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Wildwood (Amtrak station)
Encyclopedia
Wildwood is a former Amtrak
station in Wildwood, Florida
. The station is located on 601 North Main Street (US 301
) in Wildwood, Florida
. Along with the northern terminus of Florida's Turnpike
, the station gave Wildwood a reason to refer to itself as "The Crossroads of Florida."
The station was built in 1947 by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
, and is located on what is today CSX's S-Line, which runs along the west side of the building. The station served SAL's Silver Star to Tampa
, St. Petersburg, and Miami, among other trains. It is also the western terminus of an inactive spur that once ran to cities such as Leesburg
and Tavares
. This spur is now owned by the Florida Midland Railroad
, and only runs as far east as Orange Home along Sumter County Road 44A, where it served as home for some abandoned freight cars until the first deecade of the 21st Century.
The Silver Star was transferred to Amtrak
in 1971, along with most passenger service in the United States. The Palmetto
was rerouted to the CSX S-Line in 1979, until it was truncated to Savannah, Georgia
on November 1, 2004, prompting Amtrak to revive Silver Star service to Tampa along the same line shared by the current Silver Meteor, and part of the suspended Sunset Limited
. Today, the station operates as a CSX maintenance yard, and by Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach bus service between Jacksonville
and Lakeland
.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
station in Wildwood, Florida
Wildwood, Florida
Wildwood is a city in Sumter County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,924 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 3,598.-Geography:Wildwood is located at ....
. The station is located on 601 North Main Street (US 301
U.S. Route 301 in Florida
U.S. Route 301 in Florida runs from the Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area northeast to the Greater Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The road is a spur of U.S...
) in Wildwood, Florida
Wildwood, Florida
Wildwood is a city in Sumter County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,924 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 3,598.-Geography:Wildwood is located at ....
. Along with the northern terminus of Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway is a north–south toll road that runs through 11 counties in the Florida peninsula, from U.S...
, the station gave Wildwood a reason to refer to itself as "The Crossroads of Florida."
The station was built in 1947 by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
, and is located on what is today CSX's S-Line, which runs along the west side of the building. The station served SAL's Silver Star to Tampa
Union Station (Tampa)
Tampa Union Station is a historic depot in Tampa, Florida, United States. It is located at 601 North Nebraska Avenue .Opened on May 15, 1912, by the Tampa Union Station Company, its original purpose was to combine passenger operations for the Atlantic Coast Line, the Seaboard Air Line and the...
, St. Petersburg, and Miami, among other trains. It is also the western terminus of an inactive spur that once ran to cities such as Leesburg
Leesburg, Florida
Leesburg is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,956 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 19,086.. Leesburg is located in central Florida, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the Oklawaha River system....
and Tavares
Tavares, Florida
Tavares is a city in central Florida in the United States. It is the county seat of Lake County. The population was 9,700 at the 2000 census. The Census Bureau estimated the population in 2008 to be 13,746. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. This spur is now owned by the Florida Midland Railroad
Florida Midland Railroad (current)
The Florida Midland Railroad is one of several short line railroads run by the Pinsly Railroad Company. It has connections to CSX at Wildwood, Florida, Winter Haven, Florida and West Lake Wales, Florida....
, and only runs as far east as Orange Home along Sumter County Road 44A, where it served as home for some abandoned freight cars until the first deecade of the 21st Century.
The Silver Star was transferred to Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
in 1971, along with most passenger service in the United States. The Palmetto
Palmetto (Amtrak)
The Palmetto is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak over the from New York City south to Savannah, Georgia via the Northeast Corridor to Washington, DC, then via Richmond, Virginia, Fayetteville, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina...
was rerouted to the CSX S-Line in 1979, until it was truncated to Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
on November 1, 2004, prompting Amtrak to revive Silver Star service to Tampa along the same line shared by the current Silver Meteor, and part of the suspended Sunset Limited
Sunset Limited
The Sunset Limited is a passenger train that for most of its history has run between New Orleans, Louisiana and Los Angeles, California, and that from early 1993 through late August 2005 also ran east of New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida, making it during that time the only true transcontinental...
. Today, the station operates as a CSX maintenance yard, and by Amtrak's Thruway Motorcoach bus service between Jacksonville
Jacksonville (Amtrak station)
Jacksonville Amtrak station is a passenger train station in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is served by Amtrak's Silver Meteor, Silver Star, and Thruway Motorcoach to Lakeland...
and Lakeland
Lakeland (Amtrak station)
The Lakeland Amtrak station is a train station in Lakeland, Florida, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. Lakeland is unique in that it has two separate Amtrak station codes; one for passengers traveling to points north and the other for passengers traveling...
.