Staurt Florida FEC Bridge

This is the FEC bridge over the St Lucie River just north of downtown Stuart. It is taken from the north shore between the tressel and the old Roosevelt drawbridge. The new fixed Roosevelt bridge is in the background.
I have been wanting to get a video of a train crossing the bridge but always miss. I found one on YouTube taken by someone else. Upstream is to the right and divides into the North and South Forks of the St. Lucie just past the old bridge.

Engineer's Cap

Origin of the Blue and White Striped Engineer's Cap 

There is no sport that evokes more nostalgia among Americans than baseball. America's favorite pastime originated before the Civil War as a game called "rounders." Throughout the 1850s and 60s, the game evolved to include more mental judgment skills, and eventually involved scoring and record keeping. By 1871, just two years after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, the professional baseball league was born.

By the time the early 20th century rolled around, most large cities in the eastern United States had professional baseball teams. Because of the sport's popularity, many famous ball players like Phil Rizzuto, Eddie Matthews, Harry "The Hat" Walker and the legendary Babe Ruth spent a significant amount of time riding the rails.

Employees of the railroads, with a desire for camaraderie and recreation, formed employee baseball teams. These teams were quite organized and even competed in leagues and championships.

One semi-famous railroader took time off to play semi-pro and professional baseball. George "Stormy" Kromer was an engineer for the Chicago and North Western. Kromer made a habit of wearing his baseball cap while at the controls of his engine, but it just wasn't quite what he needed while on the job.

Kromer came home one day and lamented his discomfort to to his wife, Ida. The Kromers put their heads together and came up the design of what we now call the railroad engineer's cap.

Ida Kromer, an expert seamstress, assembled George's new cap with what she had at hand: blue and white pinstripe pillow ticking. Their efforts were a hit. The cap became very popular among railroaders, and ultimately resulted in the beginning of a business that still exists today.

Source with a photo of the Kromers. 

I have two. One with no logo and one from Tweetsie Railroad. No, I am not going to post a photo of me wearing them. 

Patsy Cline Song

Patsy Cline: Life is Like a Mountain Railroad. Sometimes it is called Life's Railroad.

Life is like a mountain railroad
With an engineer that's brave
We must make the run successful
From the cradle to the grave

Watch the curves and watch the tunnels
Never falter, never fail
Keep your hands upon the throttle
And your eye upon the rail

Blessed Saviour that will guide us
Till we reach that blissful shore
Were the angels wait to join us
In God's grace forevermore

Blessed Saviour that will guide us
Till we reach that blissful shore
Were the angels wait to join us
In God's grace forevermore

Tompaul Glaser did the same song but it was called Life's Railway to Heaven.
Quiz question: How many remember Tompaul and The Glaser Brothers?

Valentine's Day Supper Train

Happy Valentine's Day

Several railroads have Valentine's Day dinner and brunch trains. 
Treat yourself and your Valentine to a train ride and a nice meal in a very special setting. 

Photos from New Hope and Ivyland Railroad in New Hope, PA.

Blog Hijack by Terry's Planes

The blog has been taken over by aircraft today. This WW II instructional video was just to neat and I had to share it.It is a little long at 40 minutes. I watched every minute of it.

Uncrating and Field Assembly of the P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter - 1944

"This truly remarkable step-by-step training film shows how a ground support crew of fifty men could assemble a P-47 fighter in a farm field using nothing more than muscle, unpowered hand tools and pieces of the shipping crate it came in. We're talking nothing more than hammers, wrenches and bicycle pumps. You'll get a unique look at the inner workings of the big Jug as it is bolted together. Then a pilot jumps in and flies it away"

 H/T Emil

Steam-Electric Locomotive

The Steam-Electric Arrives!

General Electric promotional film from 1938 chronicling the Union Pacific Railroad taking delivery of two unique pieces of motive power, steam turbine-electric locomotives #1 and #2.

Although they were the most advanced locomotives ever built up to then, they were not successful. Only in operation for six months, among the shortest operational careers in recorded railroading.

More information here . 

FEC with GE Evolution LNG Locomotive

Seen Southbound in Jupiter, Fl. operating as FEC Train #109 mixed freight January 4, 2017. Paced at 50 MPH so it went by quickly.
FEC 807 (ES44C4) , LNG Fuel Tender, GE Evolution NextFuel locomotive #3000.

From Wikipedia: In 2013, General Electric built one ES44AC, GECX 3000, as a test bed for their NextFuel natural gas power kit. The engine runs on liquefied natural gas from a fuel tender. The unit is currently part of BNSF's GE LNG test set, partnered with BNSF ES44AC no. 5815.

Some stills. Sorry for the quality, moving pretty fast and hard to find a decent spot to take pictures. 

FEC 807 was lead locomotive

Followed by the Liquified Natural Gas tender

Then the GE NextFuel locomotive.