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.

Railfanning in Keen and Crawford, Nassau County, Florida

CSX Northbound manifest enters the Crawford Road grade crossing north of the Crawford diamond toward Callahan, Florida

Northbound NS manifest pulls onto the Macon-Jacksonville line and crosses the Crawford diamond headed toward Valdosta and Macon, Georgia

NS southbound combo intermodal/auto carrier races across the Crawford diamond toward Jacksonville, Florida. A semi tractor trailer crosses the US 301 viaduct (built 1932) in the background.

A NS southbound intermodal speeds across the Thomas Creek Road/Ratliff Road grade crossing in Keen, Nassau County, Florida, headed for Jacksonville. Keen was founded in 1900 as a timber stop on the Georgia Southern and Florida's Valdosta to Jacksonville line. it was named for James Mitchel Keen who owned most of timber land in the area.

Some say Friday the 13th is an unlucky day, but as a rail fan today was truly a lucky day. I was on my way to my dad's place with no plans to rail fan. As I crossed the Norfolk Southern's Ratliff Road/Thomas Creek Road grade crossing in Keen, Nassau County,Florida, I spotted a Southbound NS train fast approaching. (This section of the Norfolk Southern rail network was at one time known as the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad that ran from Macon to Valdosta, Georgia, then branched off into two lines running into Florida, one to Palatka {built 1890} and this one to Jacksonville {built 1900}). I pulled off the road just in time to snap a picture of the long inter modal racing toward Jacksonville. I turned my truck around and headed north on Thomas Creek Road toward Crawford, passing a Northbound NS manifest train waiting patiently on the Crawford siding. I figure I could snap a picture of it as it crossed the Crawford diamond on its way north to Valdosta and Macon, Georgia. I crossed US 301, turned west onto Crawford Road, sped across the CSX Callahan-Baldwin line and stopped a minute later at the NS Woods Lane grade crossing. (Woods Lane is part of the old Baldwin Road that was the main road from Callahan to Baldwin before US 301 was built in the 1930s). As I parked my truck, I was expecting the NB manifest to be slowly chugging under the US 301 viaduct and pulling onto the main line. Instead to my surprise I saw the SB signal still on green, meaning there was another Southbound NS train holding up the Northbound manifest. Sure enough another Southbound NS combination inter modal/auto carrier came racing across Woods Lane and through the diamond. Loud banging sounds echoed through the nearby pine trees as each truck hit the guide rails of the crossing. Finally after about 15 minutes the Northbound manifest slowly entered the main NS line just east of the CSX line. I could feel the power of the engines as it gained speed through the diamond, pulling Herzog gondolas and tanker cars. Thinking my railfaning was over, I turned around and recrossed the CSX line. As I glanced both ways, I spotted a Northbound CSX train on the south side of the Crawford diamond. I could tell by the smoke rising from the engines it was gaining speed and approaching the Crawford Road crossing fast. By the time I stepped out of my truck, the crossing signals had begun flashing. I was able to capture a pic of a short CSX manifest train heading north toward Callahan and the main line out of Florida. Within an hour I was able to capture pictures of 4 trains as they raced through the old logging villages of Crawford and Keen, Florida. Looks like Fridays are hot days to rail fan in Nassau County, Florida.