Ralph Simmons State Forest Offers nice trek to St. Marys River

Ralph Simmons State Forest is a 3600 acre nature area located on the Florida side of the St. Marys River a couple miles east of Boulougne, Nassau County, FLA. It has 2 primary trails: the shorter one off Lake Hampton Road and the longer one off of Penny Haddock Road. Both meanders through cypress and pine forests that is typical of Nassau County and both offer views of the beautiful St. Marys River.

CSX Working in Bryceville, Nassau County, FLA, on Final Section of Double Tracking Callahan- Baldwin Sub

With the Sun Rail Commuter Trains up and running on the CSX's former S-line through Orlando and the Metro-Mickey area, more and more trains are being diverted in Callahan, Nassau County, FLA, from the A-line to the S-line. (To recap, several years ago CSX sold its main line through Orlando to the State of Florida for use for a much-needed commuter rail line, Sun Rail. This has caused CSX to funnel more trains entering Florida off of their main track A-line to their S-line. The A-line (A for Atlantic Coast Line main line) runs from parallels US 1 from Hilliard, Nassau County, FLA, to Jacskonville then shadows US 17 from Jacksonville to Orlando and US 92 from Orlando to Tampa. Their new main line is their S-line (S for Seaboard Air Line main line) that parallels US 301 from Callahan, Nassau County, FLA,  through Ocala to Zephyrhills and Central Florida.)  In February 2014 CSX began double tracking the 20-mile section of the Callahan-Baldwin sub which was once the southern half of the former 40-mile long Gross, Nassau County, FLA, cut-off built by the SAL in 1923-25 so their Florida-bound trains could bypass Jacksonville and the then-congested Union Station there. Since they began the widening, the east coast railroad giant has opened three sections of the now busy double track corridor, creating rail fan's heaven in Callahan, Crawford, and Baldwin.  The only part of the old single track left to replace is the roughly 5 1/2 mile piece between the Dahoma, Nassau County, FLA, train signal (SM 10.97) and the north end of the old Fouraker Siding south of Bryceville, Nassau County, FLA (SM 5.5).  

Looking north from the CR 119 grade crossing toward Dahoma at milepost SM 6.97

The new track on the left has not been set but a new double track grade crossing has been added. There were at least 3 wooden trestles to widen/replace between SM 7.0 and SM 11.0, the longest being about 100 foot in length. It has now been replaced with a concrete span complete

 with metal railings seen in the far background of this pic.

Looking south from the CR 119 grade crossing toward Bryceville and Baldwin.  The unlaid track on the right stops at a point where workers with the aid of a large crane are widening a 120-foot trestle. The same creek that flows from west to east under the 100 foot trestle mentioned in the first photo caption has made a U-turn and is now flowing east to west under this bridge toward the Brandy Branch swamp.

The historic Bryce House (1902) and water tower once used for steam trains that stopped here. This is located on the west side of the tracks on private property so please do not trepass.

 Looking south from the end of the county-maintain Church Ave. located at the private crossing of the historic Bryce family house built in 1902 and home to George Bryce and his two train engineer sons who played a hero's roll in the 1923 Rosewood riots. (Note: The crossing, house, and land beyond Church Ave. are private property so please do not trespass). A north bound CSX train waits patiently at the north end of what was once known as Fouraker Siding (SM 5.5) but is now double tracked southward to the Baldwin Yard (SM 0.0). Fouraker is the name of a pioneering family of the Brandy Branch/Bryceville area. Once this final 5.5 mile long segment is double tracked, time-consuming waits shown above become a thing of the past.

Once moving, the train will cross two trestles, the longer 150-foot span seen above in middle ground. The old concrete Milepost 6 separates it from a shorter 50-feet bridge. Swampy water fills the ditches on both sides of the track for nearly 1/2 mile. The trestles span Brandy Branch that begins east of Baldwin and flows northward to Bryceville. It joins another prong of Brandy Branch coming in from the east at the junction of US 301 and Otis Road. Once united the brandy-colored water veers west and transitions as it moves under the trestles into the murkey, snake infested Brandy Branch swamp. 

 Looking north from Church Ave. to the constructor equipment located 

between it and Otis Road grade crossing.

 This is the reason the northbound CSX train was waiting at Fouraker:
 Two southbound locomotives pulling a long line of car haulers plows its way

 past the trestle construction site north of the Church Ave. grade crossing.

 As the train moves closer the lead locomotive CSX 109 is seen leading a DME locomotive 6367.

It slows down as it prepares to cross the Brandy Branch trestles and pass the CSX northbound manifest waiting patiently at the Fouraker track signal. By Christmas the last link in the 20-mile long double tracking of the 159 year old rail line (part of the historic Florida Railroad,

 the state's first cross peninsular line) should be complete.

CSX Callahan Sub Double-Track Update: Crawford Now has a Double-Diamond with NS, Train Stacking North of Baldwin Yard

It is hard to believe that I haven't written in this blog since December but I have a couple of updates on CSX's double tracking of the 20-mile long Callahan Sub from the main A-line in Callahan south to the Baldwin yard. To refresh, CSX sold their rail line in Orlando to the State of Florida for a commuter rail service called Sunrail. Sunrail has since opened (road trip!) meaning a great deal of CSX's Florida-bound trains are being diverted from their main A-line in Callahan (MM A624.2) onto the Callahan Sub (SM 20.0) so they can take the S-line that parallels US 301 to the Zephyrhills split where they travel on to Orlando, Tampa, or Miami. To meet the higher volume of train traffic, CSX began in February 2013 double-tracking the 20 mile sub to the Baldwin yard where it picks up the S-line. 16 months later- 3 of the 4 segments  have been completed and open to rail traffic. The leaves the final link ti be completed:  a 4-mile section from the south turnout of the newly extended South Crawford-Dahoma siding to the north end of the Fouraker siding (SM 4.0)south of Bryceville, Nassau County, FLA.

Thee first three pics are southbound trains passing each other as they jockey for position to enter the Baldwin yard at SM 0.0. The crossing of the Baldwin-Jax Rail Trail (SM 1.8) is a good spot to rail fain because the trail head is close by but don't leave any valuables visible in your vehicle and always be mindful of cyclists on the trail.

 

A south bound auto-carrier train sneaks past a parked mixed manifest train (SM 2.0) on its way to the Baldwin yard. 

Mist and Rain from a Memorial-Day thunder shower begin to move in on once was a hot May day in Baldwin.

 The Baldwin-jax rail trail crossing is a nice venue for slow trains entering the leaving Baldwin yard.

 The CSX-NS crossing at Crawford (SM 16.46) is now double and are guarded by state-of-the-art darth-vader shield track signals. The old diamond has been discarded and the southern switch of the South Crawford sidling has been abandoned. The nearest cross overs are the newly added ones north at Sandy Ford (+/-SM 18.2) and south at Dahoma (+/-SM 11.0). I waited for a train but after 30-minutes I had to leave. I will catch one in the near future.

 Looking north east at the new CSX-NS Crawford double-diamond with the new US 301 viaduct nearing completion in the upper right corner background. The old diamond is sitting beside the NS track (MM 244.4) just east of the new diamond. The new NS track signal is in place with an accompanying track side stating "Begin 261-End 271". With the MM being 244.4, I can only guess that this means changing of dispatch channels or maybe changing dispatch zones.

 Looking north (above) past the Crawford Road grade crossing (SM 16.1) toward Callahan 4.5 miles away. There is a 60+ foot change in elevation between Crawford (84') and Callahan (22'). Looking south and the remnant of the north turnout of the South Crawford siding (SM 46.3) and the turnout to the busy Mulch Plant (SM 16.1).
                                      

Passing CSX trains reflect Florida as a consumer state at Callahan Junction, FLA

Although we export citrus and import tourism, some can argue that Florida is a consumer state, especally after watching these two trains that passed each other at the Callahan Junction. A CSX SB train with empty coal cars clambers past a CSX SB tanker train full of  corn syrup heading toward Baldwin.

An Afternoon Delight of trains on the Callahan-Baldwin Sub

 While on my way to work in the late afternoon, I snapped this pic at the Callahan Junction of a lone CSX company passenger car being pulled by a single locomotive chugging southbound on the A-Line toward Jacksonville.  Perhaps it was full of company execs?
                                     
Shortly thereafter, CSX locomotive 3096 leads a quartet of engines pulling a northbound manifest train around the final curve of the Callahan sub (milepost 9.98) and onto the A line (milepost 624.37)

Bathed in the light of the low winter sun, CSX 3096 crosses the CR 108 grade crossing at the Callahan Junction of the A line and the Callahan-Baldwin Sub.

The next day aound 3 pm, I found myself at the Baldwin diamond of the Callahan-Baldwin sub (milepost 0.14). Northbound CSX locomotive 8848 leads another quartet of engines and a manifest out of the Baldwin yard and through the new Darth-Vader signal towers that guard the newly expanded double diamond with the Tallahassee sub.

CSX engines 8848 and 8817 clamber loudly across the new double diamond  as they pull a manifest northbound on the Callahan-Baldwin sub toward Callahan. Trains from enter the northbound sub from 3 directions now: either from the Baldwin yard on the newly added double track, west from Tallahassee on the upgraded single turnout (foreground) or east from Jacksonville on the rebuilt 100-degree single turnout.

After the CSX 8848-led train clears the US 90 grade crossing in Baldwin, I drive through Bryceville to Crawford. [no evidence of construction of the 2nd track through Bryceville (mm 16) yet, possibly because they want to compete the 2nd double-track link from Sandy Ford crossing (mm 18) to south of Brooks Road crossing (mm 13) first].  The second track is down but not firmly ballasted yet nor have they attempted to add the 2nd diamond at the NS Valdosta line (mm 15.64). It wont be long before the upgrade the Crawford Road grade crossing (mm 16.08) to handle two tracks.

 After  I take a pic in Crawford, I drive northward to the Callahan Junction and caught CSX 8848 as it crosses the CR 108 grade crossing (mm 19.96) and heads toward the west track on the A line (mm 20). As I cross the US 301 viaduct over the A-line, I look to my left and notice a green light on the south facing signal tower of the main line. I knew that a NB train would be coming from Jax but did not know when.

After I took the final pic of 8848, I heard the familiar rumbling of the other train as it approached Callahan Junction from the south. I took a pic of the northbound inter modal led by CSX 3050 as it crossed the grade crossing and paralleled the first manifest train. 3050 probably caught the slower moving 8848 somewhere north of the Old Dixie Highway grade crossing (often referred to on the scanners as the "school house" crossing because of its proximity with Callahan Middle School).

Action in Callahan and Crawford these last couple weeks

 The newly widened Callahan sub provides some great vistas of trains coming down the Sandy Ford grade from Crawford to Callahan. Above a NB auto carrier train rumbles under the signal tower as it approaches the A-line at the Callahan Junction

 NB intermodal train led by CSX locomotive 668 races pass the crew of a parked southbound train led by CSX engine 217.

 CSX Engine races northbound between the Callahan Junction and Old Dixie Hwy. Grade crossing

CSX Engine 276 heads southbound on the Callahan sub at milepost 16 and Crawford Road grade crossing.

Second Track Being Laid on the Sandy Ford-Crawford Section of the CSX's Callahan-Baldwin Sub Between Crawford and Callahan

It's been a month since I have been able to take pictures of the progress of the double-tracking of the CSX's Callahan-Baldwin sub.  A month ago they had just cleared and graded the path for the west track between Sandy Ford grade crossing (mp 18.2) and the Crawford siding south of the Crawford diamond with Norfolk Southern. Today I drove down to the same area and noticed they have the track down from Crawford Road grade crossing south to the Crawford diamond. I was unable to go to the actual diamond to see if they have installed the second diamond but hopefully will do so in the future.  I did drive to Bryceville (mp 6) but did not see any work done on clearing a path for the west track as of yet. The Callahan- Baldwin sub is part of 40-mile long Gross sub that veered off the S-line just south of the Florida-Georgia line near the I 95/US 17 interchange.  It is also part of David Yulee's original Florida Railroad, the Sunshine State's first cross peninsular railroad built by Daniel Callahan and crew in 1856.

 Looking south from Crawford Road grade crossing (mp 15.9) toward the Crawford diamond (mp 15.46). The concrete ties and tracks are laid and are awaiting the ballast and final alignment.

 Looking north from the Crawford Road grade crossing (mp 15.9) toward Sandy Ford grade crossing and Callahan (mp 20.0). The grade has been cleared and a section of new track lies on the east embankment next to the concrete milepost 16, waiting to be installed.

 Looking south from the Sandy Ford grade crossing as a northbound CSX grain train slows as it approaches the newly installed Sandy Ford cross over just north of this grade crossing.

 CSX locomotive 5496 leads a tandem with locomotive 143 as they pull a CSX grain train northbound toward Callahan. They are slowing down while they glide through the grade crossing and approach the Sandy Ford cross over. A track side signal shines a red top-blinking green bottom, directing them to veer onto the newer west track that is now open from the cross over to the Callahan junction with CSX's A-line (mp 624).

The new east track side signal at Sandy Ford cross over changed from red top-blinking green bottom to red top-red bottom as the line of grain cars rumble off the original east track to the newly built west track.