It's been many years since I've been down that way, but I seem to recall that most of those gaps are pretty close to where the bridges leave the islands (as most are used for fishing, anyway) North of Key West. The rest is a hertiage trail where you could run North out of key West proper, but you'd never get any bridge running in the really long open sections that people really think of on the old FEC.

Would sure love to see that 4-8-2!

Wish the railroad still went to the Key's too - imagine the tourism opportunities.

Appears there are 4 FEC steam engine survivors:

0-8-0 #253 and 4-6-2's #113, #153 and #148 (the only one not in FL, but instead, stored in Colorado).

Thanks for the link(s).

/Mitch

Don't forget S&A 750 and Georgia Northern 107. Both were built for FEC.

dave

Mitch -

The FEC sold a number of their Pacifics to other railroads, short lines and industrials but in addition, they also sold some of those 4-8-2's. I think that the Rock Island might have had some. I also think that some might have gone to Mexico. I seem to recall that other railroads had some too, but offhand, I can't remember for sure. Maybe somebody knows. Anyway, there WAS a second chance for survival, but none of them made it. I too wish at least one had made it into preservation.

Les

One of the roads that wound up with second-hand WP 4-8-2s was the Western Pacific, which had 10 of them. Photos of the whole lot are below, courtesy of a WP online site:

http://www.wplives.com/archives/steam/482/index.html

General diagram sheet:

http://www.wplives.com/diagrams/locomot ... index.html

WP's 171 class:

http://www.wplives.com/diagrams/locomot ... 1-180.html

Home page:

http://www.wplives.com/

From a model site by an FEC modeller:

4-6-2s

#96 Built by Schenectady in 1911, sold 1941 to G&F RR

#147-150 Built by Richmond 1920, #147 sold 1952, #148 sold US Sugar 1952, #149 sold G&F RR 1941. #150 sold AN RR 1941.

#151-153, 155-157 Built by Schenectady 1922, #151&152 sold AN RR 1942 &1941, #153 sold US Sugar 1940 (Gold Coast Museum), #155 sold AN RR 1942, #156 sold G&F RR 1941, #157 sold CN&L RR 1941.

4-8-2s

#301-315 Built by Richmond 1923, used in general freight service, #301-303, & 306 sold for scarp in 1954, #304-305, 307-309, 311-315 sold NdeM 1941, #310 destroyed 1945.

#421-452 Built by Schenectady 1924-25, used in passenger service, #421-422, 425-427, 429, 433-434, 441-452 sold NdeM 1945, #423-424, 428, 430, 435-440 sold for scrap 1954-55, #431 destroyed 1947, 432 destroyed 1949.

#801-823 Built by Schenectady 1926, freight service (with Steam lines for Passenger), #802 destroyed 1940, #813 destroyed 1952, #815 destroyed 1951, all remaining engines sold for scrap 1954-55.

http://www.jacksonvilleterminal.com/flo ... _coast.htm

http://www.jacksonvilleterminal.com/

Dave -

Just for the record, Savannah & Atlanta #750 had been FEC #80 and Georgia Northern #107 had been FEC #88.

Les