Wildwood FL Rail Sightings

New MOW Equipment in yard next to the spreader that usually there. The new equipment looks like a Ballast Tamper from my vantage point. The covered hoppers are still in the yard.

Yesterday the LORAM Rail Grinding Train was laid up in the Wildwood Yard with some crew workers inspecting the train.

Today, a thru freight thru the Wildwood Yard was led by two Norfork-Southern engines, unfortunately I was driving at the time and couldn't get a picture of it. Could this have been a Hurricane Mathew reroute?

More likely borrowed power.

Today's newspaper says that CSX will be renewing 3 grade crossings this week. A trainload of MOW equipment has arrived at the Wildwood Yard for this upcoming roadwork.

The CSX Yard Office is the former Seaboard Passenger/ Freight Office. The only passenger function left is a small waiting room for Amtrak Bus service (opens 1hour before/after bus arrival). See photos.

The Conrad Yelvington Aggregate Yard at the south end of the present Wildwood Yard was the site of the former Seaboard Roundhouse and turntable, The turntable pit is still used by the aggregate yard to turn the conveyor system to make various piles of different aggregates. See the attached Google Maps view.

railfaned wrote:The CSX Yard Office is the former Seaboard Passenger/ Freight Office. The only passenger function left is a small waiting room for Amtrak Bus service (opens 1hour before/after bus arrival). See photos.

I am confused. I just moved here and was surprised to see your pretty recent posting. There is no bus service here, correct?

Also, what is the purpose of this yard? Are many trains made up here or is it mostly just a maintenance facility? Thanks for any info.

[quote="railfaned"]I am confused. I just moved here and was surprised to see your pretty recent posting. There is no bus service here, correct?Also, what is the purpose of this yard? Are many trains made up here or is it mostly just a maintenance facility? Thanks for any info.

The last time I checked, the Amtrak bus comes down US301 from Jacksonville around the 12pm - 1pm timeframe. Not sure if Amtrak has changed anything. The yard does a lot of makeup/breakup's for local distribution. Many thru trains also. Coal trains, Tropicana Juice trains, Double stacks, bomb trains as well as mixed freight also pass thru.

Thanks for the reply. I remember reading that Amtrak fairly recently added a stop for The Villages at Lady Lake. I thought that was the only stop in the area. I didn't realize that the Wildwood stop was still used. Looking at a map it would seem easier for a motorcoach to travel directly up 301 to Ocala. Adding the stop on the other side of the Villages seems to be a rather inconvenient location requiring a half hour diversion just to cross through the Villages. Doesn't seem like a good choice. I would think a stop in the center of The Villages somewhere would have made more sense. There are two "Transportation Centers" located inside The Villages.

I haven't seen the Tropicana Juice Train here in Wildwood FL in months. It used to be a twice weekly - 30 car train. I know that the Citrus blight damaged the crop, but the hurricane wiped out the crop. I don't know if anyone has seen the train elsewhere or if was cancelled or rerouted.

railfaned wrote:I haven't seen the Tropicana Juice Train here in Wildwood FL in months. It used to be a twice weekly - 30 car train. I know that the Citrus blight damaged the crop, but the hurricane wiped out the crop. I don't know if anyone has seen the train elsewhere or if was cancelled or rerouted.

I have seen a handful of Tropicana cars in a mixed freight heading north the other day.

CSX derailment in FL spills molten sulfur. From Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-flor ... SKBN1DR1US" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The day before Thanksgiving 2 CSX Geeps towed in to the Conrad Yelvington Aggregate Yard a Conrad Yelvington Geep. It is now sitting where the old Alco SW sits when not in use near the office building at the north end of the aggregate yard. The old Alco now sits at the far south end of the yard. I don't know what its fate is.

Things have been quiet at the Wildwood rail yard for the last 3+ weeks, since The Villages daily Sun ran an article stating that switching at the yard has been moved south to Lakeland. The Wildwood City government has been complaining that a few railroad crossings were being blocked for extended amount of time. Those super long trains were too long for the yards and would have to be broken down on the main. I once counted a 216 car train(I didn't think it was possible). On another occasion, a coupler failed and blocked Rte. 466 in The Villages for an extended amount of time, causing a major traffic snafu. I'll miss having good photo ops at Wildwood.