I was visiting Wintergarden Florida last week and found two different depots in town. One is a brick affair and is along the main street of town. The 2nd is a couple of blocks west and one block south. Both depots are oriented in an east to west direction.

My question is, which was ACL and which was SAL, . . . or what were they?

Thanks, Jim Six

-- Jim Six (jimsix@ncweb.com), May 01, 2000

Answers

Dear Jim, The wooden depot on Boyd St is former Tavares & Gulf Railroad Depot now housing the Root Collection of railroadina plus artiacts they've had since purchase by the Central Florida Chapter, NRHs. The brick depot on Plant St is former ACL structure following operations of Plant System on Peter Demens' Orange Belt Railway. It is now Winter Garden Heritage Museum, with railroad artifacts contributed by the CFC, NRHS. 73, Don C.

-- Clarence Donnelly Copeland (doodlebugcope@wmconnect.com), May 13, 2003.

The wood depot is the former SAL (TAG: Tavares & Gulf) depot. The former ACL depot (to the North), is right downtown on the main East- West street. It is of masonry construction and probably still has the original concrete flower planters outside. They may have the ACL initials cast into them, I can't remember.

The ACL line was the "Trilby Branch." It pulled off the Leesburg Branch just West of Sanford at Sylvan Lake Jct. There was an old section tool house still standing there about four years ago. It was my Granddad Hilliard's section. His section houses were about 200 feet North of the Sylvan Lake tool house.

The ACL,Trilby Branch, continued from Sylvan Lake Jct, on through what is now known as Heathrow, Sanlando Springs, Forest City, crossing the SAL, Wildwood-Orlando Branch at "Toronto Jct", thence on to Clarcona, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Clermont, Groveland, Tarrytown, to Trilby.

At Ocoee, the ACL, Vineland Branch pulled off to the South to Kissimmee. Windermere, Dr. Phillips, (Disney Area), Buckles, and joined the ACL Jax-Tampa mainline at the North end of the Kissimmee Depot.

The Ocoee SAL depot you saw, (wood) is on the old SAL (T&G)tracks used to connect Ocoee to Winter Garden, thence Northward to Tavares. Hope all of this detail hasn't confused you. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me.

-- Curtis E. Denmark Jr. (curtisd@knology.net), May 01, 2000.

Jim, I have seen the photos on your Photopoint page...the depot you have labelled SAL is nearly identical to the ACL depot that once stood on Monroe Street in Fort Myers. The building you show looks to be made of masonry...is it? The Ft. Myers building was wood, but the same design. That roofline is unmistakeable

-- Bill Donahue (BillD53A@aol.com), May 01, 2000.