Friends,

I need your help with railroad preservation in Florence, SC.

I am familiar with the larger former station now used by McLeod Hospital. Was that a Seaboard station?

There is a second station build that is located on Irby Street away from a tracks. What is its history and its current use?

There is a third structure at 204 E. Cheves Street that also resembles a railroad structure. The property is now used by McLeod Pediatrics.

The local history museum owns a small Vulcan switcher located in a residential neighborhood. I also recall a larger steam locomotive displayed downtown circa early 2000s. ACL 1031 was moved in the 1990s so that cannot be the engine I recall - if I am correct in my memory. Was there a third locomotive in Florence?

Many thanks for your assistance with my questions.

Wesley

The old SAL depot is now part of a church (Brian Ezzelle photo from 11/09/85, when the SAL station was being used by a car dealership): https://www.trinitybaptistflorence.org/our-history

"In January, 1987 much needed and long desired property was acquired west of the main church building, which includes the old Seaboard Railroad depot."

Florence’s ACL depot now being used as the Human Resources office for McLeod Regional Medical Center.

I'm not familiar with the area, I just am registered with the ACL/SAL Railroads Historical Society private facebook page and a quick search gave me this info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/578379592241589

This would be a good opportunity to remind all here of the Railroad Station Historical Society's "Significant Extant Railroad/Railway Structures of North America" database:

http://www.rrshs.org/Struct.index/strucindex.htm

From there we get to:

http://www.rrshs.org/S.C./florence.htm

This is certainly not an unimpeachable source, but it IS being updated by a couple volunteer webmasters as they get the info.

They list nothing for your trackside structure on Cheves Street, and I sincerely believe from looking at the Google Street View that it has no railroad history.

McLeod Health is in the 1910 former ACL passenger depot next to the "nice Amshack" on Day Street; Irby and Darlington/Trinity Baptist Church is the 1904 ex-SAL depot.

The list mentions an 1870-ish Cheraw & Darlington depot at 199 McQueen Street, but the two-story vacant brick warehouse in that area is listed as 215, and I don't happen to see another building along the tracks there that matches the description, except maybe that pink tin shack to the east on Baroody Street, so............ happy exploring................

The rail nearest this building is more than one block away.

Was the Seaboard depot moved at some point in time?

I regularly visited Florence until I finished college in the late 70’s, and I currently live about 60 miles away and visit fairly regularly.

I don’t believe there have ever been any other steam locomotives displayed in Florence besides the Vulcan and ACL 1031. There was a mural of 1031 on the side of a building downtown on Irby Street but it was removed or painted over a few years ago.

The Vulcan was originally displayed in the 1970’s outside a fast food restaurant on US 52 a couple of miles north of town. It’s cobbled together from an 0-4-0 chassis with a Kewanee stationary firetube boiler of approximately the correct outside dimensions set on the frame. The “tender” is just an open steel box.

Thanks for giving me credit for my Florence SAL depot picture above.

Always love to see a mention of Florence and 1031. Lots of personal connection to both.