CSXT FLORIDA FUNNEL K TRAINS The most famous K trains in the area are the Tropicana trains or Juice
trains. As of May 2001, the Bullsheet
listed the following:
Northbounds: K650 to NJ; K652 to Jacksonville; K654 to NJ; K656 Baldwin
to Cincinnati; K658 to NJ.
Southbounds: K651 NJ to Tampa.
As mentioned in the autorack page, a lot of the empties are sent back
on southbound autoracks mostly Q237 from Cincinnati to Tampa.
A lot of the K trains are generated by phosphate-related business.
K440 and K442 are the most regular ones from Tampa to Waycross. The K800s
are either heading to the midwest and Canada or west to Louisiana or Texas.
Either way, they always generate some interesting consists.
February 1998; K650; CSXT 6; CSXT 7051. My first Juice train. At that time, you could expect the TIPX train
to go between the Meteor and the Autotrain. A lucky day would have the
TIPX train race the Autotrain through Folkston for the #1 spot on the single
main to Savannah.
3 rd weekend of June 1999; K650; Conrail 5601, Conrail 6126. Early in the afternoon, in Folkston, the railfan has to deal with the
after-lunch lull. My way is to take a nap in the car parked under the trees
across the track from the car wash. I was deep in sleep dreaming about
more Conrail units, when the distinct Conrail horn wakes me up. In a Pavlovian
way, I jump out of the car and shoot. It takes me a couple of minutes,
before I realize that was the juice train with 2 Conrails in the lead.
March 1999; K810; SOO 6006, SOO 6021. SOO, CP and CN engines are often seen on this Mulberry-Chicago molten
sulfur train.
February 2001; K440; CSXT 8068, CSXT 8042, CSXT
8026. A trio of SD40-2s is the typical consist for this train.
February 2001; K869; CSXT 8152; HLCX 7178 BN, EMDX 6304. A few minutes later, the Chicago-Mulberry train rolls down from Waycross
with another trio of SD40-2s
