Final FEC in Florida

We’re back home in Connecticut now, but I managed to squeeze in one more FEC train on the way home.  Actually, I have to credit my wife for spotting the train and suggesting we get a couple shots of it.  How could I argue with her logic?

On our way home, we decided to stop off at Kennedy Space Center to give the girls a little taste of spaceflight, and see the rockets, capsules and shuttle up close.  After spending most of the day there, we packed up and headed out.  The way from KSC to I95 was over the Bennett Causeway, which spans the Indian River as well as the FEC tracks.  On our way west over the causeway, Jill mentioned that she saw a train north of the bridge, and we should try and find it since it was close by.  Listening to my wife, I headed off the Industry Rd. exit and proceeded to blindly explore the area.

We found that the train was slowly pulling a cut of loaded hoppers through the Cemex cement facility in Cocoa as they unloaded (a careful observer will notice that the red hoppers will look hauntingly familiar – Tilcon uses former FEC hoppers during stone season).  And after further research, it seems that the train was under remote control.  Behind the two units was a yellow car – FEC 7210 – which is a remote receiver car, so presumably the train was being remote controlled from within the plant as the cars were being unloaded.

I got a couple shots of the train down off of Route 1, and one shot from the westernmost side of the causeway.  Here they are.

A pair of FEC 6-packs work the Cemex facility in Cocoa, FL

Taken with	Canon EOS 50D
Date Taken	2010:01:04 14:35:23
Aperture	f/8.0
Exposure Time	0.003 s (1/320)
Focal Length (mm)	70.00 (70/1)
ISO	200

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A pair of FEC 6-packs work the Cemex facility in Cocoa, FL

Taken with	Canon EOS 50D
Date Taken	2010:01:04 14:37:22
Aperture	f/8.0
Exposure Time	0.003 s (1/400)
Focal Length (mm)	40.00 (40/1)
ISO	200

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A closeup at FEC #107's nose

Taken with	Canon EOS 50D
Date Taken	2010:01:04 14:37:57
Aperture	f/8.0
Exposure Time	0.003 s (1/400)
Focal Length (mm)	200.00 (200/1)
ISO	200

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The FEC's home build remote platform

Taken with	Canon EOS 50D
Date Taken	2010:01:04 14:38:02
Aperture	f/8.0
Exposure Time	0.003 s (1/400)
Focal Length (mm)	200.00 (200/1)
ISO	200

View in the gallery

A pair of FEC 6-packs work the Cemex facility in Cocoa, FL

Taken with	Canon EOS 50D
Date Taken	2010:01:04 14:41:20
Aperture	f/9.0
Exposure Time	0.003 s (1/400)
Focal Length (mm)	157.00 (157/1)
ISO	200

View in the gallery

From there it was back to Connecticut over the next two days…

Thanks for looking!
Tom