South Central Florida Express

Company History: The South Central Florida Railroad (reporting marks SCFE) was launched as a subsidiary of the Brandywine Valley Railroad in 1990 with the purchase of the 87 mile line connecting U.S. Sugar’s plant and private railroad in the Clewiston – Lake Harbor area to a connection with CSX near Sebring, Florida. Brandywine Valley sold the railroad to U.S. Sugar in 1994 and the name was changed to South Central Florida Express with SCXF reporting marks. SCXF is a common carrier and is operated separately from the parent company’s private railroad. SCXF even serves a rival sugar company along with other customers. In 1998 they acquired haulage rights on Florida East Coast’s line to Lake Harbor which rounds the opposite bank of Lake Okeechobee to Fort Pierce. Their orange and blue paint scheme dates from Brandywine Valley ownership. The last of those locomotives have since been retired and today the SCXF fleet wears U.S. Sugar’s gray and yellow paint scheme that is also used on the private railroad.

Successor/Parent History: The BVRY was established as a subsidiary of Lukens Steel in 1981 to takeover operation of the former Wilmington & Northern line between Coastesville and Modena, Pennsylvania along Brandywine Creek. In 1998, Lukens and the BVRY were sold to Bethlehem Steel. In 1999, BVRY took over the Delaware Valley Railroad to Elsmere, Delaware as well as a branch from Chadds Ford and Nottingham, Pennsylvania. Bethlehem was purchased in 2003 by International Steel Group (succeeded by ArcelorMittal) and within 2 years, the former Delaware Valley segments were turned over to the Morristown & Erie and the East Penn Railroad. BVRY continues to run the Coatesville-Modena line. In 2020 the BVRY was purchased along with five other shortlines by Cleveland-Cliffs.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.