The Sweetest Train On Earth: U.S. Sugar Express 1/24/2026 скачать в хорошем качестве

The Sweetest Train On Earth: U.S. Sugar Express 1/24/2026

Located two and a half hours South of Orlando, and an hour and a half north of Miami, U.S. Sugar, based out of Clewiston, Florida, has been farming Sugar Cane in south central Florida since 1931. As part of these efforts, U.S. Sugar operates an extensive rail network covering over 300 miles of track between their own rails, and the South Central Florida Express, which operates a section of former Atlantic Coast Line trackage. In 2016, U.S. Sugar caught the attention of the railfanning world when it acquired former Florida East Coast Pacific #148. Built by ALCO in April of 1920, at their plant in Richmond, Virginia, the 148 was one of 10 Light Pacifics built for the Florida East Coast Railroad, hauling passenger trains across the FEC's system between Jacksonville and Miami, as well as the FEC's Overseas line to Key West, before it was destroyed in a Hurricane in 1935. Retied from regular service in 1952, the engine was sold to U.S. Sugar alongside three of her sisters, where they operated Sugar Cane Trains into the 1960's. 148 was retired in 1968, as the last active steam locomotive on the roster, and was then sold Sam Freeman, where the locomotive would see a surprisingly prolific career operating on various excursions and tourist operations in New Jersey, including stints on the Black River & Western, and the Morristown and Erie, before eventually retiring from excursion service in 1977. From here, the locomotive ended up bouncing around to various owners with plans to eventually restore it to operation, but falling through each time, before it eventually ended up back in the hands of U.S. Sugar, thanks in part to the company's CEO Robert H. Buker, Jr., who saw potential in the locomotive as a public relations tool to connect with Florida's Railroad past. Restoration work would be completed in the midst of COVID in May of 2020, officially becoming Florida's only operating standard gauge steam locomotive, and the only active steam locomotive outside the confines of a theme park. Eventually, a set of passenger cars would be acquired and U.S. Sugar would begin operating excursions under the name of the "Sugar Express." The railroad's primary excursion offering is the "Lake Placid Limited", which runs between U.S. Sugar's shops in Clewiston, and the town of Lake Placid, home of a small museum contained within a restored Atlantic Coast Line Depot, built in 1927. This video sees us chase the 148 and her train from Clewiston to Lake Placid and back. It made for a genuinely incredible railfanning experience, seeing this high-stepping Pacific do exactly what she was built for: high speed running along the mainline. With the locomotive operating at speeds up to 40 MPH, you're unlikely to find an experience like it anywhere else. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the sights and sounds of U.S. Sugar 148 racing along the mainline! I forgot to credit him in the video, but I want to give my most sincere thanks to Steven Saine of Steven Saine Railfanning Productions for providing the chase route. His help was instrumental in making this video. Thank you!