Topographical Maps: Then and Now of the SAL

The Seaboard Air Line's Sarasota Subdivision ran from the hamlet of Durant to Sarasota, approximately 70 miles. Most recently while studying historical topography maps, I was able to locate and trace some unique features of this area. The area was largely developed by the phosphate industry in the 1930s with many of the mines playing out by the 1950s. The move eastward from eastern Hillsborough County was in part due to the abundance of phosphate deposits found in Polk County, Florida and the communities of the western edge of the Bone Valley.

Small towns such as Valrico, Turkey Creek, Durant, and Edison were the gateways to the rich deposits of phosphate which were being mined in western Polk County since hydraulic mining and excavation became the standard mining practice. The railroad bisected the deposits and was integral in transporting the phosphate to and from various mines, washers, storage facilities, and ports.

The abundance of railroad wyes on these lines is interesting as it serves as points of interchange and movement between many of the predecessor railroads that ultimately fell under the umbrella of the SAL. The many on line industries also bolstered traffic in the early 1930s as the areas developed.

The northern terminus of the SAL's Sarasota subdivision was nothing more than a wide spot on the railroad and to this day is largely a nondescript spot in the road, however, it was an important link in the railroad. This junction would serve as a direct link from Tropicana located in Bradenton to Plant City allowing for movement of unit juice trains northward. 

SCL utilized this route to bypass and avert the delays of Tampa in favor of a direct connection in Plant City and points north. Following the merger, SCL would utilize the former ACL rails to move Tropicana products. This line was removed during the 1980s by CSX due to a lack of customers and redundancy. The rails provide an interesting glimpse into the history of the area and what was. The old line remains extant south of Willow where the Florida Railroad Museum operates, however all trackage northward is gone.

The SAL's Valrico subdivision was also home to several wyes some of which interchanged with customers. This area is located south of State Road 60 (the bold purple line) and was once home to Sydney Phosphate Mine. Mining in the area stretched north of the yard and was once home to a large processing facility. Today, this area is now an EPA superfund site due to contamination of the soil, and remains undeveloped scrub. To date, I've not found any images from this area and it appears operations ceased as late as the 1950s. The trackage is completely removed and no indication of the wye exists.

The removal of the SAL's Sarasota subdivision trackage in eastern Hillsborough County removed duplicated trackage and the important history of this link. The right of way is largely inundated with undergrowth and trees now, however, electric utilities have used much of the right of way for transmission lines. Sadly, images of this unique Florida segment of railroading are few and far between, but definitely of interest to those who model SAL and SCL in Florida. 

The Seaboard Air Line #2 standard depot as found in Wimauma, Florida was on this very subdivision, however, all traces of this structure have succumbed to nature and are no longer visible. The study of historical topographic maps from the USGS (https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#4/40.00/-100.00), Google Earth, and photographs serve as an important tool to capture important details of what once was. 

ACL P Series 40' flatcars Part 2 - The P-9 and P-11 workhorses

Some progress has been made on the ACL P series flatcars as modeled with the Tichy 4040 kit. The Tichy ACL P series flatcars were some of the longest living examples of early freight car production throughout the 20th century with some examples lasting into the 1970s. A full article is planned on the necessary modifications to make the cars more prototypical and also allowing for unique Maintenance of Way conversion cars. 

By the 1960s modeled, most examples will be lettered in the 65XXX and 68XXX series of cars to account for their non-revenue assignments. Many of the cars served the signal, bridge, and wrecking crews throughout the SCL system. Additional 41'4" models to account for roster acquisitions from the AB&C are also planned, along with SAL F-4 and F-5 41' flatcars also placed in Maintenance of Way service.

The above photo demonstrates the differences between the Tichy 4021 and 4040 kits, both of which are universally appropriate for ACL based cars.

ACL P Series 40' flatcars Part 1 - The P-9 and P-11 workhorses

 

After all these years, I finally decided to take on a long standing challenge for a truly excellent kit. The confusion surrounding the prototype has not deterred my efforts to document the ACL P-9 and P-11 series of 40' flatcars. Along the way, I managed to determine some lesser known facts that show the true resiliency of these cars. These cars first appeared on the ACL roster in 1913 and many outlived the railroad itself.

The majority of these unique cars are a bastion for the kit builder because of their unique identities in the later years. Examples of the P-9 and P-11 flats were converted in part to larger capacity cars, with others serving M-of-W service roles well into the 1970s and beyond. The lettering and painting is sparse, but when you decide to construct a fleet of them, sometimes less is better.

The lettering set needed for these cars can be sourced from two sources to include Tichy and the ACL & SAL Historical Society by way of custom decals for larger cars, but these will require some letter by letter application. For the uninitiated, ACL lettering looks like simple, but following the prototype, the modeler should consider the appearance of the A, the C, and the shape of the numerals. 

Ultimately, I will author a large article for those cars once I can determine some critical facts about their builders and other details, however, here is but one sheet from a roster I have drafted trying to determine the basics. The Tichy 40' flatcar kit (part number 4040) is an excellent kit and with some additions, it becomes quite better when specifically building ACL flats.