Arizona Eastern 2170 does duty on the First Coast Railroad (FCRD) in Fernandina Beach

 Looking north toward the port of Fernandina.

 Looking south into the First Coast Railroad's Fernandina yard.

I went to a lecture in Fernandina a couple Fridays ago and caught a blue Arizona Eastern (AZER) engine pulling duty at the First Coast Railroad's Fernandina yard. AZER 2170 was pulling a manifest train from the Rock Tenn and Fernandina port that is north of the yard into the Fernandina yard.  The slow-moving southbound train disappears in the yard between graffitied box cars which once was the northern terminus of the Florida Railroad.

Railfanning in Fernandina Beach-First Coast Railroad

Photos: A halloweened-colored FCRD engine sits vacant at the Fernandina Rail yard. The Fernandina Depot at Mile Post Zero, the Northern terminus of the Florida Railroad. A yellow diesel slowly chugs up the tracks toward the Port of Fernandina Beach. Pulling about 20 cars, the locomotive heads southward back into the rail yard.

I went to a lecture about a Native American archaeological dig site on Amelia Island tonight at the Amelia Island Museum of History in Fernandina Beach.. I arrived 40 minutes early so I decided to walk several blocks to Centre Street where several blocks of mint condition 1880s brick buildings stand. On the corner of Front and Centre Streets stands the Fernandina Depot, the brick Victorian style station is at Mile Post Zero of the historic Florida Railroad which was the Sunshine State's first cross peninsular railroad. The line is presently leased by CSX Transportation to the First Coast Railroad owned by Genesee and Wyoming. I started to take a picture or two of the depot when I heard the familiar two shorts blasts from a diesel engine's horn. I turned southward and saw the yellow and black trimmed locomotive engine creeping northward sans cars from the large rail yard toward the Port of Fernandina Beach. 15 minutes later it pulled about 20 old graffiti-covered box cars southward over the Centre and Ashe streets grade crossings where I stood. The early evening sun lit the train perfectly so I got a few good shots. Fernandina is not one of Nassau's hottest spots for train watching but it does have a railroad, a depot and a large train yard so it does has its moments.

Railfanning the First Coast Railroad at the Amelia Island Swing Span Bridge

I was driving back from Amelia Island to Callahan today and was stopped at the US 17/SR 200 traffic light in Yulee. As I waiting for the light to change my ears perked up ad I heard the familiar sound of a train whistle. I knew I was too far away for it to be a CSX train blowing at the SR 200 grade crossing so I looked to my right and saw the signals flashing at the US 17 grade crossing a couple hundred yards to the North. I railfan the CSX and Norfolk Southern tracks in Nassau County all the time but this was a rare treat for me: Seeing a First Coast Railroad freight train slowly move out of their yard and head east toward Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach. FCR is a 32 mile short line owned by Genesee and Wyoming and consists of two lines branching North and East from Yulee. The tracks were former Seaboard Air Line and CSX lines: The Yulee to Fernandina Beach was part of the original historic Florida Railroad built in 1856 and the Yulee to Seals/Kingsland, Georgia portion was built in late 1880s as part of Seaboard Air Line's main line from Savannah to Florida. Although there is a swing span bridge on the Florida/Georgia State line over the St. Marys River ( a typical narrow girder bridge that is locked in place and can be opened only with 48 hours notice to CSX), the highlight of the short line is the century old truss span over the busy Intracoastal Waterway between Yulee and Fernandina. Knowing the train I was seeing had to soon cross that beautiful half painted steel bridge, I quickly turned down Pages Dairy Road and raced back toward Fernandina. I passed an FCR hi rail truck which I soon figured out was carrying the bridge tenders. I parked under the SR 200 bridge and waited for the slow moving train. After 15 minutes at 10 AM sharp, the bridge tenders I had passed in Yulee sounded the warning horn and slowly swung the bridge into place. A few minutes later a single yellow unmarked diesel engine slowly crawled upon the concrete approach trestle and entered the truss span, pulling a couple of box cars, a lumber car, a tanker and about 20 coal cars headed for one of the paper mills on the Island. Within minutes the trailing black tanker car train had cleared the span and the tenders re swung the bridge back to its open position to much delight of the several boats that were now waiting to pass through the bridge channel. I continued back toward Callahan, pleased I had seen a FCR train in action over the historic span.