|
|
| Locale | Central Florida and Tampa Bay |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1888–1893 |
| Successor | Sanford & St. Petersburg Railroad Plant System Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Track gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge |
The Orange Belt Railway was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railroad established in 1885 by Russian exile Peter Demens in Florida. It was one of the longest narrow gauge railroads in the United States at the time of its completion in 1888, with a mainline 152 miles (245 km) in length between Sanford, Florida and St. Petersburg, Florida. It carried citrus, vegetables, and passengers; and it interchanged with two standard gauge lines: the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway at Lake Monroe, Florida and the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad at Lacoochee, Florida.
The railway changed hands several times in its early years due to debt run up during various phases of construction and a citrus freeze that affected freight cargo. Demens lost the railroad to financier Edward Stotesbury, who reorganized it as the Sanford & St. Petersburg Railroad in 1893. After the Great Freeze of 1894-95, the railroad was put up for sale. It was purchased by Henry B. Plant in 1895, who converted it to standard gauge, and made it part of the Plant System. It became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad system in 1902. The Orange Belt Railway line brought settlers to towns along its route and fostered development in the region. Sections are now part of rail to trails programs.
A 2012 musical titled Orange Belt Railroad and based on the railroad line's history was created by West Coast Players member Richard J. Budin.
The original Orange Belt Railway was chartered in 1885 by men seeking to build a 35-mile 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line from Lake Monroe, part of the St. Johns River, to Lake Apopka. They purchased $9,400 worth of crossties from Russian immigrant Peter Demens' sawmill in Longwood, Florida and had to turn over their railroad when they were unable to pay. Demens formed the Orange Belt Investment Co., borrowed money from friends, and launched a $50,000 bond issue to complete the rail line to Oakland, Florida, east of Clermont, Florida.
...
Wikipedia