Railfanning in Yulee, Nassau County, FL

CSX train prepapres to drop its cars into the Yulee Rail Yard

One of only a couple of buildings remaining in the historic secition of Yulee (formerly call Hart's Road untill the 1890s) where the Florida Railroad (SAL) crossed Hart's Road. The new Fernandina and Jacksonville Railroad connected Jacksonville to Yulee in 1882. The diamond was completed when the F&J was extened northward to Savannah, Georgia in the 1890s, forming SAL's main line into Florida.

FCRD engine 1602 awaits on the begining of the spur line to Fernandina for its mix of cars to be readied and sorted.

 The old SAL depot sits vacant beside the S-Line just south of where the Florida Railroad (SAL) diamond.  The abestos shingles hide what was once a beautiful wooden train station

 Milepost 612 meant Yulee was 612 miles from Richmond, Virginia,where the SAL and the ACL interchanged with the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad

The crossing signal isn't as busy as it once was. but it still can frustrate motorists when the CSX trains stop traffic as they prepare to enter the Yulee Yard.

I am not sure where the name "Trinity" comes from or how far south the DTC block extends. I do know in Jacksonville, the S-line is divided into such blocks as "Kraft", "Imeson", and "Trout River", the latter being controlled by the bridge tender on the Trout River swing span bridge.FCRD engine 1602 awaits on the begining of the spur line to Fernandina for its mix of cars to be readied and sorted.

(NOTE:  I have since found out "Trinity" comes from the old Trinity Bag Plant that is on the CSX line several miles south of Yulee. I remember the name of the plant being Terminal Bag Company when I was growing up. I think an export company is using the facility now.)

5 trains in 55 minutes for Cinco de Mayo in Callahan, Nassau County, Florida

Train 1: SB CSX intermodal pulled by engine 5313 approaches CR 108 grade crossing

Train 2: Another CSX intermodal pulled by engine 5103 races SB toward Jacksonville

Train 3: NB manifest train pulled by 7840 rounds the curve and toward the main line

Train 4:  Another NB manifest pulled by 7695 from Baldwin approaches the CR 108 grade

Train 5: A loaded coat train veers southward onto the Baldwin-Callahan line on its way to Baldwin

Train 3 chugs across the CR 108 grade and toward the switch on the main line

Train 3 enters the west track of the main line and prepares to crossover to the vacant east track

Train 4 passes the last signal tower before it enters the main line

Train 4 enters the mainline and approaches the crossover to the east track

Train 5 loaded with coal thunders across the CR 108 grade crossing

I was running some errands today in Callahan when I noticed off in the distance a Northbound CSX train parked on the Callahan-Baldwin line. That usually means it is waiting for a Southbound train to clear the mainline so I drove to the Callahan Junction (the bottom of the Florida Funnel) and grabbed my camera.  As I walked closer I glanced northward on the mainline and saw a Southbound CSX train waiting at the Old Dixie Highway grade crossing. I asked myself why 2 trains were stopped in Callahan and before I had time to answer, the gates at Old Dixie came down.  I grabbed my camera and caught a CSX intermodal racing across the CR 108 grade crossing headed for the Jacksonville port. I waited for the train on the Baldwin- Callahan line to move toward me and the main line. After about 15 minutes another Southbound intermodal raced around the SB train parked at Old Dixie and barrelled across CR 108 on its way to Jacksonville.  Finally the NB train whistled its approach and entered the main line. But too my surprise another NB train appeared on the Baldwin-Callahan line and inched down the Crawford grade toward the Callahan junction. In no time it too entered the mainline and disappeared behind the parked SB manifest at Old Dixie.  In no time the SB manifest whistled its approach.  I stepped across the tracks to get another angle and noticed it was a coal train. It gathered speed as it veered off the main line and onto the Baldwin-Callahan line on its way to the Baldwin yard. Five trains in 55 minutes made for some great pictures and for a great Cinco ee Mayo surprise.  On a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 5 (times 2)

Track maintenance slows the trains through the Callahan Junction

I was running some errands in Callahan today when the headlights of a NB CSX engine shinning off in the distance on the Baldwin-Callahan sub caught my eye. By the time I stopped, grabbed my camera and looked through my lens, I noticed the train was stopped probably at milepost 18 on the Crawford slope. I then looked to my right down the main line toward Folkston and noticed a maintenance of way truck welding on the west track just north of the cross over. Beyond them was an oncoming SB manifest slowly rolling toward the CR 108 grade crossing. The gates went down, much to the frustration of the drivers who were heading west toward Callahan Immediate School to pick up their kids. Once that train past, the headlights of the NB train on the Baldwin-Callahan sub began flashing, signalling its start up toward the junction. I got a couple of head on shots before 6 CSX engines pulling a manifest full of old gondolas and grain cars rounded the curve and slowly crawled through the grade crossing, blocking a line of huge yellow school buses heading east from Callahan Intermediate. The locomotives creeped onto the mainline and through the crossover as the maintenance crew stepped back. The flanges of the slow turning wheels creaking and clanging against the sharp curve of the sub and the cross over is something you don't hear much in Callahan. I wish I had a sound recorder that could capture those sounds that you don't usually hear from most trains racing through Callahan at top speed. Some of the freight cars had to be as old as I am; the names of the original railroads long faded beyond legibility. The final dozen or so cars were empty auto carriers, making their own unique banging sounds, its sides painted with the urban graffiti that seems to have become an art form of its own. Once that train cleared the track workers, a SB inter modal train crawled through the grade, followed by another SB manifest that took the sub toward Baldwin. I am sure the slow speed that the engineer of the inter modal train had to killing him as those trains usually are racing through Callahan as they try to beat the closing times of the ports in Jacksonville. All in all, having a quartet of trains traveling at unusually slow speeds was a nice change of pace from the normally high speeds in which they normally travel trough the Callahan.

Trifecta of Northbound CSX trains within 10 minutes rolling through Callahan, Nassau County, Florida.

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.

Nassau County Board of Commissioners approve agreement with FDOT concerning maintenance of Amelia Island Trail

Hats off to the Nassau Board of County Commissioners for approving on December 12th the execution of the agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for maintenance of the Amelia Island Trail (AIT) bike path/trail on A1A from the Nassau Sound Bridge to East Amelia Island Parkway. It will cost the county about $27,000 a year but it is well worth the investment. The AIT team, led by Phil Scalan, Mike Pikula and others, have been working long and hard to make this off road section of the East Coast Greenway a reality. A rejection of this agreement by the Nassau BOCC would have meant that the funds allocated by the FDOT would have gone elsewhere and also would have severely decreased any chances to gain any more FDOT funds for future trails in Nassau County. Bids will now go out immediately and construction will start soon. The weather is nice to go bike riding on Amelia Island so head on over to Fernandina Beach. For more info on the AIT, visit
http://www.ameliaislandassociation.com/ameliaislandtrail.htm

railfanning from the US 301 viaduct in Callahan, Florida

Now that the weather is cooler and I have some time, I will break out my boots and bike and hike and bike the trails and rails of Nassau County, Florida. My favoirte spot is atop the US 301 viaduct in Callahan which has a nice view of the Callahan Junction. Here a CSX manifest trian rolls southbound through the Callahan junction on its way to Jacksonville.

Riding the Trails in Cary State Forest: The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful

The hard surface of Pavilion Drive shown above was ideal to ride on, as was the grass covered Powerline Road. Dirt roads like the one shown below were difficult to ride on as the soft sand cause my bike to often fishtail. Since today was a great day to ride, I threw my bicycle into the back of my pick up and drive to Cary State Forest (CSF) which straddles the Nassau-Duval Line just north of Bryceville. CSF consists of several tracts of timberland that together totals 13,000 acres. It is home to countless wildlife, vegetation and of course trees which is what the pioneers to Nassau County came here for. Recreation wise, CSF is know for hiking, nature walking, camping and horse back riding. They have a nice outdoor pavilion that holds about 50 people and an observation tower to view the wildlife although there is a bike symbol on the main kiosk, some of the roads are not bike friendly. CSF has numerous roads that were once logging paths can be divided into three types: limestone paved, grass and dirt. Mike trek began on Pavilion Road which leads from the main entrance on US 301 to the Fire equipment shed, a total of about a mile. It is the only hard limestone? surface I encountered at CSF. After it ended, little used dirt roads (Fox Squirrel Road and Moccasin Slough) and that had the grassy crest in the middle were the norm for a while. My bike was no match for the soft sand that made up the ruts and I had to walk my bike on numerous locations. However, I did come across grassy roads such as Power Line and Deer Track Roads that made bike riding easier. Overall, today was a good learning experience. I had a chance to enjoy the natural beauty of Cary State Forest and experience its various types of roads. One day we may have a hard surfaced multi use trail that would connect US 301 with Ford Road through CSF.