U.S. Sugar 148, formerly Florida East Coast 148, is a 4-6-2 Light Pacific steam locomotive built in April 1920 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia, originally for the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). It hauled passenger and freight trains on the FEC's Overseas Railroad to Key West, Florida until the line was destroyed in 1935. The locomotive was sold in 1952 to U.S. Sugar Corporation (USSC) to haul sugarcane trains in Clewiston, Florida.
Preserved American 4-6-2 steam locomotive based in Florida
U.S. Sugar 148
U.S. Sugar No. 148 with the inaugural Sugar Express excursion train in Lake Placid, Florida, in December 2021
Type and origin
Power type
Steam
Builder
ALCO's Richmond Works
Serial number
61769
Build date
April 1920
Rebuild date
2017-2020
Specifications
Configuration:
•Whyte
4-6-2
•UIC
2′C1′ h
Gauge
4ft8+1⁄2in (1,435mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.
68in (1,727mm)
Adhesive weight
126,500lb (57.4 tonnes)
Loco weight
204,000lb (92.5 tonnes)
Tender weight
162,000lb (73.5 tonnes)
Total weight
366,000lb (166.0 tonnes)
Fuel type
Recycled vegetable oil
Fuel capacity
3,500USgal (13,000l; 2,900impgal)
Water cap.
7,300USgal (28,000l; 6,100impgal)
Firebox: •Firegrate area
47.1sqft (4.4m2)
Boiler
66+5⁄8in (1,692mm)
Boiler pressure
180psi (1.24MPa)
Heating surface: •Firebox
160sqft (14.9m2)
Superheater:
•Heating area
440sqft (40.9m2)
Cylinders
Two, outside
Cylinder size
22in ×26in (559mm ×660mm)
Valve gear
Walschaerts
Valve type
11-inch (279mm) piston valves
Performance figures
Maximum speed
70mph (113km/h)
Tractive effort
28,314lb (12.8 tonnes)
Factor of adh.
4.47
Career
Operators
Florida East Coast Railway (1920-1952) U.S. Sugar Corporation (1952-1968, 2020-present) Black River and Western Railroad (1971-1973) Morristown and Erie Railway (1974-1977)
1970 (1st restoration)[2] April 2020 (2nd restoration)
Current owner
U.S. Sugar Corporation
Disposition
Operational
During the 1970s, No. 148 was sold again to New Jersey, where it served excursion service on the Black River and Western and Morristown and Erie railroads. Between 1983 and 2005, the locomotive was sold multiple times to various different owners in Connecticut, Michigan, and Colorado who have attempted to restore No. 148 to operation but never succeeded.
In late 2016, USSC reacquired the No. 148 locomotive and restored it to operating condition by 2020 for use in excursion service on their South Central Florida Express shortline railroad as part of their heritage tourist passenger train named the Sugar Express, taking visitors all around the Lake Okeechobee counties.
History
Revenue service on the FEC and U.S. Sugar
The statistic information of U.S. Sugar No. 148
No. 148 was the eighth member of ten 4-6-2 Light Pacific class 141 steam locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia in April 1920 for the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC).[3] It was assigned to haul passenger and freight trains on the FEC's Overseas Railroad between Miami and Key West, Florida until 1935, when the Labor Day Hurricane destroyed many of the route's long bridges and the FEC permanently closed it down due to the Great Depression.[4] During that time, the FEC began to retire most of their older 4-6-2 locomotives for scrap or selling them to other railroads in order to recoup their financial losses.[4][5] No. 148 remained in service with the FEC until June 1952, when it was sold to U.S. Sugar Corporation (USSC) in Clewiston, Florida, where it worked alongside its sister locomotives Nos. 98, 113, and 153 to haul sugarcane trains from the harvest field to USSC's sugarcane mills.[4][6][7]
Excursion service in New Jersey and changing ownerships
In the 1960s, USSC began to retire most of their steam locomotives in favor of diesel power, including No. 148 who was the last one to be removed from the USSC roster.[4][8] In September 1968, it was purchased by Sam Freeman, who used the locomotive in excursion service on the Black River and Western Railroad in Ringoes, New Jersey.[8][9] In 1973, the No. 148 locomotive was sent to the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad workshop in New Hope, Pennsylvania, for repair work to its boiler and running gear.[4] In 1974, it was moved to the Morristown and Erie Railway, which ran along the Whippany River and 9 miles (14 kilometers) out of Whippany, New Jersey.[1][10] In September 1975, No. 148 took part in recreating the Jersey Central's Blue Comet train on former Erie trackage.[8][10] On that same year of December, No. 148 made a guest appearance in one of The Tomorrow Show segments, featuring the show's host, Tom Snyder.[10]
Upon the death of Freeman in 1983, the No. 148 locomotive was donated to the Valley Railroad in Essex, Connecticut, but was later sold off to a private owner in Traverse City, Michigan in 1988 until it ended up being stored in Monte Vista, Colorado by the Denver and Rio Grande Historical Foundation in 2005.[1][8][11] Many of No. 148's previous owners attempted to restore the locomotive to operating condition but to no avail.[12]
In late 2016, USSC CEO Robert H. Buker, Jr. reacquired the No. 148 locomotive and made plans to restore it to operating condition for use in excursion service as part of the new Sugar Express tourist passenger train running on the South Central Florida Express main line.[13][14] During the restoration work, No. 148 received a lot of fabrication work to its wheelset, crankpins, and bearing boxes.[15] Additionally, it was given a new front boiler course and smokebox, which were both completely welded.[7][16]
In April 2020, after an extensive restoration work with assistance from FMW Solutions, Steam Operations Corporation, and Continental Fabricators Inc, No. 148 moved under its own power for the first time in 43 years.[12][16] It began its first revenue service on that same year of May 28, pulling the last sugarcane train of USSC's 2019–2020 harvest season.[14] On October 1, 2020, No. 148 kickstarted USSC's 90th harvest season and was christened with a bottle of champagne by Buker's wife Barbara.[17] On December 12, 2021, No. 148 ran its first Sugar Express public excursion train, the Lake Placid Limited from Clewiston to Lake Placid, Florida and back.[18][19]
On January 29-30, 2022, USSC and Trains Magazine hosted a private photo charter of the No. 148 locomotive pulling passenger and freight consists.[20] On that same year of April 9-10, No. 148 pulled its second excursion train, the Moore Haven Meteor from Clewiston to Moore Haven, Florida and back.[21] On April 23-25, 2022, No. 148 participated in pulling a consist of eight different heritage passenger cars for the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners' (AAPRCO) special Sugarland Limited train on a multi-day tour around the Lake Okeechobee counties.[22][23]
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