Sunday, March 12, 2017

Visit to Florida

It was with deep regret that I heard of the death of Roger Smessaert, whom I had known since I first joined IRM.  He was always a hard worker and positive influence, and in later years he was always a regular reader of the blog.  He will certainly be missed.

Having returned from Florida, I'll be ready to resume work soon.   But first, let's have a slide show, so to speak.  There really wasn't a lot of railfanning, so this won't take long.

The depot at Punta Gorda, near Ft. Myers, is nicely preserved and maintained, and part of it is used as an antique store.

  





The depot also houses a small railroad museum with various artifacts, historical information on the local railroads, and some model trains.


And here are some vintage kits on display.  Varney and Mantua were popular brands when I was young, but I don't recall ever hearing of Globe or Silver Streak.



The only locomotive on display I came across was this 0-6-0 at Lake Park in Ft. Myers.  It's a 1905 Baldwin from the ACL, and has been cosmetically restored.   The shed makes it difficult to get a good picture, but it's being well preserved.







This is a big park, with several lakes containing alligators, among other things, and it has an extensive park train system.  Great for walking.



Stay tuned.  Next time, we'll head out to the Keys.

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