The GS&F was advertising excursions heavily to St Augustine before the AV&W line was acquired in Nov 1901. From Palatka, what railroad did they use to get to St Augustine? Was it the St Augustine and Indian River RR or the FEC or ACL? Did they ever have any trackage rights over these lines at one time?

-- Mark S. Mosely (MOSEGSF@aol.com), January 23, 2002

Answers

paraphrasing from Bramson's "Speedway to Sunshine", p. 27:

The Jacksonville St. Augustine and Indian River Rwy Co was created from the Florida Coast and Gulf Rwy C. in 1892. The new company contracted to lease and operate five different properties, which provided a continuous line of rail service from Jacksonville thru St. Augustine and E. Palatka to Daytona Beach, including a bridge across the St. Johns to Palatka. This company also started laying rail south from Daytona reaching Ft. Pierce in 1894. In 1895, the stockholders voted to change the name of the company to Florida East Coast Railway. So in the time frame you indicate, the service would have been over FEC.

-- bob lowry (rlowry98@aol.com), January 24, 2002.

That would be my guess, although the routing is a bit circuitous. The train would go south to Palatka and then turn back north to go to St. Augustine.

Bob Hanson

-- Robert H. Hanson (RHanson669@aol.com), January 25, 2002.