Rail Lines in Brevard County Florida

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What rail lines serviced the Brevard County (Florida) area during the 1940's & 50's?

Which provided passenger service and what were those train names?

Thank You

-- Jim Allen (allenj1@quixnet.net), October 23, 2004

Answers

Jim,

In response to your question about rail lines in Brevard County in the 1940's - 1950's, and passenger trains (+ names):

All of the rain lines that are in existence today were there in the 40's and 50's, with the exception of the NASA track between the FEC Ry junction several miles north of Titusville and the space complex, which was constructed in the 1960's.

All of the railroad lines were owned and operated by the Florida East Coast Ry, and included several segments that have been abandoned in subsequent years. These segments included:

A section of FEC's line around the north side of Lake Monroe between Titusville and Benson Jct. (located on the former ACL mainline on the NW side of Lake Monroe west of present-day Interstate 4). Most of this line was abandoned in the 1960's (between Aurantia and Benson Jct.), leaving approximately 6 miles of trackage intact to the present day between Aurantia and the junction with the FEC mainline in Titusville. The track is little-used, but it's still there.

The second portion of abandoned FEC trackage in Brevard County included the portion of FEC's "inland" line between the FEC's mainline junction at Edgewater (south of New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County), and extending in a generally southwest direction across a portin of NW Brevard County, crossing the St. Johns River north of Lake Harney, and extending southward to a terminus at Lake Okeechobee (at the City of Okeechobee).

Only the present-day FEC mainline provided passenger service during the time period that you mentioned, since, as best as I can determine, passenger service ceased on the inland line to Lake Okeechobee in the 1930's. A combination of "top of the class" streamliners and local passenger trains were on the FEC mainline during your time period. The FEC served as the route of the Atlantic Coast Line streamliners to and from Miami, and included the East Coast Champion, City of Miami and the South Wind. FEC diesel locomotives handled these trains, and they were painted in the ACL purple/white colors, but lettered for the FEC. The local FEC passenger trains carried #'s and no names. I need to find some more information that is still buried somewhere in a moving box in order to provide some more information about the FEC passenger train names and numbers.

Only the FEC operated common-carrier rail lines in Brevard County during the 1940's - 1950's. No ACL or SAL lines were located in Brevard County in the 1940's and 50's.

Best wishes!

-- Aaron Dowling (adowling@merandb.com), October 26, 2004.


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