The Callahan Junction is a busy CSX rail line and I have seen back to back to back trains before, but it is highly unusual to see 3 Northbound CSX trains within 10 minutes. I was on my way home from having lunch with old friends in Jacksonville when something told me to stop and see if any trains were traveling through Callahan. The Callahan Junction is a hot spot of rail activity and no sooner did I park my truck near Dixie Avenue, I heard the familiar blast of a train horn echoing down the Callahan-Baldwin sub. The elevation of Callahan (22 feet) at the junction (Milepost 20 of the sub) is about 40 feet lower than at milepost 18 near the Sandy Ford Road grade crossing, so one can get a good view of an oncoming train as it crosses the ridge and gradually descends down toward the junction. Unfortunately I did not have time to get some good oncoming shots. The train was picking up speed, so I raced across the historic Florida Railroad bed and Brandies Avenue just as the Brandies Avenue crossing gates were coming down. I barely reached the vacant Sun Printing Building and turn on my camera when the CSX NB manifest train rounded the curve, roared through the crossing and entered the main line toward Folkston, Georgia. The sight line is starting to fill with weeds, but at least the last freeze we had killed most of the foliage. I could tell as the train past that it was crossing from the west track to the east track by the loud clacking sound the wheels make as they hit the crossover. After the train passed, I headed toward the top of the US 301 viaduct, not more than a 10 minute walk from where I parked my pickup. Just as reached the top of the bridge, I looked southward and saw not one but two oncoming locomotive headlights off in the distance. I glanced northward for a split second to see both NB signals with that familiar green at the top of each one. That is a great sight to see for a rail fan like myself because it means that trains are a-coming! I crossed over to the south side of the viaduct (Disclaimer: The viaduct has a 5% grade on either approach which obscures some oncoming traffic so please watch out for vehicles if you are rail fanning on the US 301 viaduct!) and readied my camera. An empty CSX coal train at medium speed on the east track was approaching the bridge first followed by an CSX NB inter modal raced on the west track. By the time the coal train cleared the Brandies Avenue grade crossing, the rear of the inter modal was clearing the viaduct. As they both disappeared around the bend north of Old Dixie Highway grade crossing, I remembered the NB manifest that had entered the main line just 10 minutes before. It had probably cleared the main grade crossing in Hilliard by then and was minutes from the Folkston funnel. As I descended the viaduct, I was thinking that those who were up at the Folkston funnel would soon be in for a early Christmas treat like myself.
