South Eastern Railcar Operators, Inc.

Florida Midland Railroad
Florida Central Railroad
Florida Northern Railroad

Motorcar Excursion March 13, 14 & 15, 2009

South Eastern Railcar Operators, Inc. will sponsor a motorcar excursion on the Florida Midland, Florida Central and Florida Northern Railroads, all of which are a part of the Pinsley Railroads group who have graciously allowed us to operate.

FRIDAY- Florida Midland Railroad - Lake Wales, FL Set On will start at 08:30 A.M. Ample parking is available adjacent to the Set On location at E. Stuart Ave. East of N. Scenic Highway. For a photo of the set-on site click HERE . We will make a reverse move (back the cars) North about 1/3 mile, where, after clearing a switch, we can proceed to West lake Wales near the CSX connection. We will turn on a paved crossing and return to the point clear of the switch, turn the cars again on one of several paved crossings in a city park, then proceed South to Lake Wales for a lunch break.

Lunch facilities are available at several restaurants close to the set-on location along Stuart Avenue as pictured HERE. In the afternoon we will run South through rolling hills and orange groves to Frostproof and turn near the end of track. We will run about 34 round trip miles. After set-off we will have the opportunity to visit the nearby ACL railroad Depot Museum.

There is a new Hampton Inn on US 27 just north of Lake Wales. Phone number is 863-734-3000. Otherwise, there are not many hotels in the Lake Wales area and it might be best to drive the 58 miles to Winter Garden where more accommodations are located along Highway 50 (Colonial Drive) within a few miles of Saturday’s set-on location. If you chose to stay in the Winter Garden area Thursday night be sure you allow at least one hour to get to Lake Wales on Friday morning. An RV Park is located nearby as illustrated HERE. Accommodations in the Winter Garden area include:

Red Roof Inn, 11241 West Colonial Drive, Ocoee, FL 34761 (407) 347-0140
Holiday Inn: Orlando West, 10945 West Colonial Drive, Ocoee, FL 34761(407) 656-5050
Courtyard by Marriott Orlando Ocoee, 10971 West Colonial Drive, Ocoee, FL 34761 (407) 573-1010
Orlando Winter Garden Campground Resort, 13905 W. Colonial Drive Winter Garden, Fl. 34787 (407) 656-1415

SATURDAY - Florida Central Railroad - Winter Garden, FL Our set-on location is on South Main Street just East of the railroad museum in the old depot in the city center. The set on site is pictured HERE and the depot museum near the old fashioned water tank is HERE or HERE for a spherical photo. Set on begins at 07:00 We will Leave Winter Garden at 08:30 and run to Wooten Park in Tavares with a “pit” stop at the railroad headquarters in Plymouth.

After setting off, we can again visit the railroad museum before heading for Sunday’s run in Ocala. It’s an easy 65 miles trip via the Florida Turnpike (entrance only about 2 miles from set-off) and I-75 to Ocala. Ocala’s many hotels include:

Days Inn of Ocala, 3811 N US-27, Ocala FL 34482 (352) 629-7041
Ramada Inn, N US-27, Ocala FL 34482 (352) 732-3131
Holiday Inn Express of Ocala, 1212 SW Pine Ave, (Hwy 441, 301 & 27) Ocala FL 34474 (352) 629-7300
La Quinta Inn and Suites, 3530 SW 36th Ave, (near SR200 & I-75) Ocala FL 34474 (352) 861-1137

SUNDAY - Florida Northern Railroad - Ocala, FL We will set on in downtown Ocala, Florida, North of Highway 40 grade crossing in an area where the track runs down the middle of the street for several blocks starting at 08:00. Click HERE for a picture of the set-on site, or HERE for a spherical photo.

Departure at 09:00. We will run South to Candler (14 miles each way) and return to the set on location for a lunch break. Anyone on a tight schedule can set off at this time. In the afternoon, we will cross the CSX main line on the diamond at the Ocala station and run North to the end of the track near Lowell (11 miles each way). It is a very pretty run. There are a number of busy crossings that we will have to flag. We will also have to cross the CSX main on the diamond at the Amtrack station in Ocala.

Do not set on any track before checking in on any day

SPECIAL NOTE: All cars must be on the track and inspected prior to the Safety Meeting. This means you need to
arrive at the set-on location at least 30 minutes before the scheduled Safety Meeting.

Schedule
Friday

08:30 Set on - Lake Wales, FL
09:30 Safety Briefing
09:45 Departure
11:00 W. Lake Wales - Turn Cars
12:00 Return to Lake Wales
13:00 Depart Lake Wales
14:00 Arrive Frostproof - Turn Cars
15:30 Return - Lake Wales - Set Off

Schedule
Saturday

07:30 Set-on Winter Garden
08:15 Safety Briefing
08:30 Departure
10:00 Rest room stop - Plymouth
11:15 Lunch - Wooten Park, Tavares
13:00 Depart Tavares
14:00 Rest room stop - Plymouth
15:45 Return - Winter Garden, Set Off

Schedule
Sunday

08:00 Set on - Ocala, FL
08:45 Safety Briefing
09:00 Departure
10:30 Arrive Candler - Turn Cars
12:00 Return to Ocala
12:30 Depart Ocala
14:00 Arrive Lowell - Turn Cars
15:30 Return - Ocala - Set Off

 

 

NARCOA Insurance is required. NARCOA Operating Rules and Regulations will be in effect. A NARCOA Certificate of Examination is required.

Cost is $135.00 per Motorcar for any or all three days. Make checks payable to:

Kathy Pults,
PO Box 867,
High Springs, Florida 32655.

BE SURE AND INCLUDE AN EMAIL ADDRESS
All confirmations, etc. will be by email.

Coordinators:
Charles Pults 386-454-4659 rrequip@alltel.net
Keith Mackey 352-347-0770 keithm@gate.net
On the day of the meet contact us at 352-317-1666.

DOWNLOADS

CLICK HERE to download this announcement and full color maps of each railroad. The maps are a large file size and will take a while to download on dial-up. The documents are in Adobe Reader .pdf format which comes pre-installed on all new computers. If you do not have this free program, you can download it from Adobe.com.

 

Other interesting information

Pinsley Railroads Home page
Pinsley Railroads in Florida - A map that will help orient the locations of our excursion:
Bok Tower Sanctuary - an interesting attraction near Lake Wales
Chalet Suzanne - A very upscale Inn and wonderful restaurant in Lake Wales - not for those on a tight budget.
Central Florida NRHS Railroad Museum - Winter Garden - our set-on location
Lake Wales Depot Museum - We’ll have a chance to visit this museum

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