They also operated one called, The Silver Comet, which, by the late 1960s, was a Richmond, VA.-Atlanta train. I've seen scant photos of that train - four Budd lightweights behind three E7s and kind of beaten up looking. It ended at Atlanta Terminal Station, but originally, it was a New York-Birmingham train. The Atlanta-Birmingham Seaboard route was torn out in the 90s and is a Rail Trail - "The Silver Comet Trail" - in Cobb County, GA, 25 miles east of Atlanta.
The pic of the 'doodlebug' resting just two city blocks from downtown Ft. Myers brought back pleasant but fleeting memories. I saw it every day from Jan to April of '71' when I moved to Ft. Myers. then it was gone. I never took a picture. thanks for posting that one.
I sensed there was something special about this engine when I first saw it. Photo was taken with one of those 126 size film camera's. Back in 1969 film was all there was and you had a limited amount of frames to shoot. Glad to share what I have and thanks for watching.
Parts of your shots in West Palm Beach you can see the old Connie Mack stadium lights (along with the old Twin Lakes High School) where the Philadelphia Athletics played their spring training many years ago...Its a shame the tore it down.
@jERRYKIEFER , that station was actually in sebring. I can tell by the siding there and the structures along the track, and the architecture of the station. Avon park's is nothing like that. The shot was taken from what used to be Eucalyptus Parkway, until the Sebring Parkway phase II tore up the road and the old connector to the SCFE and made a new road and a new crossing for the SCFE across the parkway.
And actually now that I think of it, most of the Sebring parkway was built on what used to be the ACL, but became defunct after CSX built new trackage through the area. What became the SCFE also was once ACL trackage. What old remnants of the old roadbed can still be found but not for much longer, thanks to phase IV of the Sebring parkway. So explore while u can!
It is a doodlebug, ex SCL 4900 of SAL heritage. It ran between Lakeland and Naples from around 1967 to 1971. Maybe someone else can provide some more information . Thanks for watching and for your question.
a poignant ending for the video with the sounds of jets and automobile interstate traffic. but, what a comeback the rails have made hauling freight and inter-city transit.
I live in Raleigh nc not far from the downgraded former seaboard S line and think about what that line used to be every time I cross the tracks. I'm sure many of the trains pictured here used to come through Raleigh on their way to or from New York City. I was born in 1982 and by the time I started getting into trains in the late 80's the main line traffic through my area was long gone.
I have an SCL timetable from the late 70’s that shows something like 24 trains a day through Raleigh, not including any extras! Always loved making the 2 hour trip to Raleigh to visit the Cameron Village Hobby Shop (THE model rr store in NC in those days! RIP!), then spending the afternoon at the depot train watching!
I know why, intellectually, railroads for the most part let their rolling stock go to hell in the 60s. Passenger rail was left to rot, freight got better because it generated revenue but not much better. Trains form this era look like crap. Rusted, dirty, covered with oil, soot, smoke, grease, more rust, painted over with strange symbols and weird urban mumbo-jumbo some say doing with paint what dogs do when they lift their leg on a post. Bottom line, rail was going to hell and real quick. Although priority had been given to the road system it seems hard to believe that the entire country just gave up on rail and began sitting out its demise. Amtrak, contrary to most reports, was designed by Nixon to allow railroads to circumvent the ICC, workers unions and state laws and move towards bankruptcy and an exit from the business. The ICC stood by helplessly and watched railroad after railroad fail. Nothing in the charter about forcing them to remain in business. Railroads hated the ICC, same with airlines and the FAA. Both agencies were established to give the American people control over both transport modes because transportation was seen as a right that crossed state lines and belonged to the people. The FAA was deeply into regulation before it even was chartered, claiming legal jurisdiction once a plane left the ground. At that point it belonged to the federal government. States were happy to let them have control as a recent court decision said survivors and families of others not so lucky could sue the airlines and that states where the airport was located could also get dragged into court. By ceding all of that to the feds southern states suddenly became believers in the power of Washington and left management and ownership of all public airports (unless chartered by some other means) to the FAA and Congress. Congress loved those days. Railroads had no glamor, especially in the 60s, but flight did. Suddenly, everyone wanted a seat on the Government Operations Committee and Transportation Subs. Energy on this was so hot that they even created its own agency, the Department of Transportation which most are surprised the Republicans haven't whacked yet.
