Did the CSX Crystal River branch ever extend beyond where it is today? Was this ACL? I know today this branch ends at the power plant. If it was a mainline, when was it pulled up and where did it run? If this branch did not extend anywhere, was there any mainline in this area? James

-- James Baker (SNBfan17@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001

Answers

I have maps (from Marion County Appraisals Office) of most the railroads in Marion County (Ocala) and the old SSO&G line was abandoned in 1964. The line starts in the old ACL yard (now Florida Northern) and goes to SW 27th Ave in west Ocala. It ends at a beer distributor warehouse. The old SSO&G line is used for interchange with CSX in the old SAL yard in down town Ocala. Allen Wiener

-- Allen Wiener (SouRwy@aol.com), August 28, 2002.

Crystal River coal cars-----ELFX Electric Fuels

-- J.Oates (jlosal@mindspring.com), December 19, 2001.

that sounds right, i know it was gone before construction began on I- 75... which was in 1966 i think

-- troy nolen (tnolen12@tampabay.rr.com), December 19, 2001.

Answering Mr Nolans question, the ACL branch to Homosassa was originally built by the Silver Springs, Ocala & Gulf RR, and opened in 1888 between Ocala, on the Florida Southern mainline, to Homosassa. The SSO&G also built a branch from Dunellen to Inverness in 1891, which was later used as part of the ACL's Perryville Cut-Off line. I have an abandonment date for Ocala-Dunellen as 1965. Is that correct?

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), December 18, 2001.

I'm just curious, I live in Tenn on the CSX KD Sub and see lots of coal trains on the way to GA and FL. What would the reporting marks be on cars going to Crystal River.

Thanks, Raymond

-- Raymond Smith (aclrr7@hotmail.com), December 17, 2001.

didnt this line originally go all the way to ocala?

-- troy nolen (tnolen12@tampabay.rr.com), December 17, 2001.

In my notes are the dates: Cutlers-Hommosassa abandoned 1940 and Crystal River-Cutlers abandoned 1962. Anybody have something better?

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), December 17, 2001.

I don't know the exact dates of this but I can give an approximation- This line extended into Crystal River past the power plant, and originally went a little further South to Homosassa Springs, with an east branch between C.R. and H.S., most likely for a quarry or maybe lumber. Anyway, the Homosassa extension has been gone a while, I'd have to guess it at 1969. The line into Crystal River was taken up sometime in the mid-80's, around the same time CSX was chopping every bit of railroad in Florida they could find. I think the line is now a small trail.. As for the power plant extension, I learned from troy on here last week that the plant will be converting to natural gas and therefore will not need their unit coal trains any longer. When that happens, unless some kind of miracle happens such as Amtrak wanting the old ACL line into Dunnellon as a shortcut from Tampa/Miami, the entire section of CSX track from Alachua into the plant, including Archer, Newberry, High Springs, Dunnellon and the FWCR will be gone. Maybe a small miracle will happen, but more than likely this end is inevitable.

-- Justin Scheidt (scheidt@pbworld.com), December 17, 2001.