August 14-16, 2025 - Railfanning on the FEC Railway Mainline!

Between the days of August 14 (Thursday) and August 17 (Sunday), I took a trip over to Cocoa Beach, FL for relaxation AND trains! The Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) main was about 20 minutes from my hotel at it’s closest point… (From Cocoa to Miami, the line is shared by Brightline) This would be my first ever FEC outing without seeing a single “Champion” painted GE ES44C4, as all of the GE’s are being repainted… Only ONE “Champion” is left as of August 17, 2025… Anyways, here is what I caught in order! (I only caught trains on August 14, 15, and 16… 8/14/25: --------------------------------- Northbound Brightline - Highland Dr. Crossing (Cocoa, FL) FEC 206 (Miami, FL to Jacksonville, FL. Handling rock loads on this day) Cocoa Jct (Near “City Point”) - Joined by my friends Anthony and Rylee! Southbound Brightline at Cocoa Jct. FEC 105 (Jacksonville, FL to Miami, FL. Handling manifest and intermodal on this day) and a stormy backdrop at Cocoa Jct Southbound Brightline - Highland Dr. Crossing (Cocoa, FL) Northbound Brightline - Highland Dr. Crossing (Cocoa, FL) Southbound Brightline - Downtown Cocoa, FL Northbound Brightline - Byrd Plaza (Cocoa, FL) FEC 107 (Jacksonville, FL to Miami, FL. Handling Autoracks and intermodal on this day) - Byrd Plaza (Cocoa, FL) 8/15/25: -------------------------------- FEC 210 (Port Everglades, FL to Jacksonville, FL. Handling intermodal, - ethanol empties, and manifest on this day) - Byrd Plaza (Cocoa, FL) FEC 204 (Fort Pierce, FL to Jacksonville, FL. Handling manifest and intermodal on this day) - Gus Hipp Blvd crossing (Rockledge, FL) FEC 101 (Jacksonville, FL to Miami, FL. Handling rock, intermodal, and a few boxcars on this day) - Downtown Cocoa, FL FEC 103 (Jacksonville, FL to Fort Pierce, FL. Handling manifest and intermodal on this day) - Downtown Melbourne, FL/Crane Creek Northbound Brightline - Downtown Melbourne, FL/Crane Creek Southbound Brightline - Downtown Melbourne, FL/Crane Creek FEC 206 (Miami, FL to Jacksonville, FL. Handling rock loads and boxcars on this day) - Titusville, FL (Marina Park) FEC 105 (Jacksonville, FL to Miami, FL. Handling manifest and intermodal on this day) - Titusville, FL (Marina Park) Southbound Brightline - Gus Hipp Blvd crossing (Rockledge, FL) Northbound Brightline - Gus Hipp Blvd crossing (Rockledge, FL) FEC 107 (Jacksonville, FL to Miami, FL. Handling Autoracks and intermodal on this day) - Gus Hipp Blvd crossing (Rockledge, FL) (Champion painted SD40-2 trailing) 8/16/25 —------------------------- Southbound Brightline - Ansin Rd crossing Northbound Brightline - Ansin Rd crossing FEC 103 (Jacksonville, FL to Fort Pierce, FL. Handling manifest and intermodal on this day) - Ansin Rd crossing Northbound Brightline - Suntree Blvd crossing FEC 107 (Jacksonville, FL- to Miami, FL. Handling a tank car and lots of intermodal on this day) - Suntree Blvd crossing (FEC #425 “Pink Lady” trailing) Southbound Brightline - Suntree Blvd crossing Northbound Brightline - Suntree Blvd crossing (10 cars long) Northbound Brightline - Byrd Plaza (Cocoa, FL) (FINAL TRAIN)