The East and West Coast Railway was a railroad line running from Bradenton on the west coast of Florida southeast to Arcadia in the Peace River valley. Despite its name, the line never went all the way to the east coast of Florida. The line was often used to transport mail, lumber, grain and other commodities.
Opened on May 3, 1915, the nearly fifty mile line began at the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's line through Bradenton just south of the Manatee River, and ran southeast closely following the current route of State Road 70 via Myakka City to Arcadia.Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports, Volume 35 In Arcadia, the line crossed the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Lakeland–Fort Myers Line before terminating in the southeast portion of Arcadia.
In 1925, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad leased the entire line, who had provided locomotives and rolling stock for the line since its construction. A year later, Seaboard also purchased the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway. As a result, Seaboard used the East and West Coast Railway less frequently to the point where the line was completely removed in 1934.
The East and West Coast Railway was one of two railroad lines running from the Bradenton area to the Peace River valley. The other was the southern extension of the Atlantic Coast Line's Tampa Southern Railroad which ran from Sarasota to Southfort (near Fort Ogden) in a parallel trajectory to the East and West Coast Railway.
Station listing Miles fromBradentonCity/LocationStationConnections and notes0.0BradentonBradentownlocated on Seaboard Air Line Railroad Bradenton Spurjunction with Tampa Southern Railroad (ACL)1.0Bradentown Junctionlocated on Seaboard Air Line Railroad Sarasota Subdivision1.3Manatee 1.2S.A.L. Junctionjunction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Sarasota Subdivision3.2East Manatee5.1Alsace11.7Lorraine21.4St. Clairerenamed Verna in 191624.5Parmalee28.5Myakka City29.4East Myakka35.2Parkton40.6Pine Level42.4Tryon44.1Nocatee Junction47.0Belgium49.6ArcadiaC. H. & N. Crossingjunction with Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway (SAL)50.3Arcadiajunction with Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Lakeland–Fort Myers Line
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