First some history, Did any of you know, Mr. Ingle, the last president of the Jacksonville Traction Company in 1932, passed away in Penny Farms at 98 years of age, this past April? What I would have given to have spoken with him, and never even knew he was there all these years. I arrived back here in August and find it odd that the financial backers of the re-founded ORIGINAL company, elected to make me it's first president since the last trolley ran under Mr. Ingle. Less then a year after his death, we are back. True it is just a paper company right now, but we do have some big guns, and I want to say to the public, I couldn't be more honored then to follow in the footsteps of this historic figure...
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Mr. John P. Ingle, 1910-2007, President Jacksonville Traction until Motor Transit took control in 1932, when he went back to school and came out as an executive for Eastern Airlines. He was a transportation historian and wrote at least one book on the early airlines of Jacksonville and the area. It is unknown if he wrote any papers of his days as our streetcar president.
Hope this helps with the confusion over what was once on "RIVERSIDE AVE".
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A few notes, the original route to 5-Points may have followed Riverside Avenue, 5 Points was a small rise in the woods used for picnic's. A sort of out of town park at the edge of a large swamp.
There is also evidence of some track running from the Brooklyn Carbarns through the alley about 1/2 block west of and alongside Riverside to May, hence south...
The Edison- Lackawanna line ended at the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's Lackawanna Shops and Roundhouse, now all torn out. However, this interesting route is still full of curves rather then corners (a sign of trolley lines) and few stoplights. Once you get under 95, try the run to McDuff, you'll also be amazed at the amount of old TOD you see along the way.
The Myrtle Avenue Subway, center, was a trolley tunnel before they filled the middle 1/2 way full of dirt and concrete. The arch is still visible as is the ceiling where metals PANS were mounted to power the cars through the tunnel. The old arched bridge just south of the tunnel still has tracks in it.
The Dellwood line from Myrtle was destroyed in the recent expansion of I-95/10 interchange, until about 30 years ago, some of the switches were still visible.
The Riverside-Avondale-Ortega line also reached Black Point far out on the St. Johns at NAS JAX. The old base railroads North gate and line that followed the runway to "Mainside" was the old trolley route.
Fairfax, and Ortega Village as well as 5-Points and Edgewood's Murray Hill shopping areas were all TOD or Transit (Trolley) oriented developments.
The Edgewood line ran alongside the current CSX between College and just North of Edgewood, where it jogged West 2 blocks hence back South to come in at the intersection, at the west end of the current middle of the street parking lot.
The line beyond 5-Points was built by "THE ORTEGA TRACTION COMPANY" which owned some small interurban type cars. "THE DUVAL TRACTION COMPANY" built the extension from Ortega Village to NAS JAX. in WWI.
South Jacksonville, had it's own government at the time. The City of South Jacksonville had the grandly named "SOUTH JACKSONVILLE MUNICIPAL RAILWAYS". They connected with Jacksonville Traction in the center of the old St. Elmo Acosta Bridge. Acosta, was a City Councilman, #1 citizen and huge proponent of the streetcar system. Even in it's darkest days he fought to keep the system up and running, telling everyone going 100% bus is a HUGE MISTAKE. He floated a plan to buy the old FEC railroad to the Beach (which ran along Beach Blvd...) when the freight service on the line had pretty much died out in the late 1920's. He introduced a bill to City Council, which was being woo'ed by General Motors, Firestone and Standard Oil, to buy the railroad and convert it to a first class Inter-urban electric commuter company. The City shelved his plan, said it would come up again in a few weeks.... (we're still waiting, we've never found that it DID resurface again). Meanwhile the City owned "DUVAL BRIDGE COMPANY" decided to charge the Traction Company TOLLS for every car that crossed the St. Johns.
St. Elmo's FIRE, is an electric term. It is electicity in the air, like the blue static flame that jumps off your finger on a cold day, or races down a power line in a storm. Our own St. Elmo had a fire for big Trolleys and Big Transit...
I say we re-kindle the spirit of our very own... "SAINT ELMOS FIRE...JACKSONVILLE TRACTION"
Ocklawaha