Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad

The Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad (T&G) was a railroad company in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida in the United States. It initially built and operated a line that ran from the Tampa Northern Railroad main line in Lutz (just north of Tampa) west to Tarpon Springs and into Pasco County. Additional track starting from Sulphur Springs running west towards Clearwater and south to St. Petersburg was built shortly after. The railroad was informally known as the "Tug n' Grunt" and the "Pea Vine" due to its frequent twists and turns. While it was the second railroad to serve St. Petersburg and Clearwater after the Orange Belt Railway, it had the advantage of being the first to connect the area directly with Tampa.

History Construction and early years The Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad was incorporated in 1909. In 1910, it acquired a logging railroad operated by the Gulf Pine Company that ran from Lutz, where it connected to the main line of the Tampa Northern Railroad, west to Gulf Pine via Lake Fern. The T&G then extended this line west to Tarpon Springs, where it terminated less than a block away from the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's track (the former Orange Belt Railway). The extension connected with another line from Lake Villa north to Elfers and New Port Richey, which the T&G bought from J.M. Weeks and Company in 1912.

In 1914, a second line was built south of the first line from Sulphur Springs, also on the Tampa Northern Railroad main line, west through what is now Oldsmar, across Tampa Bay, and through Safety Harbor to Clearwater. Just south of Clearwater in Belleair, the line crossed the ACL's track and headed south. A branch was also built from the line near Largo west to Indian Rocks Beach. From Belleair, the line ran south to the southeast part of the Pinellas Peninsula near Seminole. It then crossed Long Bayou and south to South Pasadena before turning east to St. Petersburg. The T&G built a passenger depot in St. Petersburg at Ninth Street and Second Avenue. During this time, a branch line was also built to connect the two T&G lines from Rocky Creek (then known as Tarpon Junction) on the line leading to Clearwater to Lake Fern on the line leading to Tarpon Springs, which allowed the T&G to abandon the segment of the original line between Lake Fern and Lutz. The T&G would provide passenger and freight service to the Pinellas peninsula on its lines. The Indian Rocks Beach Branch was used to bring passengers from Tampa, which helped Indian Rocks Beach become a tourist destination.

Acquisition by the Seaboard Air Line

The Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad only briefly operated as an independent company. In 1915, it was bought out by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL), who bought the Tampa Northern Railroad two years prior. The SAL continued to operate the T&G as a separate rail line until it was fully integrated with the SAL network in 1927. The Seaboard Air Line would designate the line as part of their Tampa Subdivision (which also included track from Sulphur Springs to Gary and the Seaboard main line between Tampa Union Station and Coleman).Seaboard Air Line Railroad North and South Florida Division Timetable (1967) The branches to Tarpon Springs and Elfers were designated as the Tarpon Springs Subdivision and Elfers Subdivision respectively. The Seaboard Air Line would extend a number of their long-distance passenger trains from Tampa to St. Petersburg along the route including the Orange Blossom Special, the Southern States Special, the Florida Sunbeam, and the New York-Florida Limited.Seaboard Air Line Railroad South Florida Division Timetable (1940)

Later years

Passenger service on the Indian Rocks Beach spur declined in the 1920s, and by 1928, the bridge carrying the branch to Indian Rocks Beach was removed. The rest of the spur from the main line to the ghost town of Anona would remain until the early 1940s.

Seaboard would go on to merge with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) in 1967, who still operated their own rail line in the area. The resulting company after the merger was the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL), who connected the two Pinellas County routes where they crossed near Belleair. The T&G became the westernmost segment of the company's Yeoman Subdivision. After the merger, passenger service was provided by the Silver Star and the Champion (which was replaced by the Silver Meteor in 1979). Though, passenger service would be rerouted to the ex-ACL line in Belleair since all passenger traffic consolidated at the ACL's St. Petersburg station.Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Tampa Division Timetable (1970) The T&G from Belleair south was then used for local freight only. Passenger trains were taken over by Amtrak in 1971 and were discontinued between Tampa and St. Petersburg in 1984.

In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation. In 1983, the company sold the original Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad right of way from Belleair to 34th Street South in St. Petersburg to the Florida Department of Transportation. This segment is now part of the Pinellas Trail (which also continues north from Belleair along the former Orange Belt/Atlantic Coast Line route). Track east of 34th Street South in St. Petersburg (which connected to the ex-ACL line near Tropicana Field) remained in service as the South Side Spur until the mid-2000s, when it was also removed and became part of the Pinellas Trail.

CSX continues to operate the remaining tracks of the Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad, which is now part of their Clearwater Subdivision. The Upper Tampa Bay Trail runs along some of the former right of way of the Tarpon Springs Branch.

Historic stations

+ Tampa to St. PetersburgMilepostCity/LocationStationConnections and notesS 844.9TampaTampa Union Stationlocated on Seaboard Air Line Railroad Main LineSY 843.2Garylocated on Tampa Northern Railroadjunction with:SY 848.6Sulphur Springsalso known as Gulf Coast Junctionjunction with Tampa Northern Railroad (SAL)LakeviewSY 856.4Rocky CreekTarpon Junctionjunction with Tarpon Springs BranchSY 862.6OldsmarOldsmarBridgeportSY 867.1Safety HarborSafety HarborSY 870.2CoachmanSY 874.9ClearwaterClearwaterSY 876.1BelleairBelleairjunction with Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Trilby–St. Petersburg LineSY 878.1LargoLargoSY 879.7Indian Beach Junctionjunction with Indian Rocks Beach BranchSY 883.4OakhurstSY 884.6SeminoleSeminoleSY 885.2Bay PinesBay PinesSY 888.5TyroneSY 889.4Pasadenaoriginally named DavistaSY 892.5GulfportGulfportSY 896.0St. PetersburgSt. Petersburgjunction with Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Trilby–St. Petersburg Linefreight depot built in 1927Original T&G passenger depot was located at Second Avenue and Ninth street (operated from 1916 to 1959).1959-1967 passenger depot was located on the northeast corner of 34th Street South and Fairfield Avenue.

+ Tarpon Springs BranchMilepostCity/LocationStationOpening dateConnections and notesSYA 856.3Rocky CreekTarpon Junction1914junction with Main lineSYA 859.1Citrus ParkCitrus ParkSYA 861.4CosmeSYA 864.3Lake FernLake Fern1910junction with original line to LutzSYA 866.6Gulf PineKeystoneKeystoneKimbroughSYA 874.4East LakeLake Villajunction with Elfers BranchSYA 877.8Tarpon SpringsTarpon Springs

+ Elfers BranchMilepostCity/LocationStationConnections and notesSYB 874.7East LakeLake Villajunction with Tarpon Springs BranchSYB 878.8ElfersSans SouciSYB 879.4ElfersSYB 881.7Port RicheyPort Richey

+ Indian Rocks Beach BranchMilepostCity/LocationStationConnections and notesSYC 879.7LargoIndian Beach Junctionjunction with Main lineSYC 881.7AnonaSYC 882.3Indian Rocks BeachIndian Rocks Beach

Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad

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