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This old train station wasn't built for speed

It's only a replica, and it's not even old. But someday, it may welcome real trains.

By CASEY CORA
Published November 22, 2006

If commuter rail ever returns to the area, Pinellas Park won't need to build a train station.

The city already has Park Station, a more than $3-million replica of a Victorian-era train station.

But the station, at 5851 Park Blvd., has never sold a single ticket. Today, the building houses the Pinellas Park Mid-County Chamber of Commerce, the city's art and historical societies, and a gourmet sandwich joint. The nearby tracks are used for hauling freight, not passengers.

City Council member Rick Butler, also a Pinellas County Suncoast Transit Authority board member, floated the idea of repurposing Park Station during a discussion of communitywide light rail. "We have a train station whenever you guys are ready," Butler quipped to the board.

But city officials acknowledged that passenger rail is a long way off. "Twenty years, 50 years," guessed city spokesman Tim Caddell.

Back in 1912, the idea was to build the city around the station. In the years that followed, the old train station on Park Boulevard served as a passenger post.

For some, Pinellas Park was the final destination, including Pennsylvanians headed for employment at the local sugar cane mill, said city historian Jean Cromwell. For others, the stop was a mere hiccup for travelers en route to Miami.

As the city expanded, the small wooden structure was torn down in 1971 because it was an eyesore, said council member Ed Taylor. "It was one of the things that had been there since forever," he said.

In 2004, the city opened the doors to the new building, a step toward trying to create a town center, Taylor said.

Today, local artists meet in a makeshift studio for art instruction, and their paintings are displayed on the wall. Jack Caceci and his crew prepare gourmet soups, sandwiches and wraps at Roe's Deli Station. On the second floor, glass cabinets are filled with artifacts ranging from arrowheads dug up during local excavation to a deck of Webb's City playing cards. Outside, a caboose that rests on a 100-foot stretch of mock railroad track is being restored.

Caddell, whose office is on the second floor, said if passenger rail ever returns, the location is a natural. "We've got the building, we've got the tracks, and we're between Clearwater and St. Pete," he said.

But for Cadell, one thing won't change: "They're not getting my office."

Casey Cora can be reached at 727 580-1542 or at ccora@sptimes.com.

[Last modified November 21, 2006, 23:06:29]