Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad
Coordinates: 28°48′07″N 81°43′32″W / 28.801960°N 81.725600°W
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| Locale | Lake County, Florida, USA |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | October 8, 2011–January 29, 2017 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Headquarters | Tavares, Florida |
The Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad (TE&G), advertised as the Orange Blossom Cannonball, was a tourist railroad company operating excursion trains on track owned by the Florida Central Railroad,[1] located in the northern portion of Central Florida. The TE&G was a subsidiary of the Reader Railroad located in Arkansas.
History
The oldest segment of track on which the TE&G routinely operated, between Eustis and Tavares, was originally constructed by the St. Johns & Lake Eustis Railway Company between 1882 and 1883.[2] The segment of track that the TE&G used most often, between Mount Dora and Tavares, was originally constructed by the Sanford & Lake Eustis Railway Company between 1886 and 1887.[3]
Train Services
The Orange Blossom Cannonball was a train service run by the TE&G utilizing a wood-fired steam locomotive. The excursion was a 1-hour & 45-minute trip between Tavares and Mount Dora with 30 minutes each direction and a 45-minute stop in between. Special excursions were also offered, including Trains of the Wild West, The Great Pumpkin Limited, and The Cannonball Christmas Express.
Locomotives
- No. 2: 1907 Baldwin 2-6-0 steam locomotive. Only operational standard gauge steam locomotive in Florida and the oldest operational steam locomotive in the state of any gauge at the time of its operation under the TE&G.[4] It has been featured in several recent Hollywood movies, including O Brother, Where Art Thou? and True Grit.[5]
- No. 33: 1941 GE 45-ton switcher diesel locomotive. When this engine was pulling the train, it was listed as the Lake Dora Limited.
No. 2 steam locomotive
No. 33 diesel locomotive
End of operations
On January 6, 2017, the Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad announced that their operation would be leaving Lake County, Florida on January 31, 2017 with the last trains scheduled for January 29, 2017. No official details on the future of the company or of the rolling stock were provided.[6]
See also
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
- Florida Railroad Museum
- Gold Coast Railroad Museum
- Hogwarts Express (Universal Orlando Resort)
- TECO Line Streetcar System
- Walt Disney World Railroad
References
- ↑ Federal Railroad Administration Press Releases - FRA Announces $2.2 Million Grant for Central Florida Rail Upgrade
- ↑ Saint Johns River Historical Society, Inc. - The Railroad
- ↑ Orlando Sentinel - Florida's Little Railroads That Could
- ↑ "Surviving Steam Locomotives in Florida". Steamlocomotive.com. December 14, 2016. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ↑ Orland Sentinel - All aboard! Cannonball express is ready to roll this weekend
- ↑ "Orange Blossom Cannonball Leaving Lake County". Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad. January 6, 2017. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
External links
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