Train on the Sanford and Lake Eustis Railway at Sorrento depot
The line from Tavares to Mt. Dora was chartered as the Sanford & Lake Eustis Railway Co. in 1885. Construction began in Sanford in 1885 and its rails passed through Sylvan Lake, Sorrento, and Mount Dora before reaching Tavares in 1887.[1] The line crossed the Orange Belt Railway in Sylvan Lake and was constructed to 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm) gauge. It was immediately leased to the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway Company upon its completion in 1877. The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway merged it into their Jacksonville to Sanford system in 1890 and operated it as their Lake Eustis Branch.
The Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway went into bankruptcy in 1893 and was operated by a receiver until 1899. The receiver leased the system to the Plant Investment Company in 1899 and it was then operated as the Lake Eustis Division of the Plant System. It was sold to the Plant System in 1900 and fully merged into Plant's Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad where it remained until his death.
Plant's family had no interest in his railroad empire and sold it to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The Atlantic Coast Line designated it as their TA Branch. Along with the St. Johns and Lake Eustis Railway, it would also be designated as the Leesburg Branch. By 1915, the Atlantic Coast Line operated two daily passenger trains round-trip on the line. By 1922, service was increased with four daily mixed trains (both passengers and freight).[2] Additional trains running down the Atlantic Coast Line's Trilby Branch (the former Orange Belt Railway) would also run the line between Sanford to Sylvan Lake. By 1949, only one mixed train was running the full line six days a week from Sanford to Leesburg.[3] Passenger service on the line ended in 1950.[2]
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad operated the line until 1967 when they merged with the Seaboard Air Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad.[4] The line was abandoned from Sylvan Lake, 6 miles west of Sanford, to Sorrento, 13 miles, in 1980. Then in 1983 the 6 miles from Sanford to Sylvan Lake was abandoned.
Today, the line is still in service from Sorrento to Tavares and is now operated by the Florida Central Railroad.[5] The Seminole-Wekiva Trail runs on some of the former right of way near Sylvan Lake.
