High Iron Travel's "Southern Explorer"
Rare Mileage Excursion
May 25-30, 2010

Part 5, Fountain, Ala.-Pensacola, Fla. and back

Our first photo stop out of Fountain next morning was down a sharp, curvy grade at aptly named Frisco City, Ala., primarily to let some families of railroaders and friends disembark, having taken the kids for a train ride. They were well-behaved and enjoyed the dome. We had added unit 444 at Fountain since Pensacola has no place to turn an engine.

The kids had fun in the dome.

In Pensacola yard, our engines ran around, then shoved us down along Main St. to the practical end of track, east of a lumber yard no longer getting rail service but whose switch was still in.

Next morning, we watered the cars from a hose that stretched from the yard office, out of sight past some full tracks to the right, and went under the cars. A paper mill at Cantonment, 10 miles or so north, is the only revenue down at this end; units are kept there. I shot BN switchers at this yard my only prior time here, in the early 1990's.

Someone cannot spell!

Two road units (ex-CN and ex-New England Central) were parked right next to us as we went thru Cantonment yard, but then we passed this Point Comfort & Northern switcher (another RailAmerica road) on the paper mill lead.

Caritas was properly pointed once again, and here I am properly attired in headgear anyway. Shirt is from Bart J's Bay Coast (Va.) caper. This property has some welded rail, and we did anywhere from a few 10 mph slow orders up to about 35 or 40. Photo by, I think, either Clark Johnson or Al Butler.

Going over CSX's ex-L&N main at Atmore, Ala.

Tight curves on the grade going up to Fountain.

The kudzu is trying to reach the rails.

An ex-DT&I GP40 still in GTW colors is ready to lead a freight south out of Fountain yard.

Crew change and photo op back at Fountain shop, and time to shoot the power there. We went on to Linden, Ala., for the night, with no more stops, and upon arrival, the engines cut off right away. We spent the night there, then took a bus to Meridian, Miss., the next morning while the M&B Railroad (former Meridian & Bigbee) took the empty cars over; M&B originally was going to allow us to ride, but Genesee & Wyoming lawyers chickened out at the last minute.

9610 is ex-CN, in red and gray (RA's "Monon" colors); FEC kept a bunch of ex-UP SD40-2's it bought in yellow and gray, changing only the letters. FEC still has many, but some have gone to other RA roads.

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