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.

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).

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.

CSX now working on double tracking another segment of the Callahan-Baldwin sub

 Looking south from Sandy Ford Rd. grade crossing (about MM 18.4). The newly opened crossover is just behind the photographer  The two tracks are open from this point north to the Callahan Junction (MM 20.0) with the main line at MM 624.4

                                Looking north from Crawford Road grade crossing at MM 15.9.

                Looking south from the Crawford Road grade crossing toward the Norfolk Southern diamond (MM 15.46) and the beginning of the extended Crawford siding. (MM 15.3).

                     A Norfolk Southern Triple Crown trailer train plows southward through what will become a double diamond with the CSX's Callahan-Baldwin sub.

New track signals added on CSX's Callahan-Baldwin sub at milepost 18.2

New "Darth Vader" signals have been added to guard the south end of the new crossover being added on the Callahan-Baldwin sub at milepost 18.2 just north of the Sandy Ford Road grade crossing.  The crossover and signals are part of the double tracking of the CSX S-line between Callahan (mp 20) and the Crawford siding (mp 15.5). Once in operation, the newly expanded tracks will handle the increase in rail traffic funneled off the CSX mainline at  the Callahan Junction.  CSX has sold their A-line through Orlando to the State of Florida for the new Sunrail commuter train. Since they will not be able to use this main artery during the day, CSX will divert much of their southbound freight trains to the S-line in Callahan which parallels US 301 to Zephyrhills. The red construction cars in the foreground are parked on what will be the new west track of the  S-line.

Railfanning in Keen, Nassau County, FL

When it comes to railfan hot spots in Nassau County, FL, the now-vanished hamlet of Keen (or Keene) is not among them. Yet, the Thomas Creek Road/Ratliff Road grade crossing on the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) line just south of the Norris Siding at Keen does have its moments. Just today while traveling southbound on US 301 I spotted a southbound NS intermodal train crossing under the US 301 Viaduct at Crawford. It was doing below-average speed for an intermodal on a Friday so I veered left on Thomas Creek Road which parallels NS's Valdosta-Jacksonville line (it was built around 1900 as the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad). It had already cleared the north end of Norris siding (not sure where that name came from) but by the time I made it to Keen, it had stopped just before the south end of the 2.3 mile long siding. I stopped next to the Thomas Creek Road grade crossing (at the intersection of Thomas Creek and Ratliff Roads) and got out. To my surprise the SB intermodal had not only stopped (intermodals are usually high balling to the ports or trying to make the Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC) connection at Bowden Yard), it stopped on the main line and not on the siding.  I figured at first it was waiting on the okay to proceed onto the NS's Simpson Yard in Jacksonville then I noticed the bottom light of the NB track signal was yellow which indicated a NB train had to pass first. (The old NB track signal always had a bottom yellow-top red because of the sharp curve trains had to negotiate just before passing under the US 301 viaduct in Crawford. It only had a red bottom-red top signal when a SB train was on the line).  After about a 15 minute wait I heard the faint whistle of a northbound NS train blowing at the Acree Road grade crossing just to the south of the Duval-Nassau line. I took a pic of the train (pulled by NS locomotives 8842, 9365, and 9821)  as it dipped down and over the Thomas Creek trestle. I took some more as it blew its warning for the Larsen Road and Thomas Creek Roads grade crossings. The engineer waved as he slowed the locomotive down and entered the north end of Norris siding. I figured the dispatchers had him enter the siding (as opposed to having the other train wait on the siding) so that the NB could clear the main  line then wait on the siding for possibly another SB train.  I wanted to drive to Crawford and see if my hunch was right or if the NB slowly reentered the main line without stopping, but duty called and I had to go. However, thanks to my initial spotting of the SB intermodal, I was able to snap some good photos of the oncoming trains. Maybe I need to stop in Keen more often or split my rail fanning time between it and Crawford.

 A southbound Norfolk Southern (NS) intermodal waits on the main line of the old Georgia Southern and Florida RR's (GSF) Valdosta-Jacksonville line. The yellow light on the bottom signal of the new "Darth Vader" track signal means a northbound train will soon make its way from Jacksonville.

 A northbound NS trains blows its whistle as it approaches the Acree Road crossing in Duval County. The Thomas Creek trestle is at the bottom of the dip.

 

 After crossing the short bridge and passing the Larsen Road grade crossing, the Northbound manifest train blows it whistle for the Thomas Creek grade crossing as the crossing bell chimes its impending arrival.

 

 

Slowing down to a near crawl, the northbound train prepares to enter the north end of Norris siding. The middle light of the track signal changed to green for a brief moment then both middle and bottom lights changed to red after the train crosses the small creek bridge and passes the track sentinel.

Second turnout added to CSX mainline at Callahan Junction, FL

Railroad workers labor beyond both the new and old track signals as they prepare the track for the new southbound turnout onto the Callahan-Baldwin sub.  This shot is looking north at the CR 108/River Road grade crossing at mm 624.37 on the A line and mm SM 19.97 on the Callahan-Baldwin sub.

The new second turnout has been added to the CSX mainline. It begins on the western track just south of the Alligator Creek trestle in between the mainline crossovers. Once it is opened, the old turnout (foreground) will be upgraded.

Looking south along the Callahan-Baldwin sub. The new second track has concrete cross ties. CSX has parked about two dozen hopper cars (in the distance) on the new track as they prepare to build the bed underneath. Workers were also preparing to activate the new track signals at mm SM 18.2 where a new cross over will be located just north of the Sandy Ford grade crossing.  There is a grade difference of about 35-40 feet within the 2 mile stretch from Callahan to Sandy Ford Road. This is a great view of north bound trains coming from Baldwin as they slowing roll down the gentle grade.

New overhead signals added to callahan junction

Looking northbound at the CSX's main line at Callahan Junction. the Callahan-Baldwin is in the background. The existing signal is giving a green light to a north bound amtrak that came barrelling by from Jacksonville a few minutes after this picture is taken.

Soon the overhead signals will be activated to guard this major junction in CSX's system.

 

 

Looking south down the Callahan- Baldwin Sub (MM 20) at  a northbound manifest train waiting patiently for a northbound amtrak to clear the juntion.  Soon an overhead signal will replace the antiquated one standing in front of it.  The grade increases around where the locomotive is sitting from about 22 feet in Callahan to 60 feet at the Sandy Ford Road grade crossing (mm18) to about 80 at the Crawford diamond (m m15.9)

 

 

As part of the major upgrade to the Callahan- Baldwin sub, CSX is adding overhead signals to go along with the double tracking of the turnout to Baldwin. The CR 108 River Road grade crossing is in its 3rd week of being closed so CSX can add a second track on the Callahan-Baldwin sub.  The addition will allow more freight trains coming into Florida to take the S-line which parallels US 301 to Orlando, Tampa, and Miami.  CSX has sold its track on its A-line from Sanford to Kissimmee to the State of Florida so the Sun-rail commuter line can be built.

CSX widens Callahan-Baldwin sub for double track

 

 

CSX is busy clearing land for a second track from Milepost 20 (at the junction with the main line in Callahan) to Milepost 15.6 (just southwest of the Norfolk Southern diamond) Crawford. If you look close enough you can see the new southbound signal in the distance.There wasn't one there before.  This project is because more CSX trains entering Florida will have to take the Callahan-Baldwin sub in order to bypass Orlando. The State of Florida has purchased CSX's tracks through the town that Mickey build so they can run the Sun Rail commuter transit line from Sanford to Kissimmee.

Work on Callahan Junction CSX's turnout to Baldwin at full speed

 

I took a short cut today and crossed the CSX main line in Callahan at the Brandies Ave/ CR 108 grade crossing. CSX is busy straightening out the sharp turnout to Baldwin and they will double track the turnout as well. These improvements are because more CSX trains will be making the curve from the main line to the Baldwin-Callahan sub in order to bypass restrictions on the now State-owned tracks that run through Orlando. More pics of the major improvements to come this weekend.

 

Looking south down the Baldwin-Callahan sub at Milepost 20 which is at the junction of the main line. They have cleared a large swathe of land from here to the Crawford siding (Milepost 15.8) to make room for two tracks.  Once finished, this turnout will be able to handle more train traffic at higher speeds. 

Looking north at Milepost 20 where the Baldwin-Callahan sub joins the CSX main line.  The switch will begin further north at the Alligator Creek trestle.

 

 

 

 

CSx southbound freight rolls through Dyal, Nassau County, Florida

SB CSX manifest passes the new "Darth Vader" signals at Dyal

Good shot of the dip in the track in between Dyal Road and Pratt Siding grade crossings.

At the bottom of the dip is the Boggy Creek trestle near where the silver spike was driven in 1881.

 

Just a quick pic of a CSX southbound manifest as it rolls through the signals at Dyal, Nassau County, Florida. Located at Milepost 619.6 on the A line between Callahan and Hilliard, this point use to be called Dyal Station. I also hear it called today by the CSX engineers as Dyal Hill, I guess because of the drop in elevation to the north as the tracks cross Boggy Creek. This is also near where in 1881 the dignitaries of the Savannah, Florida and Western RR (Henry Plant's line) drove a silver spike, which connected the final two pieces of a seamless rail line between New York and Florida.