November 2009 AAPRCO Convention Special Train on FEC

I see that FEC has approved operating AAPRCO's 2009 convention special train over their line Jacksonville - Titusville - New Smyrna Beach - St. Augustine - Jacksonville on November 3rd - 4th, 2009. It appears they will also be covering the NASA Railroad from the FEC interchange over to the Kennedy Space Center and return to FEC.

http://www.aaprco.com/convention/2009/09index.html

AAPRCO did the FEC Railway 10 years ago with their 1999 convention special train.

AAPRCO has revised plans for their 2009 convention special train, which is named in honor of the late Amtrak VP James Larson. The special train from Washington DC to City Point FL and return will operate on FEC for two days in November. While on FEC, an FEC unit will lead a pair of Amtrak P42DC locomotives and approximately 23 private cars.

Tuesday November 3rd: Train leaves Jacksonville Amtrak station in the morning, shifts to FEC and travels south to City Point. Train will be parked at City Point remainder of the day and overnight. Passengers will tour NASA Kennedy Space Center that afternoon. Earlier plans to operate the special train over the NASA Railroad into the Kennedy Space Center were cancelled due to security requirements that were deemed burdensome.

Wednesday November 4th: City Point to St Augustine in the morning ... passengers have 5 hours to detrain and to tour St Augustine ... then train proceeds from St Augustine north to Jacksonville, where train shifts to CSX routing north to Savannah. Train parked at Savannah Amtrak station until Sunday morning November 8th.

Let me know if my favorite cars show up. The Silver Lariat is an ex-CZ VistaDome car, and the Scottish Thistle is a heavyweight observation car, owned by Dean McCormack. Both are available for charters. Both are based at LAUS, Los Angeles.

pennsy wrote:Let me know if my favorite cars show up. The Silver Lariat is an ex-CZ VistaDome car, and the Scottish Thistle is a heavyweight observation car, owned by Dean McCormack. Both are available for charters. Both are based at LAUS, Los Angeles.

SCOTTISH THISTLE and Dean McCormick will be at the convention.

SILVER LARIAT will not be there. They will be joining SILVER RAPIDS and SILVER SOLARIUM on an October 30th - November 1st special train from Oakland to Portola and return (via Altamont Pass and Feather RIver Canyon) on the former WP to mark the 100th anniversary of the driving of the last spike on the Western Pacific on November 1, 1909.

Plans have changed again. City point will not be the tie up point for this train. Yes the train will park there, but word from higher ups at Jax is that after the passengers return, they said it is going to run back north to New Smyrna and tie up there.

I would enjoy seeing photos of the special train on the FEC.

RUMOR: A mileage collector told me the special train made a sidetrip from St Augustine down the Palatka Branch to the vicinity of I-95 or near end of track.