Eastern Railroad Discussion > Trains passing through or in and around Orlando

We are in Orlando for a weeklong vacation from the west coast. I would like to get a few pics of trains in Florida into my portfolio. Can anybody provide advice as to where I should go to find freights out short lines I. The Orlando area please? Looks like my only free day for hunting trains will be Sunday. Thanks, Jim. 

Sunrail commuter trains don't run on Sunday, but their power will probably be laying over north of their Sanford station. Just north of highway 46, but not in a good position to photograph.  There may be a Sunrail unit or two at the Amtrak Auto-Train facility in Sanford (just south of highway 46). 

Auto-Train should leave around 4pm, and arrive around 9am.

Thanks. Are there any CSX freights coming through on a regular basis? Or Eastern Florida closer to the coast?


jim

Florida East Coast runs through Cocoa and Cape Canaveral area, which is about 60 miles east.  CSX runs through downtown Orlando, can't help with current operations.  There is a significant amount of activity with the Tropicana orange juice train, phosphate and rock trains, etc.

The Florida Northern (?) runs out of Tavares, I believe. Others may have info on its activity

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Florida East Coast runs through Cocoa and Cape
> Canaveral area, which is about 60 miles east. 
> CSX runs through downtown Orlando, can't help with
> current operations.  There is a significant
> amount of activity with the Tropicana orange juice
> train, phosphate and rock trains, etc.
>
> The Florida Northern (?) runs out of Tavares, I
> believe. Others may have info on its activity

Thanks a bunch. It gives me a place to start. Sunday or earlier I will be out looking. I already saw tracks passing under the toll road just west of the airport. Will chart a course to the surface streets there and go from there.  Will also drive to the coast if I get a chance. Thanks again,  Jim. 

chips7335 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Florida East Coast runs through Cocoa and Cape
> > Canaveral area, which is about 60 miles east. 
> > CSX runs through downtown Orlando, can't help
> with
> > current operations.  There is a significant
> > amount of activity with the Tropicana orange
> juice
> > train, phosphate and rock trains, etc.
> >
> > The Florida Northern (?) runs out of Tavares, I
> > believe. Others may have info on its activity
>
> Thanks a bunch. It gives me a place to start.
> Sunday or earlier I will be out looking. I already
> saw tracks passing under the toll road just west
> of the airport. Will chart a course to the surface
> streets there and go from there.  Will also drive
> to the coast if I get a chance. Thanks again,
>  Jim. 

Jim,  I believe those tracks go to the Orlando Utilities power plant, you might try looking around Taft (S.Orlando) yard,  Be carefull there though !

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

Mainline CSX road trains through Orlando are nocturnal due to the SunRail curfew.  Northbound Q456 usually heads North between 23:00 and midnight.  Southbound Q455 usually arrives sometime after midnight.  Both Q455 and Q456 work Rand Yard in Sanford to and from Taft.  Unit coal trains to OUCX Stanton and rock trains to Orlando usually arrive and depart from the south end of Taft Yard.  These trains usually run the S-Line through Central Florida, but are still known to go straight up the A-line north of Orlando.  Again, these trains are usually held outside of town due to the SunRail curfew.  The only freight during the day are the locals based out of Taft Yard.  A776 and A777 usually work the mornings while others like A775, A786, and A798 are at night.  The Florida Central transfer to Taft Yard happens around midnight.

For more freight traffic, you'd have to travel northwest to Wildwood on the Wildwood Sub (aka the S-line).  About 20 trains a day can be expected.  Already mentioned was the FEC.  Unfortunately, the closest FEC location to Orlando is Cocoa.  Nearly all the FEC road freights through Cocoa are at night.  You'd have to go up to St. Augustine for decent daylight traffic.

Andrew

Your chances of seeing much on FEC through Cocoa in daylight on a Sunday this time of year are very poor. There's a very good chance the only thing you'll see close to daylight is #101 around sunset, and I'm pretty sure it gets there later than that. Even up in St Augustine your only guaranteed daylight train on a Sunday is #101, which typically leaves Bowden Yard in south Jacksonville around 3 on Sundays. The other good possibility there is #226 right after sunrise. I once got #222 there on a Sunday morning in December, but that was a stroke of luck because it was delayed coming north and ended up needing a dog-catch -- I wouldn't depend on that happening.
 

The town of Plant City, west of Orlando on the highway to Tampa, has a restored depot and a two-level railfan viewing platform where the former ACL and SAL lines cross at grade. I haven't been there for several years (well before the viewing platform was built), but it was a good place to hang out even then. There's a good amount of CSX traffic, and Amtrak passes thtough to and from Tampa (although it's not a stop).

wpamtk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The town of Plant City, west of Orlando on the
> highway to Tampa, has a restored depot and a
> two-level railfan viewing platform where the
> former ACL and SAL lines cross at grade. I haven't
> been there for several years (well before the
> viewing platform was built), but it was a good
> place to hang out even then. There's a good amount
> of CSX traffic, and Amtrak passes thtough to and
> from Tampa (although it's not a stop).

Probably the Best option without running around the whole of Central Florida on a slow RR day IMHO

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

Of course Disney's Magic Kingdom has four real steam locomotives brought from Mexico and offers an enginehouse tour most mornings. (park admission required, and there is a cost for the tour)

Busch Gardens in Tampa has four Crown steam locomotives operating (admission required).

All of these are 36" gauge.

Michael