I am looking for information on a railroad named South Florida and Gulf that ran from Kenansville to Prarie Ridge, Florida for a couple of years starting on June 29,1916.

If it does not have a seperate listing, I would like to know if it is listed as a connection to the Florida East Coast at Kenansville.

-- jose cabanillas (cabanillas@att.net), August 21, 2002

Answers

Scott, does your 1917 map by any chance cover the whole state? If so, we would certainly like a copy for the ACL & SAL HS archives - can you get one made? I assume it’s fairly large if it’s like other old USDA maps I’ve seen in libraries. If you can, please advise cost and other details off list - thanks much.

-- Larry Goolsby (LGoolsby@aphsa.org), August 28, 2002.

The Pea Vine Trail (or grade)was a nick-name for the Peavy-Wilson Lumber Co. The Co. operated several miles of the abandoned FEC Okeechobee Branch as well. I think their mill was ar Holopaw but I'm not sure about that. I have a november 1917 US Dept of Agriculture map that shows the line completed to Prarie Ridge and under construction to Bassenger. This same map shows the FEC Okeechobee Branch completed to Okeechobee and projected to West Palm Beach, following the same route used by the SAL in the mid-twenties. From the air, both the old Okeechobee branch and the South Florida and Gulf are visible, as well as the wye @Kenansville. You can travel the Peavine Grade(dirt grade)from S.R. 60 north to Kenansville. The turnoff is about 10 miles west of Yeehaw Jct.

Hope this helps, Scott

-- Scott Young (syoung01@sprnet.com), August 28, 2002.

The South Florida & Gulf RR was incorporated in March 1914 and by 1918 had 26 miles of track out of Kenansville. At that time they had 4 locomotives and 39 cars. Since the cars are not listed in the Official Railway Equipment Register, one would assume they weren't used in interchange, probably being log flats or log buggies.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), August 24, 2002.

Jose, the railroad that you are asking about apparently operated for about 6 years. From a connection with the FEC at Kenansville, the line extended almost due south and then southwest to near the small community of Fort Basinger on the Kissimmee River. The railroad line provided an outlet for several sawmills in the area. When the sawmills exhausted the pine resources and closed, the railroad also shut down and was abandoned. The railroad right-of-way was converted into a dirt roadway known as "The Peavine Trail", as named on several local maps. That's all I know about the railroad. Good Luck!

-- Aaron Dowling (aarondowling@cfl.rr.com), August 23, 2002.