Passenger service operations terminated

Warren Calloway photograph

Having an affinity for Pullman passenger cars and Seaboard Air Line passenger operations, I decided recently to model a passenger train that would be appropriate for use on Boca Grande. While I have no consist lists, I turned to one of my favorite books, Larry Goolsby's Seaboard Air Line Passenger Service, The Streamliner Era, which details many of the Silver Fleet series cars as well as delves into the smaller branches served by Seaboard Air Line.

The following excerpt was taken from Larry Goolsby's chapter on branchline operations:

"Connecting passenger trains from Tampa to Port Boca Grande reached their destination over the Boca Grande Subdivision, originally the Charlotte Harbor & Northern, which Seaboard leased in 1925 and fully merged in 1946. The “Cold, Hungry & Naked” was built to haul phosphate from the rich mines in southwest Florida, and began at Port Boca Grande (located on Gasparilla Island and called South Boca Grande before 1947). From there the line went inland northeast to Arcadia, then turned north to Edison, near Mulberry on the Tampa-West Lake Wales line. Although Port Boca Grande was only 85 air miles south of Tampa, the rail route took trains on a 126-mile inland journey between the two cities.

            As was the case with Venice branch trains, Seaboard’s employee timetables gave trains leaving Tampa a timetable-north number from Valrico to Edison and beyond. To Port Boca Grande, the train was Nos. 30-321, and to Tampa, Nos. 29-322.

            In the winter season, the Port Boca Grande trains carried a through sleeper from New York (usually a 6 Cpt-3 DR, like the mostly Pullman-owned Glen series). The car came via the Palmland originally, then moved to the Silver Star in winter 1948-49. The Port Boca Grande train left Tampa after the Silver Star and Palmland had pulled in, leaving in the morning and getting to Port Boca Grande just after lunch. Passengers of means could take a connecting yacht beyond to Useppa Island. The northbound run left in the afternoon and got back to Tampa at 6:55 (PM).

            The Boca Grande train carried a Seaboard parlor-diner during the winter season up through winter 1953-54. The New York-Port Boca Grande sleeper line received a lightweight 10-6 car effective in the winter of 1956-57 season, but lightweight 4 DB- 4 Cpt-2 DRs (like the Imperial series owned by Pennsylvania and other railroads) served over the next two winters. The lightweight cars were not enough to Nos. 321-322 in the timetables, and they made their last runs on April 12, 1959."

An interesting side note to passenger service on Boca Grande was the creation of the Boca Grande Causeway bridge constructed beginning in 1955-1958 which effectively opened Boca Grande and Gasparilla to the mainland travelers. A historical background of the bridging of the island to mainland Florida was found at the Library of Congress' archives (FL0794 document).

In 1926, Joseph Spadero an Italian-American from New York, moved to Boca Grande. He subsequently purchased most of the land south of 1st Street, where he started construction of the Boca Grande Hotel and golf course as a rival to the Gasparilla Inn. As a businessman who catered to wealthy tourists, he also believed a road/bridge to the island would make it easier for people to get there. Unfortunately, being new to the area, Spadero had no allies in the community, or local and state governments, to help push his plan through.

In the meantime, William C. Sprott, an entrepreneur from Polk County, moved to Gasparilla Island. Privately promoting the idea of a ferry between the mainland and the island, Sprott purchased land in Placida, at the base of the railroad tracks, and in Boca Grande, opposite 35th Street on the Bayou. He also purchased a small barge capable of carrying one car, and began to operate a ferry circa 1929. In 1930, he invested in a bigger barge and incorporated the Boca Grande Ferry Company.

Circa 1949, Spadero allied with Sam Schuckman and Robert Baynard (president of the Venice-Nokomis Bank), and on June 7 of that year, incorporated the Florida Bridge Company with Baynard listed as president. The intent of the company was to construct a causeway from mainland Florida to Gasparilla Island. Because the causeway would cross Placida Harbor/Gasparilla Sound, which had been part of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway since 1949, the causeway would require a moveable bridge-what became known as the Boca Grande Swing Bridgeto allow larger sea vessels to pass. Early in 1950, the company applied for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was granted in May of that year. It was during this application process that the residents of Gasparilla Island first learned of the plans for the causeway, upsetting most of the wealthy northerners with winter homes and many of the year-round inhabitants who opposed such a project. The dispute expanded in July of that year when the company announced it would submit an application to the state’s Railroad and Public Utilities Commission for a franchise by August 5th. The opposition began to circulate petitions to stop it. However, other residents, particularly local businessmen, supported the plans. 

Spadero and Schuckman had begun to secure the right-of-way needed for the project, including the purchase of the land owned by the Boca Grande Ferry Company. The Ferry Company itself remained in the hands of the Sprott family, who operated the ferry service until the causeway opened.

Eventually, the Florida Bridge Company and its supporters won the battle, and in 1952, the company secured a fifty-year franchise lease from Florida to build the causeway and collect tolls. Sadly, Spadero passed away in October of that year, barely living long enough to see construction start on his project. 

Hardaway Construction Company began dredging operations for the Boca Grande Causeway in 1952; this work was necessary to form the intermediate islands that would carry the road and support the Swing Bridge and the two fixed concrete relief bridges. The cost of this effort was estimated at $250,000. Construction of the causeway began around September 1955 at an estimated cost of $702,000; funds for the project came from a $1 million first mortgage and revenue bond issue initially advertised in August 1955. The original estimated completion date was early 1956, but court suits involving right-of-way acquisition caused delays in the work. 

By the end of June 1958, the causeway was open to traffic, although the official opening ceremony did not occur until July 4th. 14 When first constructed, tolls were collected in both directions via a mobile toll station that would be wheeled onto the oncoming lane of the Swing Bridge; rates varied by the type of automobile. For a standard car, the rate was 75 cents for the vehicle and driver and 10 cents for each additional passenger; motorbikes were charged 25 cents; buses and trailers cost $2 for the vehicle plus 10 cents for each passenger; trucks under 2 tons were charged $1.50 plus 10 cents for each passenger; and truck 2 tons and greater cost 50 cents per ton plus 10 cents for each passenger. The bridge tender was responsible for customer service, and if someone wanted to purchase a discount pass, they had to go to the Control House."

Sadly, the end of passenger service came early to Boca Grande in 1959 due to diminished ridership, thereby eliminating passenger service to the island. One question that has often piqued my interest was the consideration if EMC E4, EMD E6 and later units ever ventured onto the island. Due to weight restrictions, large locomotives were not frequent visitors, it was often at the charge of a Baldwin DR6-4-1500 "Baby Face" cab unit numbered in the 2700-2702 series that passengers were hauled.

An interesting consideration would be the use of a later prototype purchased by Seaboard Air Line in 1964 from EMD, the SDP35. Capable of 90 miles per hour and able to provide steam heat, these units were purchased with the intent to replace aging cab units such as the E4 and E6 units, with the provision of also being used in freight service. The 2,500 horsepower locomotives arrived too late to make inroads on Boca Grande in passenger service, but they may have been a visitor to Port Boca Grande at some point in history that has escaped the lens of photographers. Over the next few weeks, in between fishing trips, I hope to publish some additional posts about the construction of several Pullman sleepers and also share some additional head end equipment cars that would be befitting of a Boca Grande era passenger train.

Warren Calloway collection. SAL 1110 was photographed amidst Seaboard's Silver Fleet and head end cars in Miami, Florida. Behind the locomotive are the stadium lights of Miami's fabled Orange Bowl.