Does anyone here remember these trips in Florida? I wasn't aware it had run that far south and I wish I had been around for it. The reason I ask, just yesterday I briefly met someone who claimed to have been a road foreman for Seaboard out of Jacksonville in the 70's and had fired 4449. Aside from the Freedom Train, the above mentioned 614 trip, and whatever NS Suwanee Steam trips from Jacksonville, nothing has run that far south. Was the reception to the trains different than say, Virginia?

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Yes, 614 did, indeed run to Florida in Feb - March 1981. At the request of R. D. Sanborn, I was the coordinator of the sponsoring organizations with Family Lines. The excursions ran out of Tampa, Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville with ferry runs in between all cities. They were good runs, some over trackage that is now abandoned. The sponsoring organizations were the Tampa Bay NRHS chapter, Miami NRHS / Gold Coast RR Museum, and North Florida (Jacksonville) NRHS chapter.

The Tampa trips ran to Dunellon, FL. One was diesel hauled due to lubrication problems with 614. That was fixed and all other trips ran with 614.

The Miami trips ran to West Palm Beach.

The Orlando trips operated from the Rosie O'Grady's complex in downtown Orlando and ran to Palatka (Sat. trip) and Ybor City in Tampa (Sun trip).

The Jacksonville trips ran to Savannah.

Perhaps more interesting were the ferry trips to and from Florida as the engine and train came from Hagerstown, MD to Family Lines at Richmond, VA. I'm not sure of the routing to Jacksonville on the southward ferry trip but on the return trip, it was via the former SAL, some of which is now abandoned.

In Florida, the Jax - Tampa move was via ex-SAL Ocala and Plant City to Tampa. From Tampa to Miami the route was via ex-ACL to Auburndale then ex-SAL to Miami. From Miami to Orlando it was ex-SAL to Auburndale then ex-ACL to Orlando.

A big factor in running the trips was the approaching CSX merger and Ross Rowland's association with Hays Watkins who became the first president of CSX.

- Jim Herron

I recall the train on its ferry move, which took it through Harpers Ferry eastbound. I seem to recall this being in January or February; in any event, we had a light dusting of snow on the ground. I was there as an auditor working with a client. Harpers Ferry is on the former main line of the B&O (and it sees commuter trains and the Capitol Limited today), so one is quite used to trains here--but then there was a "horn" that sounded different and beautiful, blowing for the grade crossing at the hydroelectric station just west of the town (it's an ancient power plant, and one of two on this stretch of the Potomac that uses a rope drive between its turbines and generators).

I thought the first blast of the four that are traditional for Rule 14-L sounded great--and then realized with the second that it was no horn, that was a steam whistle! I tore outside to see what was coming; from the building on the terraced street above the railroad I saw the 614, sweeping around the curve at the station and rumbling across the bridge into the tunnel.

I think the client may have thought I was a nut.

It was a glimpse of the past, thanks to Hays Watkins, Chessie System, and Ross Rowland.

Grrr, I live in the wrong time. . .

Did a little looking:

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That country in Florida doesn't look at all like 614's real home in the hills of Virginia and West Virginia; dig that flat land and those palm trees! Hope no one on the crew suffered too much from the heat!

I not only think I live in the wrong time, I have friends who tell me that is so. . .

Interesting that they departed from downtown Orlando at Rosie O'Grady's. That place is long gone, and downtown is a much different place than it was in 1981. Disney had only been open in Florida for 10 years. Do you remember why they loaded the train here versus Winter Park or the Orlando station a mile or so down?

The trip you mentioned running from Miami to West Palm, was that on Florida East Coast trackage or (I think ex Atlantic Coast Line)? If it ran up FEC, that would have been the last steam powered move on their property that I'm aware of since they retired steam. Only the 0-8-0 #253 which was towed a couple years ago was the last steamer on a rail on FEC to my knowledge.

The 614's Miami trips were all on Family Lines trackage. From Auburndale to Miami is all ex-SAL trackage and is the route Amtrak uses today.

The Orlando trips were originally scheduled to use the Amtrak (ex-ACL) station but Bob Snow, the owner of Rosie O'Grady's wanted the train at his location and he paid switching charges to have it originate there. This was a good thing as he chased the trains with his own vintage "air force" of 1930's and 1940's aircraft which buzzed the train a few times, adding a bit of extra excitement. Also, there was ample parking next to his location which included the original ACL depot.

One thing that almost happened but didn't with the Orlando trips was that the singer Mel Torme was invited to be a guest on one of the trips. The reason he didn't is because he was winding up his appearance at Disney World and he had to leave Orlando a couple of days ahead of the excursions. I was asked by the owner of an Orlando hobby shop who knew him to call and invite him. When I called the Disney hotel and asked for him, they rang his room and he picked up the phone. He really wanted to go with us but couldn't. He asked a lot of questions about the engine, where we were going, etc. I told him I could get him a cab ride but he had no choice but to go wherever he was headed. I think he was really sorry to not be able to go.

About Florida being "flat".... Most is but not all. There is a substantial grade at Lakeland that frequently creates havoc with northbound CSX freights. Coming out of the Winston yard these trains make a right turn and soon begin climbing. At the top of this hill they turn left around one leg of a wye to make the run to Jacksonville via Dade City and Ocala. The combination of these turns and the grade has been known to stall trains. There are other grades north of Lakeland as well.

If, say 10 years earlier, someone would have told me that in the coming decade I would see SP and C&O 4-8-4's restored and operated across Florida to Miami and back I would have said he was nuts. But then, both events actually happened. Never say never!

-JH

You seem to have been pretty local at the time. When I was a kid I clearly remember the bi-planes taking off and landing at the executive airport downtown and picking up and dropping off the towed banners. The whole Church Street area back in the early 90's had a neat flair to it, and there was an old style arcade with trains running around the ceiling before it all closed up.

Was the "Orange Blossom Special" at the station at that time? I know the engine and cars are not actually such, but someone walking down the street will read a plaque by the engine that says just that.

It would be nice if something would run that far south once again.

As long as we're talking about the improbable coming true, can Engine 148 (you know which one) be on the head end of the 1st Amtrak East Coast Champion or whatever it will be called, from Jacksonville to near Palm Beach?

Yeah. We'll have it and 1504 restored, and it can pull the Silver Meteor on the former ACL trackage and meet the other train in Miami.