NJLS at Tradewinds and Atlantic RR
by Chris Harding
When I was in Florida, last month, I visited the Tradewinds and Atlantic RR in Coconut Creek, Florida (near Fort Lauderdale) for their May 10 work day. They are in a park and have a track that circles a man-made lake. They have one day per month when they give rides to the public, and charge $1.00 for a ride. They say that their railroad brings a lot of people into the park, and I think that the park charges people to come into the park (Shana and I told the park people that we were going to the railroad, and they didn’t charge anything) so the railroad attracts people and adds income to the park.
The T&A is 7½” gauge and has converted from wood to Trex ties. The Trex ties have been in place for up to three years, and the T&A people said they’ve had no problems with them. I mentioned the problem Long Island has encountered, but they didn’t know anything about it. When the T&A used wood ties, they used a 4 x 4 timber under each rail joint, and they screw two Trex pieces together to make a 4 x 4 for each joint now.
The Allen 4-6-0 is owned by a member who lives some distance away near Okeechobee, and is used and maintained as a club locomotive. The T&A crew was adjusting the brake linkage and cylinder while I was there. They also have a club F-9 diesel and train, and members store equipment in the car barn off the transfer table, on several levels. The people I talked with didn’t know how many members T&A has, but their dues are only $25 per year. Quite a few of the members are retired, but at least one still works for the Florida East Coast RR as a locomotive engineer.
The transfer table moves vertically as well as horizontally. The weight of the railroad equipment is balanced by the concrete counterweights on the opposite side of the fulcrum point so there is little chance of the transfer table tipping. The car barn started as two containers, and has had the sloped roof and “widow’s walk” added to make the building more attractive in the park setting.
The “spine riding car” has three sections, but only four trucks total, similar to the spine cars used for double-stack container cars used on real railroads. The T&A has signals using LED’s and at least one power switch. During their run days, they run in both directions, and use the passing sidings, but operate in one direction only on public days.
If you’re in that part of Florida, make it a point to visit the Tradewinds and Atlantic...
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