Headquarters Tavares, Florida Locale Lake County, Florida | Phone +1 352-742-7200 | |
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Dates of operation October 8, 2011–January 29, 2017 Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Address 305 E Ruby St, Tavares, FL 32778, USA Similar Premier Boat Tours, Wooton Park, Rusty Anchor Mount Do, Lakeside Inn | ||
The orange blossom cannonball steam train tavares eustis gulf railroad
The Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad (TE&G), advertised as the Orange Blossom Cannonball, was a tourist railroad company operating excursion trains on track owned by the Florida Central Railroad, located in the northern portion of Central Florida. The TE&G was a subsidiary of the Reader Railroad located in Arkansas.
Contents
History
The oldest segment of track on which the TE&G routinely operated, between Eustis and Tavares, was originally constructed by the St. Johns & Lake Eustis Railway Company between 1882 and 1883. The segment of track that the TE&G used most often, between Mount Dora and Tavares, was originally constructed by the Sanford & Lake Eustis Railway Company between 1886 and 1887.
Train Services
The Orange Blossom Cannonball was a train service run by the TE&G utilizing a wood-fired steam locomotive. The excursion was a 1-hour & 45-minute trip between Tavares and Mount Dora with 30 minutes each direction and a 45-minute stop in between. Special excursions were also offered, including Trains of the Wild West, The Great Pumpkin Limited, and The Cannonball Christmas Express.
Locomotives
End of operations
On January 6, 2017, the Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad announced that their operation would be leaving Lake County, Florida on January 31, 2017 with the last trains scheduled for January 29, 2017. The steam locomotive was return to the reader railroad in Arkansas along with the coaches. The shunter is unknown where it went.