U.S. Sugar 148

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 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 to haul sugarcane trains in Clewiston, 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 typeSteam
BuilderALCO's Richmond Works
Serial number61769
Build dateApril 1920
Rebuild date2017-2020
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-2
 • UIC2′C1′ h
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.68 in (1,727 mm)
Adhesive weight126,500 lb (57.4 tonnes)
Loco weight204,000 lb (92.5 tonnes)
Tender weight162,000 lb (73.5 tonnes)
Total weight366,000 lb (166.0 tonnes)
Fuel typeRecycled vegetable oil
Fuel capacity3,500 US gal (13,000 l; 2,900 imp gal)
Water cap.7,300 US gal (28,000 l; 6,100 imp gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		47.1 sq ft (4.4 m2)
Boiler66+5⁄8 in (1,692 mm)
Boiler pressure180 psi (1.24 MPa)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox		160 sq ft (14.9 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • Heating area440 sq ft (40.9 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size22 in × 26 in (559 mm × 660 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Valve type11-inch (279 mm) piston valves
Performance figures
Maximum speed70 mph (113 km/h)
Tractive effort28,314 lbf (125.95 kN)
Factor of adh.4.47
Career
OperatorsFlorida East Coast Railway (1920-1952)
U.S. Sugar (1952-1968, 2020-present)
Black River and Western Railroad (1971-1974)[1]
Class141
Number in class8 of 10
Numbers
  • 148
Retired1968 (revenue service)
1982 (1st excursion service)
RestoredApril 2020
Current ownerU.S. Sugar
DispositionOperational, based in Clewiston, Florida

During the 1970s, No. 148 was sold again to New Jersey for use in excursion service on the Black River and Western and Morristown and Erie railroads. Between 1982 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, U.S. Sugar reacquired the No. 148 locomotive and restored it to operating condition by 2020 for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express shortline railroad as part of their heritage tourist passenger train named the Sugar Express.

History

Revenue service on the FEC and U.S. Sugar (1920-1968)
The static 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 ALCO in April 1920 for the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC).[2] It was assigned to haul passenger and freight trains on the FEC's Overseas Railroad between Miami, Florida and Key West, Florida until 1935, when the Labor Day Hurricane destroyed many of the route's long bridges and due to the Great Depression, the FEC permanently closed down the Overseas Railroad.[3] During that time, the FEC began to retire most of their older 4-6-2 locomotives for scrap or selling them to other railroads.[3] No. 148 remained in service with the FEC until 1952, when it was sold to U.S. Sugar in Clewiston, Florida to haul sugarcane trains from the harvest field to U.S. Sugar's sugarcane mills.[3][4]

Excursion career in New Jersey and changing ownerships (1970-2016)

In the 1960s, U.S. Sugar began to retire most of their steam locomotives, including No. 148 from the roster in favor of diesel locomotives.[3] In 1968, No. 148 was purchased by Sam Freeman, who used the locomotive in excursion service on the Black River and Western and Morristown and Erie railroads in New Jersey during the 1970s.[1][5] On October 25, 1975, No. 148 took part in a doubleheaded excursion train from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to South Plainfield, New Jersey led by Ex-Canadian Pacific 4-6-0 No. 972 in commemoration of the end of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Upon the death of Freeman in 1982, the No. 148 locomotive was donated to the Connecticut Valley Railroad Museum in Essex, Connecticut, but was sold off to a private party in Traverse City, Michigan in the 1990s until it ended up being stored in Monte Vista, Colorado by the Denver and Rio Grande Historical Foundation in 2005.[3][6] This was due to many of No. 148's previous owners attempted to restore the locomotive to operating condition but to no avail.[5]

Current excursion career with U.S. Sugar (2020-present)

In late 2016, U.S. Sugar reacquired the No. 148 locomotive and made plans to restore it to operating condition for use in excursion service as part of their new Sugar Express tourist passenger train running on their South Central Florida Express main line.[7][8] After an extensive three-year restoration work with assistance from FMW Solutions, No. 148 moved under its own power for the first time in April 2020, performing test runs and began its first revenue service on May 28, 2020, pulling the last sugarcane train of the 2019–2020 harvest season.[5][8] On December 12, 2021, the No. 148 locomotive ran its first Sugar Express public excursion train, the Lake Placid Limited from Clewiston to Lake Placid, Florida and back.[9][10]

On January 29-30, 2022, U.S. Sugar and Trains Magazine hosted a private photo charter of the No. 148 locomotive pulling passenger and freight consists.[11] On that same year of April 9-10, the No. 148 locomotive pulled its second excursion train, the Moore Haven Meteor from Clewiston to Moore Haven, Florida and back.[12] On April 23, No. 148 participated in taking the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners' (AAPRCO) special Sugarland Limited train from Sebring station to Clewiston.[13]

See also

References
  1. Jagger (2016), p. 87.
  2. Drury (2015), p. 178.
  3. "The History of Engine No. 148". Sugar Express. U.S. Sugar. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  4. Bramson (2003), p. 238.
  5. Burkhart, M.T. (April 20, 2020). "A Sweet Surprise: U.S. Sugar 4-6-2 Steams Again in Florida". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  6. "Joint Line High Wide Loads Florida East Coast Steam Engine and Boeing 737" (PDF). Rocky Mountain Rail Report. Rocky Mountain Railroad Club. April 2005. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 30, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  7. "Historic steam train returns to Clewiston". WFTX-TV. December 13, 2016. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  8. "U.S. Sugar Steam Locomotive No. 148 Hauls Sugarcane Train to Mill Ending Harvest Season, New "Sugar Express" Launched". U.S. Sugar. May 28, 2020. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  9. "Sugar Express Offers First Public Excursion, Santa Express Returns". Sugar Express. U.S. Sugar. November 11, 2021. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  10. "Lake Placid Limited". Sugar Express. U.S. Sugar. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  11. "Trains Magazine event features U.S. Sugar steam operation". Trains. Kalmbach Media. January 31, 2022. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  12. "Steam-powered train rides to Moore Haven April 9th and 10th". Sugar Express. U.S. Sugar. March 14, 2022. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  13. "AAPRCO 2022 Sugarland Limited". American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners, Inc. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.

Bibliography
  • Bramson, Seth H. (2003). Speedway to Sunshine: The Story of the Florida East Coast Railway (1st ed.). Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1-55046-358-6.
  • Drury, George (2015). Guide to North American Steam Locomotives, Revised Edition (2nd ed.). Kalmbach Media. ISBN 978-1-62700-259-2.
  • Jagger, Jerry J. (2016). Black River & Western Railroad. Images of Rails (1st ed.). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4671-2412-6.
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