Heilwood, Indiana Co.-Titusville, Fla.

[crownhill1915]

A group of investors from Indiana and Clearfield Counties ventured to Titusville, Florida, circa 1910, to invest in realestate. What route would they have taken departing from Heilwood, Indiana County, Pa.? Or would they have selected another departure point? I would appreciate any information. Thanks.

[ExCon90]

An Official Guide from 1900 shows Heilwood as a station but gives very sketchy information about how the trains actually ran. However, the December 1913 Guide shows the following (service around 1910 was probably closely similar):

Lv Heilwood ................ 12.08 pm day 1 daily except Sunday (a Sunday train ran at approximately the same times)
Lv Wandin .................. 1.58 pm
Lv Ebensburg Jct. ......... 3.55 pm
Ar Cresson .................. 4.12 pm
Lv Cresson .................. 5.55 pm daily (change trains)
Ar Philadelphia Broad St.. 11.42 pm Diner Altoona to Harrisburg, Parlor Car Pittsburgh to Phila.
Lv Philadelphia Broad St.. 12.15 am day 2 (change trains; sleeper open at 10.00 pm)
Ar Washington Un. Sta. ... 3.55 am day 2 (sleeper could be occupied until 7.30 am)
Lv Washington Un. Sta. ... 3.05 pm day 2 (change trains); through sleepers and diner
Ar Titusville ................. 6.52 pm day 3

The route was Pennsylvania to Washington; Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac to Richmond; Atlantic Coast Line to Jacksonville; Florida East Coast to Titusville. It was also possible to detrain at Harrisburg at 9.18 pm, but the next connection to Washington left at 11.50 pm, arriving in Baltimore at 2.20 am day 2, and connected with the same train which carried the sleeper from Philadelphia, leaving Baltimore at 2.50 am and arriving in Washington at 3.55 am. Presumably prospective investors in real estate would have sprung for the sleeper from Philadelphia.

The train from Heilwood passed through Cherry Tree and Bradley Junction between Wandin and Ebensburg Jct. and very likely carried the RPO.

[Statkowski]

The only kicker on the Heilwood service was only the westbound Cherry Tree to Dixonville train did the side trip to Heilwood. So, starting in Heilwood the train, after arriving nose first, would run in reverse back to Wandin on the Possum Glory Branch, then continue on to Clymer and then Dixonville. However it arrived in Dixonville, it would operate the other way back to Clymer before running nose-first to Cherry Tree. 1907? It could have been a New York Central train bound for Clearfield, or it could have been a Pennsylvania train bound for Cresson. In any event, the westward-only Heilwood service explains the BIG difference in time between Heilwood and Wandin.