At about 3:30 p.m. this afternoon, it peaked from behind the years and around the bend in Bunnell, lifting hopes and cheer enough to drown its whistle: an Amtrak passenger train the likes of which was last seen in town, when Bunnell had its own stop, in 1968. This train never stopped. It went on to St. Augustine, then Jacksonville on an exploratory run pegged to the possibility of resuming passenger service along the old corridor railroad route.
Click On:
- Bunnell and Flagler Whistle-Stop Amtrak
- Bunnell Begs Amtrak With $1,000 Spree: Please Stop Here
- Disney’s Monorail System: A Primer
But for that brief moment, representatives from Bunell, Flagler County and Flagler Beach, mingled among the 150 or so people who lined the tracks (and a seemingly equal number of American flags), put on as enthusiastic a show as they hoped to convince Amtrak one day to return–and reestablish a stop at a Flagler County station. Bunnell would be the obvious, and only, choice.
A full account of the event, with audio interviews and some history, is available here. Meanwhile, here’s a photo gallery of the afternoon. And while you’re at it, you might as well look at the pictures with the right soundtrack, from the one and only. (It might get tricky to get both going at the same time, but you’ll make it work.)
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