St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway

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St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway
St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway
Interactive Map of St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway
Overview
Locale Central Florida
Dates of operation1888–1942
Successor Plant System
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway (also known as simply the Sugar Belt Railway) was a historic railroad in Central Florida that ran from Kissimmee to St. Cloud and Narcoossee. It was founded in 1888 by Hamilton Disston to provide service to his sugar mill on East Lake Tohopekaliga in what would become St. Cloud. It also transported vegetables and produce from farms in Runnymeade and Narcoossee. The line was later owned by the South Florida Railroad and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, operating as their Narcoossee Branch. [1] The line was abandoned in 1942. [2]

Contents

Route description

The St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway began in Kissimmee at a junction with the South Florida Railroad (later the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Main Line and the present-day Central Florida Rail Corridor). It branched off the line just east of the current Kissimmee station and headed southeast to St. Cloud. [3] In St. Cloud, the line continued east to Lake Runnymeade, where it turned north to its terminus at Narcoossee. [4] A turntable was located at Narcoossee to turn trains around. [5]

History

Train arriving in St. Cloud in 1909 St. Cloud & Sugar Belt Railway train.jpg
Train arriving in St. Cloud in 1909

In the late 1800s, Hamilton Disston, an industrialist and real estate developer, acquired plots of land on the south side of East Lake Tohopekaliga. In 1888, Disston opened the Disston Sugar Mill near St. Cloud to capitalize on Central's Florida flourishing sugar industry. Disston also built the St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway was built at this time to serve the mill and other agricultural interests. A spur track connected the railroad at Peghorn Junction to the sugar mill. The railroad also provided passenger service. [6]

In 1892, the St. Cloud and Sugar Belt Railway was leased by the South Florida Railroad, who operated the main line in Kissimmee. The South Florida Railroad was part of Henry Plant's system of railroads. In 1902, the Plant System became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. The Atlantic Coast Line continued to operate the line as the Narcoossee Branch. [7]

In 1909, St. Cloud was incorporated as a city. A year later, the Atlantic Coast Line built a wooden depot in St. Cloud for passengers and freight. [5] In 1918, the Atlantic Coast Line built a new brick passenger depot in St. Cloud on the site of the previous depot. [8] The previous depot was moved north of the tracks and continued to be used for freight. [9]

In the early 1940s, the Atlantic Coast Line was running a single mixed train (both passengers and freight) on the line between Kissimmee and St. Cloud six days a week. [1]

Due to diminishing traffic, the line was abandoned in 1942 and tracks were removed. [2] The 1918-built passenger depot in St. Cloud is still standing today and is now used as a VFW Post. [5]

Historic stations

1918-built St. Cloud passenger depot St Cloud VFW RR station01.jpg
1918-built St. Cloud passenger depot
MilepostCity/LocationStation [10] [1] Opening DateConnections and notes
0.0 Kissimmee Kissimmee junction with South Florida Railroad (ACL)
1.0Hammock Grove
4.5Peghorn
6.1Peghorn Junctionalso known as St. Cloud Junction
junction with spur to Disston Sugar Mill
9.0 St. Cloud St. Cloud
10.0Ashton
11.0Peen-To
12.8Runnymede
14.4 Narcoossee Narcoossee

References

  1. 1 2 3 Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Southern Division Timetable (1940)
  2. 1 2 "Sugar Belt Railroad". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  3. ↑ "Kissimmee to Narcoossee, FL". Abandoned Rails. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "Osceola, 1936" (PDF). Florida Center for Instructional Technology. University of South Florida. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Sugar Belt Railway/VFW Post". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  6. ↑ Dodson, Pat. "Hamilton Disston's St. Cloud Sugar Plantation, 1887-1901". University of Central Florida. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  7. ↑ Turner, Gregg (2003). A Short History of Florida Railroads. Arcadia Publishing.
  8. ↑ "Celebrate Opening St. Cloud's Depot". The Tampa Tribune. 20 April 1918. p. 9. Retrieved 29 November 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Depot Work Being Rushed; Old Station is Moved Away". St. Cloud Tribune. October 18, 1917.
  10. ↑ "Florida Railroads: Passenger Stations & Stops" (PDF). Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
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