ST. LOUIS, MO (July 14th) - A historic Wabash Railroad turntable has been rescued from obscurity and will be preserved as part of a planned steam-driven tourist railroad in South Central Florida.

MetroLink, a light rail system serving the greater St. Louis region, had sought a new home for the historic structure for over 25 years. As MetroLink cleared the area for redevelopment, the turntable’s fate was uncertain. Earlier this year, representatives from FMW Solutions LLC, an industry contractor with expertise in rail preservation and logistics, approached MetroLink with several options to save the structure.

Since February, FMW has worked with MetroLink to clear the site and turntable, removing and salvaging structural components and wood, and even managed to save two newborn kittens that were living in the turntable pit. Nicknamed “Link” and “Wabash,” the kittens were turned over for adoption at the local humane society.

The 90-foot long, 62-ton turntable will make a thousand-mile journey from St. Louis to Clewiston, Florida, where plans call for it to ultimately be restored and used as part of the Sugar Express, a regional tourist train operation in the Lake Okeechobee region.

“The installation of this turntable will be an important step toward our future goal of offering public excursions on the Sugar Express, where passengers will be able to see South Florida farming operations firsthand aboard an historic steam locomotive-driven railroad,” said Scott Ogle, General Manager of the Sugar Express. “We appreciate the staff at FMW Solutions for helping to relocate the turntable as we make plans for its installation near Clewiston.”

Built in 1917 by the American Bridge Company, the turntable was used to orient locomotives at the railroad’s facility at Vanteveter Avenue roundhouse and almost exclusively served the line’s storied steam and diesel passenger locomotives throughout its history. In the ensuing years, the roundhouse was demolished and the property was absorbed by Norfolk & Western, and later owned by Norfolk Southern until 1989 when the adjoining railroad line was deemed secondary and later sold to Bi-State Development as it began construction of MetroLink. 

For more information on Sugar Express, visit sugarexpress.com. For more information on the Metropolitan Saint Louis Transit Agency, metrostlouis.org.

FMW Solutions and its subsidiary National Rail Consulting Group offer a suite of professional services for the railroad industry, including mechanical and engineering design, diesel locomotive servicing and repair, rail operations, strategic planning support, marketing, public relations, safety compliance administration, training, and alternative fuel technology research and development. FMW is also an accomplished rail preservation resource, with expertise in the restoration and operation of historic equipment.

CLEWISTON, FL - Members of the Glades communities, local elected officials, pastors and the people of U.S. Sugar celebrated today the beginning of the company’s 90th harvest season at a dedication event for its historic steam locomotive Engine No. 148, which hauled the season’s first sugarcane train from field to mill. FMW was retained in early 2019 to complete the restoration of this historic locomotive, and we are honored to have played a role in this historic dedication.

“Our company has great respect for the hard, admirable work that brought this piece of history back to life,” said U.S. Sugar President and CEO Robert Buker. “We are proud to finally be able to show everyone this amazing artifact of American ingenuity, innovation and industrial know-how.”

The steam engine was christened with a champagne bottle of sugar, broken by Barbara Buker, wife of U.S. Sugar president and CEO Robert Buker.

Everyone safely gathered around the century old locomotive as it came to halt on the tracks before them and Mr. and Mrs. Buker smashed a champagne bottle of pure cane sugar over its coupler to christen the “Sugar Express” before sending the train on toward the mill. The Clewiston Tigers High School Marching Band was also on hand to play “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” as the steam locomotive was dedicated.

“On behalf of my colleagues, I must thanks U.S. Sugar, and Mr. Buker, for the trust that placed in our firm to complete the restoration of No. 148,” said FMW President Davidson Ward. “About a dozen FMW team members worked alongside U.S. Sugar to see No. 148 returned to operation. It is thanks to everyone’s hard work that we are able to see her in service today.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event was not open to the public; however, the City of Clewiston invited local residents and rail fans to view the train from a secure, pre-determined location as it chugged through town.  The newly restored steam engine was also displayed for several hours at the U.S. Sugar Locomotive North Shop for individuals to take photographs and videos.

“Ninety years ago, our founder, Charles Stewart Mott first laid out his vision for U.S. Sugar to become a leader in innovation,” said Ken McDuffie, Senior VP of Sugarcane Operations at U.S. Sugar. “Part of that innovation was developing the only large-scale rail network for trains to haul harvested cane to a sugar mill.”

“While most steam locomotives originally ran on coal, U.S. Sugar’s fleet used cleaner burning fuel oil.  And because we’re always looking for innovation and sustainability, this steam engine has been designed to run on recycled vegetable oil,” said Buker.

U.S. Sugar plans to add passenger cars to Engine No. 148 in the future so visitors can see their farms and learn more about the company’s rich history and food production from a very unique perspective.  The Sugar Express also is expected to help draw more visitors to America’s Sweetest Town as they come to experience a ride on a genuine steam locomotive.

Since 2016, the United States Sugar Corporation (U.S. Sugar) has worked diligently to complete the restoration to operation of historic steam locomotive No. 148, a 1920s-era steam locomotive the company employed decades ago to haul sugarcane from the fields to its mill. In Spring 2019, U.S. Sugar retained FMW Solutions LLC (FMW) to complete the restoration to operation of the historic locomotive, and the locomotive passed a substantial milestone this week: successful completion of its official hydrostatic test of the boiler and witnessed and inspected by Federal Railroad Administration officials.

“This steam locomotive is part of our history, and we wanted to bring it home,’’ said Judy Sanchez, Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for U.S. Sugar, during a welcoming home celebration in Clewiston. “Engine No. 148’s restoration is making great progress, and it is only a matter of time before it is restored to its former glory.”

Locomotive No. 148 was built in 1920 by the American Locomotive Company for use on the Florida East Coast Railway. In 1952, the locomotive was sold to U.S. Sugar for use in hauling sugar cane trains from field-to-plant for processing into refined sugar. After being sold by U.S. Sugar into private ownership in the 1960s, it spent a few years operating, then was moved across the country, finally landing in Monte Vista, Colorado. Thanks to the vision of U.S. Sugar CEO Robert Buker, the locomotive was re-purchased in 2016, kick starting this most recent restoration.

FMW VP-Mechanical Shane Meador inspects the front tube sheet of No. 148 earlier in 2019.

 “The amount of pride U.S. Sugar has in its heritage, and this artifact in particular, is something truly exceptional in this day-and-age,” said Shane Meador, FMW VP-Mechanical. “We are honored that U.S. Sugar approached our firm to complete the restoration to operation of No. 148, and we are pleased with the amount of progress our team has made to-date in finalizing key portions of the project.”

Since assuming its role in managing the project, FMW has overseen substantial boiler, mechanical, and engineering work, including removing the boiler from the frame of the locomotive, driving new rivets into the boiler, reuniting the boiler with the frame, rolling boiler tubes and flues, and additional mechanical and engineering work.

“The Code of Federal Regulations dictates that the boiler be tested hydrostatically, with water of a prescribed temperature range, to 25% above maximum allowable working pressure, or ‘MAWP,’” explained FMW VP-Engineering Wolf Fengler, MSME. “For this test, we pressurized the boiler of No. 148 to 225 PSI in the presence of an FRA Regional Motive Power & Equipment inspector, demonstrating that repairs made to the pressure vessel were completed appropriately.”

Today, U.S. Sugar is the only sugarcane farming company in the continental United States that transports all its cane to a sugar factory by railroad, which saves on fuel and reduces truck traffic and fossil fuel emissions.  Its dozen modern locomotives and 850 specially modified railcars serve more than 300 miles of track, including the South Central Florida Express, which transports sugar, citrus products, fertilizer, farm equipment and other agricultural freight year-round, and the Sugarcane Train, which hauls sugarcane from the fields to the mills during the October-May harvest season.

 With the “hydro” test of No. 148 successfully completed, work will focus on the hundreds of detailed mechanical tasks required to finalize the restoration. With the help of dozens of expert mechanics (including many U.S. Sugar employees), U.S. Sugar is nearing the return the 99-year-old steam engine back to fully operational condition. A date for completion of the project has not yet been set, but as additional milestones are met, updates will be made available. Keep track of the project online via the U.S. SUGAR 148 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SugarExpressFL/

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Door Ring

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Removing Boiler from Frame

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Boiler on Shop Trucks

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Engineering On Site

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Drilling Staybolts

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Custom-Fit Flange

For the first time in more than 50 years, a steam locomotive hauled a train of harvested sugarcane from the field to U.S. Sugar’s mill. To mark the end of U.S. Sugar’s annual harvest and the completion of a multi-year restoration of its 100-year-old steam locomotive known as Engine No. 148, the company called upon the vintage locomotive to haul cane on the last day of the season. The 2019-20 harvest lasted 239 days, and despite drier than normal spring conditions and the global COVID-19 pandemic, was completed safely as scheduled.

 “Seeing No. 148 under steam and back on her home track is a heartwarming sight to see,’’ said Judy Sanchez, Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for U.S. Sugar.

Locomotive No. 148 was built in 1920 by the American Locomotive Company for use on the Florida East Coast Railway. In 1952, the locomotive was sold to U.S. Sugar to haul sugarcane trains from field-to-mill for processing raw sugar. As diesel locomotives became popular, Engine No. 148 was sold by U.S. Sugar into private ownership in the 1960s. The steam engine spent a few years hauling passenger excursions, then it was moved across the country, finally landing in Monte Vista, Colorado. Thanks to the vision of U.S. Sugar CEO Robert H. Buker, Jr., the locomotive was re-purchased by U.S. Sugar in 2016, kick starting this restoration. Railroad mechanical contractor FMW Solutions LLC, working alongside more than two dozen U.S. Sugar employees, completed the restoration of No. 148 in late April.

 “U.S. Sugar’s restoration of Engine No. 148 has been a tremendous source of pride for our employees, who have worked tirelessly over the past 4 years to bring this steam engine back to life,” said Bob Lawson, general manager for U.S. Sugar Railroad Operations. “We look forward to the day when we can host members of the public on excursions to share our rich history with railroad enthusiasts, Florida residents and children alike.”

 “The pride that U.S. Sugar has in its heritage, and this historic symbol in particular, is something truly exceptional in this day-and-age,” said Shane Meador, FMW Solutions Vice President. “We are honored to have worked with U.S. Sugar to complete the restoration of No. 148 and have been pleased with its performance during recent test runs and yesterday’s historic run.”

To coincide with this momentous occasion, and in support of the expanded mission of operating No. 148, U.S. Sugar is also pleased to announce that it will be operating the steam locomotive under the brand it has dubbed the “Sugar Express.” This new name is in reference both to the locomotive’s heritage at U.S. Sugar and its future role hauling “Express” trains across some of the hundreds of miles of mainline railroad maintained and operated by U.S. Sugar. 

 To learn more about the steam engine, and to stay up to date, visit SugarExpress.com and follow U.S. Sugar No. 148 on its updated Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SugarExpressFL

FMW Solutions LLC (FMW) was retained in April 2019 by the Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway (MPPR) to perform a mechanical inspection of its historic, 1897-built steam locomotive No. 4 and coach 104. These inspections were performed to determine what it would take to return the locomotive to reliable, operational condition on the soon-to-be rebuilt railroad.  MPPR is currently undertaking a $100 million project to rebuild its 8.9 mile long rack (cog) railway, which travels between Manitou Springs (Ele. 6,412 ft) and the summit of Pikes Peak (Ele. 14,115 ft). Just this week, MPPR began laying its first stretch of new rails.

"The rebuilding of our railroad is the most extensive undertaking since the original construction of our line in 1891, and as part of those plans, we wanted to investigate the viability of returning No. 4 to service when the railroad reopens in 2021," explained Ted Johnston, MPPR’s Assistant General Manager. "Given the fact the locomotive needs to be converted to a new rack system, this presented an opportunity to bring in a team of experts to inspect the steam locomotive and accompanying coach."

As part of this overhaul of the railway, MPPR is converting from an Abt rack system to a Strub rack system. This means the remaining Swiss Locomotive Works Bhm 4/8 units and steam locomotive No. 4 and Coach 104 must be converted to the new system.

FMW performed an on-site inspection of No. 4 and Coach 104. With respect to No. 4, FMW inspected its machinery and performed a cursory review of its pressure vessel. While inspecting coach 104, FMW focused on the trucks and what will be required to convert it to the Strub rack system. Following this inspection, FMW assembled a written report outlining the mechanical repairs necessary to return the equipment to a state of good repair, as well as the necessary requirements to convert the steam locomotive and coach to the new cog system. 

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A detailed photo showing the integrated cog, driving axle, and steam-actuated drum brakes. MPPR No. 4 is unlike any steam locomotive in operation in the U.S.

"This is a truly unique locomotive, not just because it is designed to operate on a cog railway, but because of its very rare Vauclain Compound arrangement," explained FMW VP - Engineering Wolf Fengler, MSME. "Our team looked carefully at the mechanical systems, as well as the boiler, to develop an estimate to convert it to the new cog system and return it to reliable, operational condition."

As part of this study, FMW also performed an operational feasibility study of rebuilding the watering infrastructure required to operate the locomotive and passenger car all the way to the summit. The results of both studies were compiled into a comprehensive, inspection report and provided to the railway in Q2 2019.

"We appreciate the detailed work completed by FMW in analyzing No. 4 and its proposed operation." explained Johnston. "Given the amount of effort required to rebuild the line, we opted to hold off on any mechanical work with No. 4 and Coach 104 for the meantime. It is now safely on display at our sister railroad, the Grand Canyon Railway, where it will be stored until our reopening next year."

This view from above the tree line is not feasible today, as the line is currently undergoing a complete overhaul. Visitors will be able to ride the (rebuilt) railroad again starting in 2021!

FMW was retained to manage the relocation of Louisville & Nashville Railroad caboose No. 136, the namesake railcar of Bellevue’s “Red Caboose Park.” As part of an ongoing, master plan revision, Metropolitan Nashville Parks sought to relocate the caboose onto a new, concrete pad.

FMW’s work began with supplying sufficient lengths of rail to form the support structure for the caboose at its new location. Once delivered and installed by FMW, final attention was paid to finalizing the move planning.

On the morning of March 12, FMW worked with two local heavy rigging and transport companies to lift the caboose onto a heavy duty trailer. The caboose was then posed for a brief news conference, before being transported across the park and placed onto its final resting place in the new pavilion.

FMW was honored to oversee such an intricate portion of this project, and it was our pleasure to see that this work was completed on-time and under budget.

FMW Solutions LLC (FMW) was retained by Historic Watertown, Inc. (HWI) to manage the removal and transport of a 110 foot long turntable from Atlanta, Georgia, to Watertown, Tennessee. The turntable was graciously donated by CSX Transportation to HWI for preservation and installation in support of excursion trains operated by the Tennessee Central Railway Museum and, in the future, by the Nashville Steam Preservation Society.

With a very tight timeline, FMW collaborated with heavy lifting and transport firm Mammoet to undertake the move. FMW handled the railroad coordination, turntable disassembly, and overall project management, while Mammoet oversaw lifting and transport of the turntable. Working hand-in-hand, Mammoet and FMW disassembled, lifted, and transported the turntable and associated hardware from Atlanta to Watertown in just a few short weeks.

The turntable was delivered to Watertown in early January 2019, and its installation for use by the railroad and preservation groups is scheduled to take place in the coming years.

FMW Solutions LLC (FMW) was engaged by Diversified Rail Services to undertake specialized machining work on the six driving wheelsets of C&O steam locomotive No. 1309, a 2-6-6-2 locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. The 1949-built Baldwin was recently acquired by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, and it is being returned to service as Western Maryland No. 1309 (WM 1309).

FMW was tasked with three main pieces of work: 1) re-profiling the axle journals: 2) re-profiling the wheel hubs; and 3) quartering the crankpins.

To accomplish the re-profiling of the axle journal surfaces and the hub liners, FMW first worked with the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum to return the journal lathe to like-new condition. Working off of an original set of drawings, FMW oversaw the repair to key hardware to return the machine to proper tolerance.

Once the journal lathe was repaired, FMW VP-Mechanical Shane Meador re-profiled all of the axle journal surfaces and hub surfaces to true condition. As part of the hub surface repairs, FMW also identified a crack in one wheel center casting. This was repaired using industry-standard repair practices, including grinding out the crack and re-building with weldment and proper peening to de-stress the repair.

FMW then turned to quartering the crankpins. Employing a specialized crankpin quartering machine, FMW’s Meador machined the crankpins to in-quarter and stroke tolerances. Since steam locomotive crankpins are set one quarter turn (90 degrees) apart from one side of a locomotive to the other, it is critical to ensure that these pins are precisely 90 degrees apart - wear and tear can result in the engine working its way out of quarter and stroke. Employing the quartering machine, FMW returned each wheelset from WM 1309 to tolerance.

Once all of the machining was completed, FMW protected all machined surfaces with rust inhibitor and wood protective covering prior to arranging and handling the shipping of all six wheelsets to the WMSR shop complex in Ridgely, West Virginia.

FMW VP – Engineering Wolf Fengler, MSME, has been responsible for undertaking Form 4 calculations of some of the largest steam locomotives operating in the preservation era. He was approached by the Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust in 2016 with the opportunity to be the lead designer of the engineering team associated with building the new boiler for the 4-4-4-4 Duplex locomotive, which is the largest new-build locomotive boiler project undertaken since the end of the steam era.

Fengler began work by re-engineering the boiler barrel for fabrication using modern welding techniques (the original design was of riveted steel construction). This included parallel iterative efforts studying original blueprints, creating 3D CAD models of boiler components in SolidWorks, and calculating stresses per ASME and FRA requirements. Once the design of components were satisfactory, he produced construction drawings from which a selected boiler contractor could begin work.

Of particular importance as it pertains to PRR boilers is the design and fabrication of the Belpaire firebox, including the inner and outer knuckles and the thickness of the sheets themselves. The “Form 4” calculation, as it is referred, requires that the boiler be designed with at least a safety factor of four. Original PRR designs did provide for such a factor of safety, but often it was with a very small margin for corrosion. The design work undertaken for the PRR T1 Trust included verification and modification to the original design to improve the factor of safety and, thus, longevity of the boiler. Staged fabrication work on the cylindrical barrel courses commenced in early 2018.

Both images courtesy: T1 Preservation Trust

FMW was retained to oversee a variety of detailed engineering and fabrication tasks associated with the driving wheels and driving boxes of U.S. Sugar (USS) steam locomotive No. 148 (No. 148). Originally built for the Florida East Coast Railway in 1920, the light 4-6-2 type locomotive is in the midst of an extensive overhaul to operation for use by USS on its Florida sugar plantation railroad. In particular, FMW was tasked with: 1) wheelset work; 2) crankpin work; and 3) driving box work.

Wheelset Work | FMW’s Shane Meador began its wheelset work with a detailed inspection of each wheel center, including removing the original tires, sandblasting, and dye penetrant testing the wheel centers. This revealed the wheel centers to have cracks from years of use. Employing railroad standard practice from the era, FMW ground out the cracks and weld-repaired the wheel centers. Then, FMW employed a specialty wheel and journal lathe to re-profile the wheel centers, re-profile the journals, and roll burnish the journals to harden the surfaces. Once this work was completed, Meador ordered and installed new tires for all three wheelsets.

Crankpin Work | FMW burned out the crank pins from each of the wheel centers and undertook quartering of the crank pin bores. This work, as per industry practice, was done after the new tires had been applied to the wheel centers to ensure that the quartering of the bores and pins would not be impacted by the flex associated with the application of new tires. Then, using the original pins as a guide, FMW’s Fengler created new 3D CAD drawings of each of the crank pins. These drawings were used to rough CNC-machine new pins which, after their delivery, were finish machined by Meador to-fit. Finally, once all of the quartering boring and crankpins were completed, Meador used liquid nitrogen to shrink the pins so that they could be inserted into the bores, by hand.

Driving Box Work | FMW was initially tasked with undertaking an inspection of the existing driving boxes on No. 148. The original boxes were found to be quite worn, thus it was determined that manufacturing new driving boxes would be a better cost benefit than repairing the worn out components that came with the locomotive, and it instructed FMW to undertake that work. FMW reverse-engineered the existing boxes, creating 3D CAD drawings, one each for the main and other than main boxes. As part of this process, FMW took into consideration the request to convert the locomotive from “grease cake” lubrication to a force feed lubrication, as was commonplace with the Southern Pacific Railroad. This force feed oil system was also undertaken by Meador on Southern Railway Nos. 630 and 4501, and it has proven reliable over tens of thousands of miles of operation. This system is also used by SP 4449 which, too, has proven quite reliable on the road.

Once each box design was approved, FMW acquired the raw material (a 12 inch thick slab of steel) and began fabrication. Employing a combination of CNC machining and manual machining, FMW: 1) rough machined the boxes; 2) detail machined the boxes; 3) machined and press-fit new crown brasses and hub liners; 4) applied Babbitt to the journal bearing surface; 5) machined the babbitt to-fit; 6) machined all required lubrication paths on the boxes; and 7) finish machined the wedge/shoe surfaces and spreader plates.