On a recent hike in the Withlachoochee Nat'l Forest, I stumbled upon an abandoned line in the middle of the woods. Trees were growing on the right of way and old ties were visible (barely) in the ground. According to the map I have, it was an old seaboard line. Does anyone know anything about this line?

-- Karl M. Loeper (kloeper1@tampabay.rr.com), April 08, 2003

Answers

This is the old SAL line from Tampa to Gainesville/Waldo (the ACL line is now the paved Withalacoochie State Trail). The SAL abandoned this line around 1967 with the merger, from Brooksville past Inverness and Hernando, to north of Dunnellon; the part from Dunnellon south to Holder might have survived a while longer to serve mines in the area.

This line used to parallel U.S. 41 on the east, south of Dunnellon to Holder, with the ACl on the west. What a sight that must have been in the 1960's, seeing SAL trains flying by with ACL ones on the other side of U.S. 41, including the Southwind

-- Justin Scheidt (jscheidt@geol.sc.edu), August 14, 2003.

Can you be more specific as to location? I am sure you must be talking about the old ACL West Coast sub-division,not the SAL,altho,the SAL ran that way also.

-- Joseph Oates (jlosal@mindspring.com), April 08, 2003.