Clearwater Subdivision

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Clearwater Subdivision
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Sulphur Springs
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Drew Spur
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Veteran's Expressway
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CSX locomotives pulling a circus train in Safety Harbor, Florida, on the Clearwater Subdivision in 1992 Circus train2.jpg
CSX locomotives pulling a circus train in Safety Harbor, Florida, on the Clearwater Subdivision in 1992

The Clearwater Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the Tampa Bay region of Florida. The line begins just east of downtown Tampa in Gary and heads north through some of Tampa's suburban neighborhoods. In Sulphur Springs, the Clearwater Subdivision turns and runs west through Oldsmar, where it crosses Tampa Bay. It briefly shifts south running through Safety Harbor, and then heads west again to Clearwater. In Clearwater, it turns southeast, running through Largo and Pinellas Park before terminating at Fifth Avenue North in St. Petersburg near Tropicana Field. The distance from Gary to St. Petersburg along the line is 48.6 miles (78.2 km). [1] At the line's north end it continues from the Tampa Terminal Subdivision and at its south end the track comes to an end. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The Silver Meteor of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) with shrouded steam locomotive #865 at the St. Petersburg station in 1940. Silver Meteor locomotive -865.jpg
The Silver Meteor of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) with shrouded steam locomotive #865 at the St. Petersburg station in 1940.

From Tampa north to Sulphur Springs, the Clearwater Subdivision runs along the former Tampa Northern Railroad, which was built in 1908. From Sulphur Springs west to Clearwater, it runs along the former Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad, which was built in 1914. Both the Tampa Northern Railroad and the Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad were absorbed by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) in 1913 and 1915 respectively. From Clearwater to St. Petersburg, the line runs along the southern end of the historic Orange Belt Railway, which was built in 1888. It later became part of the Plant System, which soon after became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL).

Both the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Air Line networks merged on July 1, 1967, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. [3] Following the merger, the SAL track was abandoned south of Clearwater, replaced by a new crossover built in North Clearwater at milepost SY873.0 to permit use of the former ACL line south to St. Petersburg. [4] On November 1, 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line became part of CSX. [5]

From the 1910s to the 1960s, both the ACL and SAL operated long-distance passenger trains over portions of what is now the CSX Subdivision. SAL trains used what are now CSX Subdivision tracks between Gary and Clearwater, with stations in Oldsmar and Safety Harbor. ACL trains ran on the now-CSX Clearwater Sub's tracks between Clearwater and St. Petersburg. When Amtrak took over rail passenger service on May 1, 1971, it operated the Silver Meteor and Silver Star deluxe passenger trains over the Subdivision, providing Clearwater and St. Petersburg with daily overnight service to New York and intermediate points.

Regularly-scheduled passenger rail service on the line ended on February 1, 1984, when Amtrak discontinued its rail services in Pinellas County, choosing to terminate its trains at Tampa Union Station. [6] Substitute Amtrak Thruway service has been provided since then between Tampa Union Station and Pinellas Park. The old SAL passenger stations in Safety Harbor and Oldsmar were demolished in 1965 and 1967, respectively. [7]

Recent history

End of the line at 5th Avenue with severed track segment in the distance CSX Clearwater Subdivision - 5th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, Florida.jpg
End of the line at 5th Avenue with severed track segment in the distance

In March 2008, the Clearwater Subdivision's trackage in downtown St. Petersburg was pulled up, along with the South Side Spur, which ran south of Central Avenue and east of 34th Street South (part of the former Seaboard line). [8] [1] That right-of-way, as well as the right-of-way of several other former CSX railroad lines in the county beginning in the 1990s, was converted into a section of the Pinellas Trail. Today, the line ends at 5th Avenue North in St. Petersburg. Though, some severed track segments remain between I-375 and Tropicana Field.

In 2015, CSX proposed to sell both the Clearwater and Brooksville Subdivisions to the Florida Department of Transportation for potential use as commuter rail. FDOT is currently studying this possibility. Similar transactions between FDOT and CSX have taken place in the Miami and Orlando areas for tracks that today run the Tri-Rail and SunRail commuter lines respectively. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildwood station</span>

Wildwood station is a bus station, and former train station, in Wildwood, Florida. It serves Amtrak Thruway buses and formerly served trains for Amtrak and other rail companies. The station is located on 601 North Main Street in Wildwood, Florida. Along with the northern terminus of Florida's Turnpike, the station gave Wildwood a reason to refer to itself as "The Crossroads of Florida."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Petersburg station (Amtrak)</span> Passenger train station in St. Petersburg, Florida

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaboard–All Florida Railway</span> Railway system in Florida

The Seaboard–All Florida Railway was a subsidiary of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad that oversaw two major extensions of the system in the early 1920s to southern Florida on each coast during the land boom. One line extended the Seaboard's tracks on the east coast from West Palm Beach down to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, while the other extension on the west coast extended the tracks from Fort Ogden south to Fort Myers and Naples, with branches from Fort Myers to LaBelle and Punta Rassa. These two extensions were heavily championed by Seaboard president S. Davies Warfield, and were constructed by Foley Brothers railroad contractors. Both extensions also allowed the Seaboard to better compete with the Florida East Coast Railway and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, who already served the lower east and west coasts of Florida respectively.

The Tampa Southern Railroad was a subsidiary of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) originally running from Uceta Yard in Tampa south to Palmetto, Bradenton, and Sarasota with a later extension southeast to Fort Ogden in the Peace River valley built shortly after. It was one of many rail lines completed during the Florida land boom of the 1920s. Most of the remaining trackage now serves as CSX Transportation's Palmetto Subdivision. Another short portion just east of Sarasota also remains that is now operated by Seminole Gulf Railway.

The Wildwood Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in Florida. It runs along CSX's S Line from Baldwin south to Zephyrhills via Ocala and Wildwood for a total of 155.7 miles. The S Line is CSX's designation for the line that was the Seaboard Air Line Railroad main line from 1903 to 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeoman Subdivision</span> CSX railroad line in Florida

The Yeoman Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in Florida. It runs along CSX’s S Line from Zephyrhills south to just east of Tampa via Plant City for a total of 31.2 miles.

The Tampa Northern Railroad was a historic railroad line running from just east of downtown Tampa north to the city of Brooksville in Hernando County. The line continues to operate today and is under the ownership of the CSX Corporation, who operates it as their Brooksville Subdivision north of Sulphur Springs and part of their Clearwater Subdivision south of there.

The Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad (T&G) was a railroad company in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida in the United States. It initially built and operated a line that ran from the Tampa Northern Railroad main line in Lutz west to Tarpon Springs and into Pasco County. Additional track starting from Sulphur Springs running west towards Clearwater and south to St. Petersburg was built shortly after. The railroad was informally known as the "Tug n' Grunt" and the "Pea Vine" due to its frequent twists and turns. While it was the second railroad to serve St. Petersburg and Clearwater after the Orange Belt Railway, it had the advantage of being the first to connect the area directly with Tampa.

The Norlina Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. State of North Carolina. The line currently runs from Norlina, North Carolina, to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a total of 51.2 miles. At its north end the line comes to an end and at its south end the line continues north from the Aberdeen Subdivision. While the current line dates back to 1840, it has been known as the Norlina Subdivision since 1967. Under CSX's predecessor, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, the Norlina Subdivision continued north to Collier Yard near Petersburg, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearwater station (Amtrak)</span>

Clearwater station was an Amtrak train station in Clearwater, Florida, served by the Floridian until 1979 and the Silver Service until February 1, 1984. Thereafter, it continued to be used for Amtrak Thruway motor coach service until 1995, connecting to Amtrak Silver Service trains at Tampa Union Station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Line (Atlantic Coast Line Railroad)</span> Historic railroad in the Southeast

The CSX A Line forms the backbone of the historic Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Main Line, the backbone of their network in the southeastern United States. The main line runs from Richmond, Virginia to Port Tampa just southwest of Tampa, Florida, a distance of nearly 900 miles. Along its route it passes through Petersburg, Rocky Mount, Florence, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Orlando. With the exception of a short 61-mile segment in Greater Orlando, the entire line is owned by CSX Transportation.

The Seaboard Air Line Railroad’s Main Line was the backbone of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's network in the southeastern United States. The main line ran from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa, Florida, a distance of over 800 miles. Along its route it passed through Petersburg, Raleigh, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Ocala, Florida. While some segments of the line have been abandoned as of 2023, most of the line is still in service and is owned by the Seaboard Air Line's successor, CSX Transportation as their S-Line.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jacksonville Division Timetable No. 4" (PDF). CSX. January 1, 2005. pp. 47–50.
  2. CSX Clearwater Sub, RadioReference.
  3. Luisi 2010, p. 106.
  4. Luisi 2010, p. 110.
  5. Luisi 2010, p. 114.
  6. Luisi 2010 , p. 116.
  7. Luisi 2010, pp. 104 and 109.
  8. "Trail enters downtown – A Pinellas Trail extension will reach the waterfront". St. Petersburg Times . March 9, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  9. Johnston, Caitlin. "CSX's offer finally opens the door to commuter rail in Tampa Bay". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
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