Eastern Railroad Discussion > Folkston,ga Questions

Ive seen alot of info about trains and numbers,but the Doo's would like to visit in January,Hows the weather say jan 20th,Are the cops railfan freindly,Is the area safe to be out and about,Are there any speed trap cities need to watch out for,Thanks for the info,Be nice if a Local could Reply

Folkston a great stop , weather you know change in a hour or quicker , Nice area to watch the trains pull up sit in car if it chilly , i think it pretty safe area , more so then here in baltimore md , But Like any where common sense

It's a pleasant location, with a business district to the east of the tracks and a residential area to the west. The area where the camera is located has a large lawn so there's no reason to trespass on the right-of-way and thus no issues with police.

The whole town is railfan friendly in including the police. Many locals at the viewing platform most mornings. Hook up with the old man that parks his camper by the tracks. His name is Cricket. Lots of local info. Railside Lodging has a rustic campground at the north end of town. It's located at the split for Jessup and Waycross. Weather has been pretty nice in January's past.

scoobydoobydoo Wrote:
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> Ive seen alot of info about trains and numbers,but
> the Doo's would like to visit in January,Hows the
> weather say jan 20th,Are the cops railfan
> freindly,

Yes they are pleasant, some talkative, some not.

>Is the area safe to be out and about,

Mostly safe. A homeless man was there for a while (not a danger or bother but a pest, and he asked a child improper questions); sometimes locals have a pizza dinner at the platform but are pleasant.

Dont forget bug spray.

Are
> there any speed trap cities need to watch out
> for,

The entire road between I-95 and Folkston should be considered a speed trap. So would the towns on 301 to the south. Each town has its own 60/50/40/30/40/50/60 designs with **15** for school zones, even if the school is not on the main road.

>Thanks for the info,Be nice if a Local could

Western Motel is great, basic but immaculate, about $70 a night with railfan and AAA discount.

Bring bottled water and soda as the tap water in town is horrible. Dining options are limited, however Jalens BBQ is recommended and the Okefenokee Buffet is okay but really Southern food. Sandwiches at Dixies are also good. Chain restaurants and fuel are available in Kingsland by I-95.

> Reply

emd_mrs1 Wrote:
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Dining options are limited,
> however Jalens BBQ is recommended and the
> Okefenokee Buffet is okay but really Southern
> food. Sandwiches at Dixies are also good. Chain
> restaurants and fuel are available in Kingsland by
> I-95.

I guess "limited" is a relative term. There is the Okefenokee Restaurant, Subway, a Chinese take out, a Thai restaurant, Dairy Queen, McDonalds, Burger King and the BBQ trailer that is open on Thurs, Friday and Saturday next to the self-storage place at the platform is very good.

I live locally and railfan there often. The police are very railfan-friendly, you will not have any problems. I haven't seen the homeless guy in months, perhaps he has moved on. There are spot lights that come on automatically at night and are sufficient for shooting video. The platform has ceiling fans, wifi and a scanner with excellent reception. There is also a restroom building in the parking area (which was recently paved) which is open 24 hours.

If visiting on a weekend, be prepared for the local railfan "experts", take them with a grain of salt. The old freight house is a Visitor's Center with a very nice free museum with many interesting items and a small gift shop. It is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m and Saturday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

I made a schematic drawing with the signal names, defect detectors and radio frequencies. If you are interested, PM me with an e-mail address and I will send it to you. Luckily, there are defect detectors south on the Nahunta Sub and north of Folkston on both the Nahunta and Jesup Subs, so you will have a good idea of what is coming. You can also see the signals for northbound trains at the Folkston turnout.

The Railfan Wiki site is probably the best source for current train symbols. http://railroadfan.com/wiki/index.php/CSX_Train_Symbols

Weather is cool, temps in the 40's & 50's at night, warms up to the 60's & 70's during the day. I have stayed overnight at the parking area many times. A few times the Folkston Police have stopped to check on me. No hassle, just making sure I was okay. You can also rent the Chessie caboose next to the tracks or the small building next to it other side of the mainline which have been converted to lodging. There is also a Family Lines caboose and the Roadmaster's shack on the south of the platform. You can check these out at: http://railsidelodging.com/

To get an idea of current traffic I regularly post videos here and on YouTube, channel name is "Georgia Rail Videos"

Hope this helps, enjoy your stay.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/17 18:25 by RFandPFan.

There is a new campground just south of town called Jennie Ridge if I recall right, but I think you like trackside !

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

Be sure to take advantage of the museum in the freight office. I concur with all other comments. In the USA, Folkston is as safe as it gets. The Whistlin' Dixie cafe is open most days. You'll have more choices of hotels and restaurants if you sleep in Waycross or Kingsland, but those are half an hour away. Some of the best train watching is early evening or before sunrise, so bear that in mind. Train count at Folkston is down somewhat but still worth one's while. And with CSX having migrated away from terrestrial radio for ATCS, you must listen to the road channel to know about southbounds. For northbounds you can see signals for the interlocking from the viewing platform.

I stay in Waycross. You get the benefit of paralleling the Jesup Sub going down to Folkston.

I prefer local restaurants when I travel. L L Creek is the best I've found in Waycross. It is a bar and grill, not fine dining.