P.S. I rode this line back in 2007 on a "fan trip" when it was Inland Lakes Railway (now defunct). My recollection is it's not signalled, and it's probably 30mph or less the whole way.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Many years ago, they ran a dinner train on this FC route (Apopka to Mount Dora, I believe), but I never had a chance to ride it before the train was discontinued. Since then, I know of at least one spot where the former FC rails have been abndoned and dismantled to make room for a new highway interchange.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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I recall riding a short-lived tourist operation called the Mt. Dora Doodlebug about 6-8 years ago.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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I enjoyed the video. Is the A/C the reason for the "air line" refer to in the Seaboard logo?
Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007
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I believe, in the old days, the term "air line" referred to the shortest distance between two points. I don't think the term Seaboard Air Line ever had anything to do with airlines or aircraft or with their air conditioning. Seaboard was all trains and railroads, from what I can tell.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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Richard is correct. The Seaboard Air Line predated airplanes and air conditioning. It's name was intended to indicate that their railroad offered the most direct route between two points.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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Seaboard Air Line's all-Pullman train was completely air-conditioned with buffet-lounges, a barber shop, shower-baths, and an open observation car.
Richard
Agree with that, provided it kept the same route over the "S" line in Florida and served Ocala!
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Looks like US Railcar (formerly Colorado Railcar) has their fingers in this pie. I've been on Tri-Met's WES, which operates CRC railcars and I didn't come away with a great appreciation of CRC equipment. The cars were new and nice, but the engines were very loud, acceleration is lousy and there was a lot of vibration that made for a very uncomfortable ride.
The article says that the new service will only need about $20 million in taxpayer money for minor track improvements and a ridership study. I'm presuming that the FCEN, currently an all-freight, shortline operator, likely has a top speed limit of about 25 mph, which would allow 30 mph for passenger service. I can't imagine that $20 mil would be enough to get the tracks up to 60 or 79 mph standards. So, how many commuters would abandon their cars to ride on shiny new--but loud and slow--DMU's that are restricted to a top speed of 30 mph and an effective speed of about 22 mph? I guess the ridership study will answer that question.
Posts: 831 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jan 2011
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You get what you pay for and when you try to do commuter rail on the cheap you're going to have a loud, slow, bumpy ride....
Worse, if they try to run the double-decker DMU's (which are 3-4 feet TALLER than conventional bi-level coaches) on this uneven FCEN track, those suckers are going to pitch and roll like the SS Minnow on it's three-hour tour.
This plan seems like something intended merely to distract the public's attention while some other thing (like a new highway project) gets an obscure end around.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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I live in an area where electricity has yet to reach - for trains, that is! So the twice a week I head to the office I board an HST (powered car either end; eight passengers carriages in between) then a local DMU. The DMU varies but the Class 158 is dangerous for me. I'm a light sleeper, as in I need the right circumstances to sleep, and those class 158s lull me like a lullaby. It's the gentle throbbing of the engines under your feet (since each carriage is powered) and seems to be in the right frequency to sleep - and risk missing your station! And, before you say it, yes we also have far worse types that I outwardly groan at before boarding for even a short journey.
In any case, what I'm trying to say is that a DMU is not necessarily any worse than an electric train, or engineless cars hauled by a locomotive of any kind. Certainly, in this country, loco-hauled trains are far more costly and inefficient to run than DMUs or EMUs.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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I've had the opportunity to ride the Colorado Railcar DMU's in demonstration service on Florida's Tri-Rail Commuter service and I really liked the fact that the upstairs seating offered quite a view.
My concern is that the railroad in question here is not in very good shape and would offer a slow, rough, ride that would not be particularly competitive time-wise..... and may even feel uncomfortably like the car was tipping over from upstairs.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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While I'm all for the addition of commuter train routes and long distance routes, this one is, as pointed out above, a bit odd. From Tavares the line actually heads away from Orlando for awhile to circumnavigate one of the area's large lakes. The entire route is slow going and there are numerous grade crossings once the line approaches Orlando. I've ridden the line in a motorcar (speeder) and it's far from a straight line. And ditto the comments about DMUs...great upstairs view but it would feel top heavy on a less than terrific track.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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Something isn't right with this picture. I think that it is just something to get started, to slow Sunrail. As isn't Mica the guy who tried to cut Amtrak. He is up to something
Posts: 465 | From: elgin (s-line) | Registered: Dec 2008
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