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Florida East Coast Railway Steam Locomotives

The classifications given by railroads to their steam locomotive fleets were as varied as the machines themselves with several different designations within a particular class! The Florida East Coast Railway steam locomotives were likewise characterized by a wide range of classes although instead of letters as was commonly used to denote types the FEC chose numbers. In any event, the information here is most certainly not a complete, all-time listing of FEC's steam fleet and also is merely meant to list the general types of steam locomotives operated by the railroad.

The Florida East Coast Railway (commonly known as the FEC), like many classic American railroads has had a very rich and interesting past. However, what happily sets it apart from those railroads is that it is not a fallen flag, and continues to operate today under its original name just as it has for the past 112 years. The FEC of today currently hugs Florida’s Atlantic coast and runs basically north to south, serving the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, West Palm Beach, and Miami.

The FEC did not roster anything larger than 4-8-2 Mountains but then again it never needed to with lines that had virtually no grade. Surprisingly, for its small size there are several FEC steam locomotives preserved, including five 4-6-2 Pacifics.

Class 37

The FEC's Class 37 included its fleet of 4-6-0 Ten-Wheelers.

Class 40

The FEC's Class 40 included more of its fleet of 4-6-0 Ten-Wheelers.

Class 45

The FEC's Class 45 included its fleet of 4-4-2 Atlantics.

Class 65

The FEC's Class 65 included its fleet of 4-6-2 Pacifics.

Class 98

The FEC's Class 65 included more of its fleet of 4-6-2 Pacifics.

Class 201

The FEC's Class 201 included its fleet of 0-6-0 switchers.

Class 251

The FEC's Class 251 included its fleet of 0-8-0 switchers.

Class 301

The FEC's Class 301 included its fleet of 4-8-2 Mountains.

Class 401

The FEC's Class 401 included more of its fleet of 4-8-2 Mountains.

Class 701

The FEC's Class 701 included its fleet of 2-8-2 Mikados.

Class 801

The FEC's Class 801 included more of its fleet of 4-8-2 Mountains.

For complete roster information regarding Florida East Coast Railway steam locomotives please click here.

For more reading and background about the FEC consider the book below written by Seth Bramson. In Speedway to Sunshine the author gives an excellent historical background on the FEC from its beginnings through today. From the reviews I have read about the book it is the very best out there detailing the railroad (especially considering it is quite shy of the public eye) so if you are a fan/historian of the FEC or just looking for a good railroad book you should not go wrong with Speedway to Sunshine.

Also consider Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive by author J. Parker Lamb. As the name implies the book details the earliest history of steam engine technology, even before it was used in railroad applications. His book later explores the development of steam locomotive technology in the United States from the 19th through the 20th centuries, covering not only the most popular steam locomotive designs but also the most successful manufactures to build them. The book has received excellent reviews and is a great resource on steam locomotives and a fine reference tool; you should find it very useful. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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