Nostalgia & History > Switcher Saturday Around the Gulf Coast

Many years ago I was sometimes able to squeeze in a day or two of railfanning during a business trip.  I gravitated toward the shortlines, with shots of the three roads below taken around the Gulf Coast area during two such trips.  I would never have thought that once-common end-cab switch engines such as these would eventually become so few and far between.
 
Thanks for looking,
GK
 
1.  Apalachicola Northern, the “Port St. Joe Route,” operated out of Port St. Joe, Florida, and rostered 8 SW1500s along with a handful of SW9s and 3 GP15Ts when I took these shots.  Today this route is the AN Railway, with the power painted in Genesee & Wyoming’s ubiquitous orange/yellow/black scheme.  In March 1988, I caught SW1500s 714, 718, 713, 712, and GP15T 722 in the yard near Port St. Joe.
 
2.  Roster of 714.
 
3.  714 and consist.
 

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4.  AN 709 was 1 of 3 SW9s on the roster at the time, also seen at Port St. Joe.
 
5.  Roughly 200 miles west of Port St. Joe is Mobile, Alabama, home of the Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks.  All MP15s all the time.  Owned by the local Port Authority, TASD serves multiple industries in the area.  In July 1988, I caught TASD 803 and 772 out in the open.  (The AAR reporting marks are TASD; not sure why the cabs are lettered TRR.)
 
6.  TASD 822 does some switching.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/18 09:47 by TheNavigator.

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7.  TASD 801 in an un-photogenic location.
 
8.  Further west about another 150 miles is the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad.  Owned by the Port, the roster at the time of these shots was all SW1001s and SW1500s.  SW1001 #106 was switching the day I was there in July 1988.
 
9.  SW1001 #103 at the engine facility.

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10.  SW1500 #152 also at the engine facility.
 
11.  SW1500 #151 in the yard.

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Tho not pictured here, ex AN SW9 711 still exists. At Progress Rail in Mojave Calif. in red paint. Ben

Interesting that the Apalachicola Northern went with such small units for their road train.   How long was their line and were their weight limitations that forced them to MU 5 units rather than maybe use 3 higher HP units?  

Great post on some roads seldom covered! I especially enjoy seeing the AN stuff. Thanks!

Milwaukee Wrote:
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> Interesting that the Apalachicola Northern went
> with such small units for their road train.   How
> long was their line and were their weight
> limitations that forced them to MU 5 units rather
> than maybe use 3 higher HP units?

According to the 4th edition of Ed Lewis' "American Shortline Railway Guide," the AN was/is 96.3 miles long, with 90-132 lb rail.  I don't know if there were weight restrictions along the line.
GK

Don't know about any weight restrictions, but we (CSXT) us to hand off a loaded unit coal train at Chattahoochee, Fl. We would come in on the old L&N side and envy those "St Joe" crews who even had AC on the switchers. Even oscillating headlights!

Steve Panzik
Chiloquin, Or



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/18 15:58 by ln844south.