Riceboro Southern

Anyone know about the "Riceboro Southern", a Rail Management subsidiary, taking over the CSX line from Ogeechee, GA to Riceboro, GA?

CSX needs money!!! So it's spinning off spur lines to shortline RR's.
There is a paper plant in Riceboro and I think that is the only customer on the line so they quietly took bids on the line and Rail Management got the deal.
Not sure if they are leaseing or buying the line. They also get trackage rights into Savannah's Southover Yard to do switching there.

I'm curious how many carloads are coming out of that mill???

CSX also sold the line in Eastern Savannah (out to the Marine Terminal) to Golden Isle Terminal RR (owned by Raillink). However, they are retaining the property in the deal. They are just selling the track material (rail,ties,etc) and give temporary operating rights via property lease. It's just so if a big new customer goes in along the Eastern Port of Savannah they can come back in and serve them when the lease with Golden Isle ends.
CSX also is looking to unload the line in Southern Florida (Auburndale to Miami). They need more $$$.

CSX doesn't own the former SAL trackage between West Palm Beach and Miami. It was purchased by the Florida Department of Transportation for use by Tri-Rail commuter rail traffic. CSX still retains use rights and is hired to handle all train dispatching on the stretch of track, which is officially known as the South Florida Rail Corridor.

CSX has expanded the section of track that they are interested in selling to include the trackage between Auburndale and Orlando, and has also expressed an interest in determining if any potential operator wants to lease/purchase the section of track between Orlando and Palatka. Seems like the northern portion of CSX's "A" line may become a thing of the past in the not so distant future!

ACLfan

You are right FDOT does own that trackage. When I said unload I meant sell what they actually still own and stop serving the remainder to save money. Shortline it out to someone.

I did not hear about the Palatka to Orlando segment, interesting...
Why Palatka? That big FPL power plant being there? Is that a coal plant or oil?
The Martin Plant (Indiantown) is not coal, otherwise CSX would still keep operating down there.

So CSX will still serve the Tampa area via their other line that runs down through Ocala and Zephyhills? Is that

Regarding Palatka, Palatka is important to the CSX for two reasons:
1. As mentioned, the large electrical generating plant north of Palatka is the Seminole Electric Generating Plant, powered by coal brought in via trains from Port St. Joe, FL (where the coal was off-loaded from sea-going barges from loading points on the Ohio River) and up the Apalachicola Northern RR to Chattahoochee, FL where the cars are turned over to CSX for the trip to Palatka and return. This plant generates electrical power that is sold to FP&L, Progress Energy, Jacksonville Electric, and possibly other buyers.

2. A very large Georgia-Pacific paper mill is located on the NW side of Palatka, and is jointly served by CSX and NS (via trackage use rights over CSX from Jacksonville as part of an agreement made years ago that allowed NS to abandon its line to Palatka from a point on the SE side of Lake City, FL.)

In exchange, the agreement allowed CSX to use the NS's former South Georgia RR trackage between Perry, FL and Quitman, GA, so that CSX could abandon its trackage between Thomasville, GA and Perry, FL (another joint use paper mill is located on the SE side of Perry, at Foley, FL). CSX trains operate out of the CSX yard at Thomasville, GA eastward to Quitman, GA, where the switch is made to the former NS tracks (now the Georgia-Florida Railnet) for the trip to the paper mill at Foley, FL and return.

The CSX line between Palatka and Orlando has very few carloadings, and two major manned bascule-type drawbridges across the St. Johns River. These two drawbridges represent high maintenance costs to the RR.

Incidentally, CSX has very recently indicated that it would consider offers from shortline operators also for the section of trackage between Orlando and Auburndale, FL. This section of track serves the large OUC coal fired electrical generating plant and the large Taft Intermodal Terminal on the south side of Orlando, in addition to a rather large general freight cargo base in the Orlando area. Quite surprising!

CSX has made major trackwork improvements to the former SAL "S" line between Baldwin Yard (west of Jacksonville) and Lakeland - Tampa, FL.
The former ACL line through Orlando is referred to as CSX's "A" line.

I didn't to keep rambling! Sorry! I just got carried away!

ACLfan