On a recent southbound Amtrack, just north of the Sebring, Florida pasenger station, I spotted a pair of Geeps, painted red, white, and blue, but I wasn't able to make out the name. Can anybody help me find out mre about them, who they serve, when they run? Thanks, Jeff Koehler

-- Jeff Koehler (Koe001@webtv.net), April 23, 2000

Answers

Thew white building in front of the engine house

-- Bill Donahue (BillD53A@aol.com), April 29, 2000.

I was in Clewiston last year but never found any "old SCL depot," just the yard and the new engine house. Where is the depot??

-- Larry Goolsby (LGoolsby@aphsa.org), April 28, 2000.

I believe the units you saw were from the South Central Florida Express, painted orange with a blue stripe. There is info in Gregg Turner's book "RAILROADS OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA", pg 124. There is also a small amount of info at http://www.railwayage.com/aug99/shortline_awards.html and http://www.ussugar.com

Around 1990, CSX sold the line from Sebring to Clewiston to the Brandywine Valley, a subsidiary of Lukens Steel. They ran the road until 1994, when they sold the branch to US Sugar. The SCFE is a common-carrier subsidiary of US Sugar, seperate from it's sugar cane hauling operation. The first thing they did was refurbish the track to make the line operable. The headquarters is in the old SCL depot in Clewiston with a line to the CSX interchange in Sebring, and another line which they just purchased, around the lake to the FEC at Ft. Pierce. They operate 14 units, GP 8, 9, 10, 16 and 18. The GP16s came from CSX, most of the rest look like they came from IC. The units are maintained in a new engine house at Clewiston. During the cane harvest they run 7 days a week, this time of year they work Monday thru Friday. Good to see someone doing it right.

-- Bill Donahue (BillD53A@aol.com), April 24, 2000.