Tag: Train

Sugar Express

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date March 14, 2024

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This past Sunday afternoon I took a fun 2-hour / 46-mile train ride aboard the Sugar Express. It was my first such train ride here in the U.S. in my lifetime. I didn’t really know what to expect with it until it actually occurred.

I picked-up the train at the Highlands County Fairgrounds adjacent to the Alan Jay Arena across from Sebring High School near downtown Sebring Florida. U.S. Sugar actually owns and operates the railroad track that runs adjacent to the Fairgrounds, and we stayed exclusively on their railroad track (also known as the “South Central Florida Express“) for all 23 miles southward and then back northward.

Passengers were already aboard the train over an hour before our 2 PM departure. (I got there early too – surprised that so many others got there even earlier than I.)

The train departed on-time at 2 PM, and we began our slow southward trek towards south of Lake Placid. One of the most surprising things that occurred throughout much of the trip were people (I believe mostly locals who know the train schedule) getting out of their vehicles and taking pictures and recording our train as it passed by. (Lots of tripods were setup.) This occurred at street crossings and adjacent to neighborhoods and businesses where people came out of homes and stores to record us and wave at us. (And many of us waved back.) The scenery was beautiful on a sunny Sunday afternoon – from natural unspoiled Florida scrub to abundant orange groves to sandy hills to picturesque lakes around Lake Placid. It was interesting to see such a diverse and different part of my hometown county that I never see while driving 55 to 65 MPH along U.S. 27.

We arrived in the area south of Lake Placid known as Childs. It’s a sugarcane loading site between train and truck for U.S. Sugar. The train came to a stop for a moment, tested its brakes, and then began slowly moving back northward for the return trek to Sebring.

This was a fun ride. Customer service all around was outstanding. They actually made two trips back and forth through the passenger cars with complimentary bags of chips and cookies – far more than you get on a standard airplane in coach. You also get unlimited Zephyrhills bottled water out of a well-stocked cooler. They even pick-up your trash after you’re done. You’re able to walk through all of the passenger cars at your leisure – even while the train is moving. They sell souvenirs in one of the cars. The top speed of the trip was just shy of 40 MPH (outside of both Sebring and Lake Placid); although, for much of the trip it averaged from 15 to 30 MPH. The ride was mostly smooth except when it reached top speed when it got a little bit “jerky”. It’s got a nostalgic feel to it with original passenger cars from the 1950s, and continuous big band music from the 1940s playing throughout the sound system.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll look back at the cloudy and dreary and rainy and chilly El Niño Winter of 2023-2024 here in the Heartland of Florida. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Florida, Heartland, Sugar, Train

Blogging Geography Travel

All Aboard !

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date January 25, 2024

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. You know I love the sound of train horns in the distance. And in my new home in the Heartland of Florida I hear train horns from afar. When it’s really quiet outside (and inside my own home) – particularly at night – I can actually hear (and almost feel) the sound of the train as it moves along the track. Those are sounds that I never heard down in my former home in deep South Florida. (Trains didn’t go that far south.)

At its closest point the active railroad track (used by AMTRAK and other trains) is just 2 miles to the north-northeast. My home office in the front of my home also faces in that direction, so when I’m sitting here at my desk writing this blog, or writing a sermon, or working on Excel spreadsheets – and I hear the train – it’s a beautiful sound, and it makes me wonder how many people are on that train, or what material and supplies are being hauled, and is it headed northward or southward. It’s a welcome distraction for a few minutes.

FLASHBACK – I wrote about AMTRAK on the July 13TH 2023 edition of #TravelThursday.

I want to ride a train sometime in the future to see America. There’s a vast part of our country that I’ve never seen before (such as California, and the Pacific northwest, and the Rocky Mountain states, and the Great Plains, and even most of New England.)

There’s actually a train that does short sightseeing trips right here in the Heartland of Florida – Sugar Express. That would be a good start to see America – starting right here in my backyard. I may do it in March. That would make for a great #TravelThursday blog post !

Next #TravelThursday – My Heart Will Go On. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Florida, Railroad, Train

Blogging Geography Travel

AMTRAK

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date July 13, 2023

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. My new hometown of Sebring Florida has its very own AMTRAK station (#SBG) downtown. Located at 601 East Center Avenue (less than a half-mile from The Circle) – the Sebring Train Station is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built 99 years ago in 1924. I imagine that some type of celebration may be observed next year for its centennial. It’s been in near-continuous operation ever since.

Many trains have stopped in Sebring to pick-up and drop-off passengers to and from the Florida Heartland. But the trains of the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star continue to do so to this day. Both routes run between Miami and New York. The Silver Meteor has been running since 1939. The Silver Star – 1947.

Headed southbound to Miami the two trains depart from Sebring at 1448 and 1514. They arrive in Miami about 3 hours and 45 minutes later. (They remain there overnight.)

Headed northbound to Washington D.C. the two trains depart from Sebring at 1123 and 1445. The 1123 train arrives in D.C. at 0725 the next morning. The 1445 train arrives in D.C. over 24 hours later at 1504. (It takes a slightly longer route.)

It’s a busy half-hour each afternoon from 1443 to 1514 at the Sebring Train Station with 2 southbound trains and 1 northbound train pulling-in for no more than 2 to 3 minutes each.

I may be wrong, but I don’t think that I have ever ridden on an AMTRAK train in my life. I’d like to change that and eventually take a trip sometime during my retirement years. I checked-out a trip from Sebring to Dallas Texas (where my family lives). It would take almost exactly 72 hours to get there with transfers in Washington D.C. and Chicago. Layovers would be 8 hours and 40 minutes and 5 hours and 10 minutes respectively. I’ll hold-off for now on checking the cost of that trip.

One of these days I’ll just go to the train station to take pictures of it.

Next #TravelThursday – I’m headed back to the Fort Myers campus of Florida SouthWestern State College. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags AMTRAK, Florida, Sebring, Train

Blogging Driving Home Travel

Avon Park Depot Museum

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 23, 2022

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote all about my recent 2-day visit to my future retirement area – Highlands County Florida – located about 3 hours from my current home of nearly 35 years.

I plan to visit the area on a fairly-regular and increasingly-frequent basis going forth, and every time I visit I’ll think about my upcoming purchase in my future gated neighborhood less than 3 miles south of Avon Park, (but with a Sebring address). I’ll also visit some of my favorite places that I’d like to volunteer at during my retirement life.

One such place is the historic Avon Park Depot Museum – operated by the Avon Park Historical Society. It’s located about 4½ miles from my future neighborhood. I actually visited the museum on a previous trip to the area in February 2021. I arrived at the museum. I took a couple of exterior photos. I walked-up to the front door, and it was locked shut. #COVID

What a disappointment. I immediately returned southward to Sebring. That disappointment actually led me to a big “reveal” with the Sebring Historical Society that will lead to additional volunteer opportunities. I’ll write about that experience next week.

So I finally entered the main door of the Avon Park Depot Museum. I and 2 other guests who arrived just before me were greeted together by a friendly volunteer docent. She stopped everything she was doing, and she went out of her way to give the 3 of us an extensive tour of all of the rooms of the museum. She knew her material, and I was eager to absorb it all as she was telling the history of the once-bustling Avon Park train station from the late-1920s through the mid-1970s. (It’s been operating as a museum since 1981.)

She even gave us a bonus exclusive behind-the-scenes tour inside this railroad dining car (acquired in 1986) that last saw action as part of Amtrak’s Auto Train. It’s now used for special catered dining events by groups of 16 to 36 (by reservation only).

After the tour, and after the other 2 guests went on their way I stayed behind just to talk with our docent – Elaine. (She’s the Museum Curator.) I thanked her for the wonderful job that she’s doing. She made history come alive inside that historic building. She was a model docent that I’ll use as an example in my future docent opportunities. I told her that I’m interested in serving at the museum once I move up to the local area next year. I believe that I can help the museum out and contribute in many different ways. I’ll definitely visit again the next time (and probably every time) I visit the area. I told her that I’m a blogger (which she didn’t really understand), and that I’d be writing about the museum (and her) on a future blog post. Next time I visit I’ll share this blog post with her.

Next #TravelThursday I’ll share my unexpected experiences with the Sebring Historical Society – both in February 2021 as well as this most recent visit to the area. Looks like I’ll be very busy working inside Historical Society museums during my upcoming retirement life. Let’s keep traveling together.