I'm seeking information and photos of depot/station structures on the Southern branch to Palatka, FL. What towns had service? Would also like to find out about passenger train operations on this line toward the end of passenger train service (Forties or Fifties).

-- Michael Mulligan (TrainFam4@cs.com), May 31, 2001

Answers

Passenger service to Palatka, Fla., is listed in Southern Railway timetables, from prior to 1950 upto the end, "Spring/Summer" 1957, as two mixed trains, one each way which passed at Sampson City at 8:45am. The southbound train left Valdosta at 5am and arrived in Palatka at 1:30pm. The northbound left Palatka at 6am and arrived at Valdosta at 3pm. This would indicate two engine & coach assignments, unless the paying passengers rode in the caboose. Stations were as follows: Valdosta, Lake Park, Jennings, Jasper, Genoa, White Springs, Lake City, Lulu, Cliftonville(flag stop), Lake Butler, New River, Sampson City, Hampton, Theressa(freight only), Keystone Heights, Lake Geneva, Putnam Hall, Grandin, Florahome, Carraway, Springside and Palatka.

There was a two page article in PROTOTYPE MODELER magazine, March-April 1984, "The Palatka Turn", which described the operations on the branch, after the mixed was dropped, and had a sidebar with modeling suggestions.

You may want to check the following web site for photos, http://fpc.dos.fl.us/ and click on "search photo collection" and use "railroad station" as search words. There are 390 views.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), May 31, 2001.