Rail America Affiliation

How was FEC affiliated with Rail America? Was my understanding was that FEC was purchased by the same parent company as Rail America's. Did this connection end?

When Fortresss took over the FEC they adopted the Rail America style timetable, GCOR rule book and Rail America other rules and manuals. Today the FEC is completely separate from Rail America with its own timetable and rulebook again. In fact Fortress is going to sell Rail America to the G & W next year while they do not intend to sell the Florida East Coast. I think the next months and years are going to be very interesting to followers of the Florida East Coast.
Noel Weaver

They'll maybe sell it after they monetize the real estate.

What sense did it make to adopt a common rulebook? It's not like FEC and any RA properties were connections, and neither were they similar railroads. RA is a bunch of quiet backwater branches and a few moderate regionals, FEC is a mini Class I. Different traffic, different area.

GCOR was in common use especially in the west but in other areas as well. It made sense at the time but after using the GCOR rules for a period of time it just didn't work out on the FEC. The FEC is in some ways quite different from most of the other railroads and management felt that their own rules written especially for their own railroad suited their purpose much better than common rules elsewhere. Originally when Fortress Investments took over ownership of the railroad they felt that Rail American was their dominant railroad but after operating the FEC they wisely decided that FEC was not a good mix with the other Rail American lines and today there is no connection between them in rules, operations, management or anything else for that matter.
Noel Weaver

I have heard about FEC power on NECR. Was it repatriated? If not, did FEC have surplus power, or did they get other RA units in trade?

The four engines on the NEC were eventually sold to Rail America. Meantime the FEC got four new SD-70's plus the use of three CIT SD-70's. Some of the other engines that were out on lease were eventually returned to the FEC.
Noel Weaver