Astatula FL: Finally Found Location of Frank's Farm RR Spur

Started by Brian556, February 23, 2018, 11:44:59 PM

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Brian556

This spur shows up on the map inside the RR museum in Winter Garden, but I could never find a detailed map that had it, until now.
I just got a Rand McNally (Really a Dolph's branded Rand McNally) map of Lake County FL.
It basically lines up with Maryland Av. The map shows it ending at the building (maybe an old packing house?) on Ranch Rd.
You can see traces of it in back yards on the south side of Tennessee Av.
It is also visible on 1974 flight 474:http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00071761/00037/97x?search=lake+%3dcounty+%3dmap

Also it is worth noting that USGS topo maps show a few old spurs just NE of the CR 561/CR 455 JCT. The area is heavily wooded so you cant see anything on Google Maps.


Max Rockatansky

Here is a map of Lake County from 1936 from fcit.usf.edu:

https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/pages/800/f885/f885b.pdf

I'm not exactly sure that's the railroad you're looking at but there is definitely a line through Astaula.  If you're looking for some solid pre-1940 road/rail maps the website I linked has a ton of them organized by county.

Brian556

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 23, 2018, 11:59:58 PM
Here is a map of Lake County from 1936 from fcit.usf.edu:

https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/pages/800/f885/f885b.pdf

I'm not exactly sure that's the railroad you're looking at but there is definitely a line through Astaula.  If you're looking for some solid pre-1940 road/rail maps the website I linked has a ton of them organized by county.

Thanks for the link. The one that I am referring to is a spur off the main line. That map does not have it. It apparently and surprisingly wasn't built until much later in time

D-Dey65

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 23, 2018, 11:59:58 PM
I'm not exactly sure that's the railroad you're looking at but there is definitely a line through Astaula.
Well, one of the words for that railroad is "Gulf." I couldn't see anything else there, and I was barely able to see that.

Max Rockatansky

#4
Quote from: D-Dey65 on February 24, 2018, 12:35:13 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 23, 2018, 11:59:58 PM
I'm not exactly sure that's the railroad you're looking at but there is definitely a line through Astaula.
Well, one of the words for that railroad is "Gulf." I couldn't see anything else there, and I was barely able to see that.

Looks like it is a part of the Taveres and Gulf Railroad line from what I can see looking a little south of Ferndale.  On a side note all the old Pre-1945 route numbers are on display including FL 214 on a bridge over Little Lake Harris between Howey and Astatula.  That would certainly explain why there is a second CR 48 east of Little Lake Harris since there must have been a crossing post-1945:

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.7095287,-81.7331979,3a,75y,10.06h,86.39t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_lXnKZjvOvo2TLpzL_28RA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Quote from: Brian556 on February 24, 2018, 12:09:31 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 23, 2018, 11:59:58 PM
Here is a map of Lake County from 1936 from fcit.usf.edu:

https://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/pages/800/f885/f885b.pdf

I'm not exactly sure that's the railroad you're looking at but there is definitely a line through Astaula.  If you're looking for some solid pre-1940 road/rail maps the website I linked has a ton of them organized by county.

Thanks for the link. The one that I am referring to is a spur off the main line. That map does not have it. It apparently and surprisingly wasn't built until much later in time

That would be surprising considering how much more common the agricultural lines were in the area in the before the Mid-point of the 20th century.  There a ton of old rail grades in Sumter, Orange, and Lake counties within shouting distance of the Green Swamp.

jwolfer

^^^^^^
Before World War II railroad was much more important.. both for passengers and freight. I remember even up to the 1970s and 80s there a lot more spurs with never used railroad crossings. A lot of them were torn up or turned into trails of some sort

Z981


Brian556

Quote from: jwolfer on February 24, 2018, 08:24:46 AM
^^^^^^
Before World War II railroad was much more important.. both for passengers and freight. I remember even up to the 1970s and 80s there a lot more spurs with never used railroad crossings. A lot of them were torn up or turned into trails of some sort

Z981



Some of those abandoned lines were still there when I was a kid. I remember the one down the middle of Plant St in Winter Garden.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: Brian556 on February 24, 2018, 09:17:06 AM
Quote from: jwolfer on February 24, 2018, 08:24:46 AM
^^^^^^
Before World War II railroad was much more important.. both for passengers and freight. I remember even up to the 1970s and 80s there a lot more spurs with never used railroad crossings. A lot of them were torn up or turned into trails of some sort

Z981



Some of those abandoned lines were still there when I was a kid. I remember the one down the middle of Plant St in Winter Garden.

A lot of them are bike trails around Orlando nowadays.  I recall the Orange Belt being converted to bike use among many others.  Florida also has a ton of abandoned rail sidings too from the era when trains switched to diesel.  US 441 south of US 192 is a good example of this following old Florida East Coast rail bed all the way to Okeechobee

jwolfer

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 24, 2018, 09:55:30 AM
Quote from: Brian556 on February 24, 2018, 09:17:06 AM
Quote from: jwolfer on February 24, 2018, 08:24:46 AM
^^^^^^
Before World War II railroad was much more important.. both for passengers and freight. I remember even up to the 1970s and 80s there a lot more spurs with never used railroad crossings. A lot of them were torn up or turned into trails of some sort

Z981



Some of those abandoned lines were still there when I was a kid. I remember the one down the middle of Plant St in Winter Garden.

A lot of them are bike trails around Orlando nowadays.  I recall the Orange Belt being converted to bike use among many others.  Florida also has a ton of abandoned rail sidings too from the era when trains switched to diesel.  US 441 south of US 192 is a good example of this following old Florida East Coast rail bed all the way to Okeechobee
A lot of roads were abandoned railroad beds.. Beach Blvd (US 90)  east of Jacksonville was a spur of railroad to the Beaches

I like the bike trails using old railroads.  Nice ROW.. lots of times there are grade separations at a lot of major roads

Z981

D-Dey65

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 24, 2018, 12:59:12 AM
Looks like it is a part of the Taveres and Gulf Railroad line from what I can see looking a little south of Ferndale. 
That's it.



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