Coden

The community of Coden is located just north of the coast, and connects with the Gulf of Mexico through Coden Bayou.

These three images, immediately below, show Coden station as it appeared in the first 20 years of the railroad's operation. The first image, at far left, shows the station as it was originally built in 1898. Note the roof style. This photo confirms that both Coden Station and the station at Mann Junction (Dog River Station) were built to the same general plan. All three views are looking east, back toward Rolston. Coden Bayou is about one hundred yards behind the camera.

In September of 1906, a major hurricane swept through the Portersville Bay area, causing major property damage and loss of life. In the second image, taken at the time of the 1915-1916 ICC survey and seen at center, above, the station is seen with a different roof style that was almost certainly the result of repairs made nescessary by hurricane damage. Notice also the missing schedule board, and that the paint job looks recent.

Ten years later, another hurricane plowed its way through the area, resulting in yet more damage. In this third image, taken around 1919 and seen above right, the station is viewed from a slightly different angle, and from a greater distance. Traces of the damage from the 1916 hurricane may still be evident, based on the rough condition of the paint and some warping of the boards making up the siding.

Track details found in these images include the earthen style of ballast for the tracks. This method was popular for branch and secondary lines around the turn of the century, and is called "crown ballast" for the method of laying down a layer of earth on top of the ties between the rails, forming a 'crown'. In this form of construction the rails will be set directly on the ties, with no tie plates, and two spikes per rail driven into each tie.

Coden bridge, located just west of the station, was the last major piece of the railroad to be completed in 1899. A trial run of the road stopped at Coden on September 1, and the first full official run of the line took place on September 10.