Dr. Phillips Express Zips Right Along

Originally published August, 1981

The Seaboard Coastline express whirls through Dr. Phillips, touching Bay Lakes, South Bay, Bay Hill, Windermere and WInter Garden - but no one knows the schedule!

Many people in our area have been intrigued by the little diesel that could... that is, that could survive in an age of busses and trucks. And most folks seem to enjoy the quaint aspect of this "local."

In any case, the little train is thriving.

"With EPCOT and all the Disney construction, our train is doing better than ever before," comments an official of Seaboard. "But we just run it through the Dr. Phillips area when there is need and demand. It could be a couple of times a day, or every three days."

The train is a part of a load that originates in Sanford, rolls through Forest City and onto Winter Garden where it usually terminates. But if construction materials are needed by Disney, the express zips on another fifteen miles through Windermere and Bay Hill and "stub ends" near the Rinker plant just west of Apopka Vineland Road and south of Bay Lakes.

Formerly it also made a stop at a citrus packing plant in WIndermere, but that was abandoned some years ago.

"As long as Disney needs the construction materials, we're going to keep the train going," the official said. "Some years ago we thought of giving it up... but not now, no way!"

The train seemingly has a good safety record and apparently there have been few complaints, a great many people seem to enjoy it. The toot of the whistle and the clickety-clack are reminders of another era.

And where else in the world can you sit on the patio of your $250,000 home poolside and wave at your own personal friendly railroad engineer?