Did the Wabash run a passenger train through Decatur, IN, that went down toward Cincinnatti? If not, what route would that have been? I rode from Decatur to Winter Haven, FL, when I was about 8 and would like to know what routes I would have ridden on. Thanks!!
Hi faser, thanks for that great routing question. Sorry to miss the first reply on Monday the 26th. I'll try to answer, but am not sure of the time period you are speaking of. That being said, let's use the early 1960s as our focal point. First off, the Wabash did not serve Decatur, IN. Rail service was provided by the Erie Lackawanna and the Nickel Plate/N&W in a generally east-west direction, and the Pennsylvania in a north-south direction. As you mentioned Cincinnati, then possibly your journey began on the PRR, then connecting with either the Southern Rwy or the L&N at Cincinnati, with an additional connection to either the ACL or SAL to Florida. There would have been quite a few different routings you could have followed, and the one above only works if you departed south from Cincinnati. If you could provide any additional information, we might be able to narrow the possibilities down a bit further. Hope this helps. Bill
Bill, Thanks for your response. The trip occurred in January, 1953. It probably would have been Pennsy then. We ended up on SAL which had a station in Winter Haven. I don't know where the closest ACL passenger station was. All ACL had was was a small freight station. Like your smileys!!
faser, from what I could find, the ACL and SAL passenger stations were about a mile apart in Winter Haven. However, I couldn't find the name of the street where the ACL was located. I believe the routings would have been basically the same for the time frames we are speaking of....1953-1964 or so. I guess the only question now would be the direction of travel when you left Cincinnati. Good luck, Bill p.s. glad you like the smilies!
Bill, I don't think there ever was a true ACL passenger station in Winter Haven. I think the depot you mentioned was a small freight depot, which was about a mile north of the SAL depot. This station was located across from my father's gas station. Basically, ACL was a spur line coming down from Lake Alfred between 4th and 5th streets NW/SW. The SAL station is still used by Amtrak. The ACL station is long gone. It was on Ave A SW between 4th and 5th. Thanks for your help! Ed
Ed, thanks for the reply. I am thinking that the station you mentioned may have been a joint use facility in Winter Haven. Is that possible? The reason I say that is, as late as 1964 the ACL had a train (#275 southbound and #276 northbound) which connected with the "Gulf Coast Special" (#s 75 & 76) at Lake Alfred. This train had the following routing: Lake Alfred, Winter Haven, Eagle Lake, Bartow, Fort Meade, Bowling Green, Wauchula, Zolfo Springs, Gardner, Arcadia, Fort Ogden, Punta Gorda and Fort Myers. (and return, same routing). This sure is a mystery, but I'm learning a lot about the ACL and SAL. Not bad for a Wabash fan, right? good luck. Bill
Bill, This is getting puzzling! The routing is very logical. It would go toward the Gulf Coast while SAL went to the Gold Coast. The station could have been dual purpose; however, it was very small, maybe 40 feet long at most. I never remember seeing a passenger train on that line, but the time of day could have been a factor there. Everyone I remember went SAL. It could also be that the passenger train only stopped when requested. With the exception of Winter Haven, that would probably have been the only passenger service serving these communities. Ed
Ed, the times were: #275 (south) 0414am arr Winter Haven #276 (north) 1120pm arr " " Is it possible this train was some kind of a "doodlebug" or an RDC? I don't know if the ACL even had any, but maybe??? Bill
That would explain why I didn't see them!! SAL trains were during daylight hours. I don't have any pictures of ACL Doodlebugs or RDC's, but do have some SAL Doodlebugs. If you ever need some ACL or SAL pictures, I have gleaned a pretty good collection from the net. Also have Sperry cars and some north Florida short lines. No Wabash though. Are you familiar with George Elwood's site? He has a fantastic site with just about any "Fallen Flag."
Ed, thank you for the pictures offer. I just may take you up on that someday. Yes, I visit George Elwood's site often. It's a great resource for research. All of us own him a great deal. If you ever need any additional information, I'll try to help. Take care, Bill
watash from wabash ! (hey, that's cool!) For the George Elwood "Fallen Flags" site goto: http://www.dnaco.net/~gelwood enjoy!
