Atlantic Coast Line Haines City Branch

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In reference to the Haines City, Florida branch line, was there ever passenger service on this line? If so, where were the stops. Where did the Mountian Lake Station branch run to? Does anyone have a photo of the Mountian Lake station.

-- Dick Kearns (kearnsrh@aol.com), August 01, 2003

Answers

The ACL Monmouth Branch ran east 6 miles to Monmouth, from a junction at Mountain Lake on the ACL's Haines City-Lake Wales-Everglades Branch. Three miles south of Mountain Lake is Lake Wales. Here a SAL branch from Bartow, through Alturas and West Lake Wales crossed the ACL. This SAL branch continued east and southeast through Mammoth Grove, Templeton(Alcoma), Hesperides, Walinwa and Florinda to the end of the branch at Nalaca. The section from Batow to Walinwa was opened about 1911. The extension to Nalaca was opened about 1923. Hesperides to Nalaca was abandoned in the 1930's. Templeton(Alcoma) to Hesperides was abandoned by 1946. The SAL did have a branch to Monmouth which ran north from a junction at Mammoth Grove. This is shown on a 1956 1:25 US Topo map. I have no dates as to when built or if abandoned. If you start at Lake Wales and go east to Mammoth Grove, north to Monmouth, west to Mountain Lake, and south to Lake Wales, you have formed an irregular square.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), August 06, 2003.

Is the Monmouth branch line the only branch of the Haines City line and did the Monmouth branch also serve Alturus where it connected with a SAL branch?

-- Dick Kearns (kearnsrh@aol.com), August 06, 2003.

The ACL branch to Monmouth served an industrial sand mine.

-- scott young (syoung01@sprynet.com), August 04, 2003.

I'm not sure, but there may be a picture in the Visitor's Center at Bok Tower - Edward Bok was the developer of Mountain Lake, and they have a significant exhibit on the history at the Visitor's Center - will look next time I go down.

Paul

-- Paul Bizier (pa.bizier@verizon.net), August 02, 2003.


The ACL line south from Haines City, Fla., opened to Sebring in June 1912. The line was extended to Moore Haven by September 1917. This is, of course, the northern end the Everglades Branch of the ACL. The stations south from Haines City(mp 0) were, Lake Hamilton-mp 6, Dundee-mp.7, Waverly-mp.10 and Mountain Lake(mp.13). All were passenger stops from 1912. The Monmouth Branch ran east of Mountain Lake, and opened about 1925. No known scheduled passenger service. End of the branch was at Monmouth(mp.6). It is believed that this was a citrus collecting branch. Haines City-Moore Haven had daily passenger service until about September 1953, when the schedule changed to Mon-Wed-Fri southbound and Tue-Thur-Sat northbound. The line went freight only in October 1955. From about 1944 until September 1948 there was a through sleeping car from Jacksonville to Clewiston, the next station east of Moore Haven.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), August 01, 2003.


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