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Busy Season Ahead for U.S. Sugar 148

Recently, Sugar Express released the remainder of its schedule for the 2024 season. Photo Courtesy of U.S. Sugar. 

Busy Season Ahead for U.S. Sugar 148

By Railfan & Railroad Staff

U.S. Sugar 4-6-2 148 has another busy fall and winter ahead of it in Florida. Recently, Sugar Express released the remainder of its schedule for the 2024 season. 

This year has been the railroad attraction’s biggest yet and follows a record-breaking 2023 when the Sugar Express hauled more than 10,000 people. 

The remaining season will begin October 19, with the Lake Placid Limited operating between Clewiston and Lake Placid. On October 20, the Archbold Arrow will invite guests to travel from Clewiston to the historic Archbold Biological Station, founded in 1941, to take an afternoon nature tour. 

On November 9, locomotive 148 will lead the Clewiston Comet between Lake Placid and Clewiston. Then, on November 10, the Highland County Crescent will run between Sebring and Childs. Finally, in December, the locomotive will lead a series of holiday-themed excursions. The full schedule can be found online

Locomotive 148 was built at Alco’s Richmond Works in April 1920 and worked in passenger service for Florida East Coast before being sold to U.S. Sugar in 1952. At U.S. Sugar, the locomotive moved sugar cane from the fields to a mill at Clewiston. After it was retired by U.S. Sugar, 148 briefly returned to passenger service in the 1970s at New Jersey’s Black River & Western and Morristown & Erie. The locomotive saw a number of owners after that and spent time in Colorado, Michigan and Connecticut. In each instance, hopes to restore the locomotive to operation always faltered. In late 2016, U.S. Sugar repurchased the locomotive and brought it back to Clewiston for restoration. It returned to service in 2020. 

This article was posted on: September 10, 2024