Bike Rack Harkens to Dunedin's Railway Heritage

Cyclists have another fancy place to park their bikes downtown.

Metalworking companies Arc Angels, Inc. and Liquid Sol created the latest artistic bike rack to be unveiled in Dunedin on Monday morning.

The aluminum locomotive rack was fabricated to look like the same engine that stopped through Dunedin on the Orange Belt Railway — now paved for bicyclists and pedestrians as the Pinellas Trail.

The old Orange Belt Railway traveled between St. Petersburg and Sanford in the late 1800s. The locomotive bike rack is situated in front of , but faces the , once an active train depot. 

The bike rack stands 5 feet tall at the smoke stack, which is equipped with a solar panel that illuminates its headlight. It also features a coal car, extending 10 feet. It holds between eight and 12 bikes, according to one of its creators Bill Coleman of Arc Angels, Inc.

Matt Sunderman of Liquid Sol also helped design and construct it.

The decorative bike racks are largely funded through private donors. They can cost up to $2,500.

Dunedin is one of two communities in the state with an artistic bike rack initiative. In March, the city received an honorable mention for its artistic bike rack initiative and a second place award for the program at the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council's annual Future of the Regions Awards.

City staff said during a recent Arts & Cultural Advisory Committee meeting that future decorative bike racks might be in the works for the following locations:

• Andrews Memorial Chapel
• Pioneer Park
• Dunedin Fine Art Center
• Florida Auto Exchange Stadium
• Purple Heart Park
• North District Station (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

Looking for a place to park today? See a full map of Dunedin's active artistic bike locations.

[Updated: 7:26 p.m., Thursday, July 5, 2012]