50th Birthday Ride

When my wonderful wife asked, "What shall we do to celebrate your 50th birthday in June?" there was no hesitation in my mind: Let's take a ride in a former Southern bay window caboose on our favorite Georgia passenger line! I've spent the last four years carefully documenting the surviving Southern Bay Windows, so to spend my fiftieth with folks I love while meandering down the old Georgia & Florida in a decked-out bay window ... perfection. And it was perfection. We had such a great time. My good friend Chris Parrott and his staff treated us like kings and queens. Chris did a fabulous job taking Southern X638 from the scrap yard to a top-notch party car: wood flooring, seating for plenty, air conditioning, a restroom, refreshments, and plenty of space to enjoy the ride. This retired Southern Bay never had it so good. We rode in the Liberty Runner, the full-route excursion that begins in Willacoochee, rolls through Nashville, changes direction at Moody Air Force base, and returns home with a layover — a 6 hour ride covering nearly 100 miles. Unfortunately the beautiful E unit was not our power for the day, but Team HawkinsRails enjoyed laying eyes on her at Nashville, looking fantastic in her new CPR blue/white/gold paint scheme. It was a great day in South Georgia. Happy birthday to me!