Floating On Cane
Just another from Day 1 of my outing with steam down in the canelands.
US Sugar Corporation's recently restored 4-6-2 Pacific number 148 appears as if it's floating atop the field of cane as it rolls east (railroad south) at about MP 936.2 (measured from Richmond, VA) at the head of the AAPRCO 'Sugarland Limited' special operating on rails now belonging to modern day shortline South Central Florida Express. They are heading from Sebring to Clewiston where the eight historic cars will be based at the railroad’s headquarters for the next several days of rare mileage excursions and tours.
Wholly owned by US Sugar Corp. as their common carrier railroad subsidiary, this particular trackage was built about 1922 by the Atlantic Coast Line and remained with ACL successors SCL and SBD until becoming part of CSX. The latter finally sold this branch line in June 1990 to the Brandywine Valley Railroad, a Lukens Steel Company subsidiary which operated it as the SCFE. Four years later they sold the railroad to its largest customer, U.S. Sugar which operates it as a separate company semi independent from the 119 miles of private non common carrier branch lines they already owned.
Clean burning (it's fired with used restaurant vegetable oil) 148 was built for the Florida East Coast Railway in 1920 at Alco's Richmond Works and served for the FEC for 32 years including operating over the famed 'Overseas Railroad' to Key West until that line was wiped out by the 1935 hurricane.
From 1952 to 1968, 148 was owned by US Sugar for use on their private cane hauling railroad. Later used in excursion service on the Black River and Western and Morristown and Erie Railroads it then languished with different owners for decades until being repatriated to Clewiston and restored over a four year period.
To learn more check out the home page of the Sugar Express, the company's planned tourist train operation: sugarexpress.com/history/
West of Moore Haven
Glades County, Florida
Saturday April 23, 2022
Floating On Cane
Just another from Day 1 of my outing with steam down in the canelands.
US Sugar Corporation's recently restored 4-6-2 Pacific number 148 appears as if it's floating atop the field of cane as it rolls east (railroad south) at about MP 936.2 (measured from Richmond, VA) at the head of the AAPRCO 'Sugarland Limited' special operating on rails now belonging to modern day shortline South Central Florida Express. They are heading from Sebring to Clewiston where the eight historic cars will be based at the railroad’s headquarters for the next several days of rare mileage excursions and tours.
Wholly owned by US Sugar Corp. as their common carrier railroad subsidiary, this particular trackage was built about 1922 by the Atlantic Coast Line and remained with ACL successors SCL and SBD until becoming part of CSX. The latter finally sold this branch line in June 1990 to the Brandywine Valley Railroad, a Lukens Steel Company subsidiary which operated it as the SCFE. Four years later they sold the railroad to its largest customer, U.S. Sugar which operates it as a separate company semi independent from the 119 miles of private non common carrier branch lines they already owned.
Clean burning (it's fired with used restaurant vegetable oil) 148 was built for the Florida East Coast Railway in 1920 at Alco's Richmond Works and served for the FEC for 32 years including operating over the famed 'Overseas Railroad' to Key West until that line was wiped out by the 1935 hurricane.
From 1952 to 1968, 148 was owned by US Sugar for use on their private cane hauling railroad. Later used in excursion service on the Black River and Western and Morristown and Erie Railroads it then languished with different owners for decades until being repatriated to Clewiston and restored over a four year period.
To learn more check out the home page of the Sugar Express, the company's planned tourist train operation: sugarexpress.com/history/
West of Moore Haven
Glades County, Florida
Saturday April 23, 2022