Coastal Champs and Passenger Action on the A Line

Friday June 12th and Saturday June 13th were two spectacular days trackside on the A Line and the FEC Main about 35 minutes east of my base for the weekend. Knowing that I would have to be in DeLand for the weekend for business, I would take that opportunity to check out some locations on the A Line and the FEC that I have yet to explore. The iconic and well known walkway over the A Line in Orange City between DeBary and DeLand allows for trains to reach speeds over 70 MPH. That was the case on this steaming hot afternoon for Amtrak and Sunrail on this portion of the A Line. The next morning found me on the Florida East Coast Railway in New Smyrna Beach to catch the Saturday morning rush with trains 103, 204, and 202 all passing. The main reason I ventured this way was for the leader on 204 being SD40-2 703. Built for the Union Pacific in January of 1980, 703 remains the last active SD40-2 on the FEC and has been stuck on this rotation leading trains 204 and 103 for quite awhile between Ft Pierce and Jacksonville. Later that afternoon would find us back on the A Line where saw Amtrak 97 and 98 around DeLand since Sunrail does not run on the weekend. We would also explore one of the more classic examples of ACL depots in Florida with DeLand being one of most historic.