Eastern Railroad Discussion > FEC Train ID/Jacksonville NS Terminal Question

So I am going to be going to FEC Bowden yard , Next Sunday and was wondering what FEC's schelude is on Sunday ? Also what Trains have the FEC LNG Test Locomotive been on ? Does CSX/NS interchange traffic @ FEC Bowden yard , if so what symbols does it run under and what's the power of the transfer trains ? What trains arrive/depart out of NS Jacksonville Train yard on a weekly basis ?

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/17 11:58 by UP844.

The blue GECX 3000 LNG unit mixes in with the dozen or so LNG equipped 800s on the FEC.

(I don't know how many of the 8xx units have been converted, but many have.)

I am asking what train is it usually on ?

Posted from iPhone

Not that it's gospel, but 101 had an LNG set all three times I saw it last week.

Randy

Posted from iPhone

UP844 Wrote:
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> I am asking what train is it usually on ?
>
> Posted from iPhone

I've seen it on several trains, although 101/202 occasionally gets it.  FEC doesn't have regularly assigned engines for trains, from what I've observed

To clarify - are you asking about the six LNG tenders, which mate to about a dozen FEC and one GECX locomotive?  Or to the one GECX loco?

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> UP844 Wrote:
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> > I am asking what train is it usually on ?
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> I've seen it on several trains, although 101/202
> occasionally gets it.  FEC doesn't have regularly
> assigned engines for trains, from what I've
> observed


Where do 101/202 usually go to and from ? Do they run daily !

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> To clarify - are you asking about the six LNG
> tenders, which mate to about a dozen FEC and one
> GECX locomotive?  Or to the one GECX loco?

Both of them !

Posted from iPhone

UP844 Wrote:
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> So I am going to be going to FEC Bowden yard ,
> Next Sunday and was wondering what FEC's schelude
> is on Sunday ? Also what Trains have the FEC LNG
> Test Locomotive been on ? Does CSX/NS interchange
> traffic @ FEC Bowden yard , if so what symbols
> does it run under and what's the power of the
> transfer trains ? What trains arrive/depart out of
> NS Jacksonville Train yard on a weekly basis ?
>
> Posted from iPhone

Unfortunately, Sunday's are about the slowest day of the week. You will get a northbound 226 due into Bowden on FEC about 9:30 AM. Then nothing until 101, which should go south between 1400-1430, next would be 107 after 1700. Any of these trains could have the fuel tenders but I would agree that 101 seems to be a good bet. North of Bowden there are transfers to Ns and CSX. It has been a while since I've shot this area, but there NS road power seemed most common, along with single CSX GPs or SW units. I don't know if FEC crews and power still go north of Bowden to CSX or not. The big drawbridge in downtown Jax seemed to be a good spot. I have shot the west side from the south bank of the river in the past.

UP844 Wrote:
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> Where do 101/202 usually go to and from ? Do they
> run daily !

101 runs daily from Jacksonville to Miami. It normally leaves Jacksonville 1:30-2:00 except for Sunday's when it runs about an hour later. 202 is listed as daily from Miami to Jacksonville but quite often it does not run on Sundays.

biff Wrote:
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> > Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> > > UP844 Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
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> >
> >
> >
> > Where do 101/202 usually go to and from ? Do
> they
> > run daily !
>
> 101 runs daily from Jacksonville to Miami. It
> normally leaves Jacksonville 1:30-2:00 except for
> Sunday's when it runs about an hour later. 202 is
> listed as daily from Miami to Jacksonville but
> quite often it does not run on Sundays.

True on 101's schedule although it was called for 1:30 today.

Posted from iPhone

808/305/810 have been assigned to one side of the 202/101 for several days now.  (A 300 number identifies one of the LNG tenders)  They're on their way north Sunday tonight.

202 runs as needed on Sundays and the crew will swap with the 101 crew at about the halfway point. It all pretty much depends if there is enough outbound freight in Hialeah to warrant putting on a train. 101's call time is usually 1:00p for 1:30p, 107 most of the time is 4:45p for 5:15pm. With the longer daylight hours now as we approach summer, you may even be able to catch 117 (Jax to Fort Lauderdale) which usually goes on duty early on Sundays not long after 107. Northbound traffic isn't much on Sundays. There is no 210 out of Miami, so the only train you might have any luck of catching is 226 in the morning. As mentioned, 202 can be hit or miss - but if it does run, by the time it gets to the northern end of the railroad it is usually after dark anyway. 

The LNG sets are in the general engine service pool, so it will just be luck of the draw if you happen to catch one on the day you are there. Some sets can and have cycled back on forth on the same trains several times though. I believe there are 5 or 6 sets in service to date. 

As far as interchange traffic goes, FEC does run at least one transfer to CSX Moncrief Yard  during the day as a "Z" train. Usually the job brings all of the Crowley traffic that comes in on 218 for forwarding to Q038 later in the day. There may be other jobs that run as required, the power is usually one of FEC's four axle locomotives. For southbound traffic to the FEC, NS and CSX most of the time will make their transfer runs to Bowden Yard in the moring. NS will usually run 209 and 229 over the St. Johns River road power and all, CSX may make a transfer run or tow from Jax Ramp using yard power. The Acosta Bridge is a well known spot among local photographers. The reverse applies for northbound runs. NS will take 210 across the river to Simpson Yard using their power, and CSX may make a transfer run or two back to Moncrief using yard power. 

 

UP844
  Be aware,  there is heavy road construction on I-95 (Overland bridge project) and local building (multi story)  on the South side of the river in the vicinity of the Acosta bridge. Also NS Simpson yard is undergoing a major facelift . and to add to the tourist fun ,there is a King's rd, Old King's rd. and New King's rd, not necessarily connected or in the same county.

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

biff Wrote:
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> UP844 Wrote:
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> > Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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>
> > -----
> > > UP844 Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> >
> >
> > Where do 101/202 usually go to and from ? Do
> they
> > run daily !
>
> 101 runs daily from Jacksonville to Miami. It
> normally leaves Jacksonville 1:30-2:00 except for
> Sunday's when it runs about an hour later. 202 is
> listed as daily from Miami to Jacksonville but
> quite often it does not run on Sundays.

101 often leaves as early as 12:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday. It usually leaves later Friday-Sunday.

202 does the same thing out of Miami but, as noted, is often annulled on Sunday.

The CSX yard job I have seen delivering intermodal traffic to connect with 101 is the Y108 job. It usually comes over to Bowden from Moncrief mid-morning, with NS #209 and NS #229 later on.

The only time I have personally seen FEC power on the St. Johns River bridge downtown was on a northbound rock movement; I don't know where it was going. As noted above FEC power should also handle the Tropicana transfer to CSX, and I've also been told that FEC often sends a road set up to Simpson Yard to grab ethanol trains when NS has one in town for interchange. I don't know that FEC road power routinely crosses the big bridge under any other circumstances.

Agree that Sunday is the worst day of the week, overall, to railfan FEC. Train #226 sometimes gets into Jax well before its scheduled arrival on Sunday mornings, and now that we're on Daylight Time again that means it might even be before sunrise at St Augustine for a few weeks until the days get longer. St Augustine is the most scenic spot north of Daytona and a railfan favorite for shots of the morning northbound trains into Jacksonville.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/17 07:40 by toledopatch.