TOP: The locomotive is refueled with a loader dropping pre-filled bins of wood into the tender. This replaces the much slower bucket brigade method of getting wood into the tender. MIDDLE: General Electric 45-Tonner No. 33, built in 1941, handles train duties when the steam locomotive is unavailable. BOTTOM: Bringing up the markers is a Cotton Belt drover’s caboose built in 1918 and acquired by the Reader Railroad in the 1950s. The Reader is the parent company of the Tavares, Eustis & Gulf.
The north leg of the wye heads for Eu- stis, while the east leg goes to Mount Dora and on to Sorrento. The Mount Dora leg hosted its own excursion train, the Mount Dora Meteor, until deterio- rating track conditions ended the oper- ation in 2010. Similarly, the Evening Star Dinner Train once operated from Eustis through Tavares and on to Lake Jem.
Somewhere Near Mickey By the time you read this, No. 2
should be back from its summertime trip to Arkansas for its federal 1472- day inspection and be ready to roll for the next several years. Tavares is not far from the Land of the Mouse, and Mount Dora is a shoppers’ paradise for those so inclined. If your winter wan- derings take you south be sure to check out this unique locomotive and all the friendly people of the Tavares, Eustis & Gulf. The classic wood burner is the perfect
escape from tourism of Orlando. 41 the modern
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