Callahan Subdivision | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheCallahan Subdivision is aCSX Transportationrailroad line just northwest ofJacksonville, Florida. Spanning 20 miles, it runs fromBaldwin north and northeast 20 miles toCallahan.[1] The line primarily serves as a bypass to Jacksonville.
Prior to 1985, the line continued from Callahan northeast toGross and it was known as theGross Subdivision under CSX predecessorsSeaboard Air Line Railroad andSeaboard Coast Line Railroad.[2][3]
The Callahan Subdivision begins just west of Jacksonville in Baldwin. At Baldwin Junction, it connects with CSX'sS Line (Wildwood Subdivision) to the south and theTampa Terminal Subdivision to the east. It also connects with theFlorida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad to the west.
From Baldwin, the Callahan Subdivision heads northeast, passing through the communities ofBryceville andIngle. It then crosses theNorfolk Southern Railway'sValdosta District inCrawford.
The Callahan Subdivision terminates inCallahan at a junction with CSX'sA Line (Nahunta Subdivision).[1]
The Callahan Subdivision has threedirect traffic control blocks (DTC),double tracks on its full entire route and twodefect detector locations over its length. The first defect detector is at milepost SM 1.3 and the first siding, Fouraker, at a length of 6,690 feet (2,040 m), extends from milepost SM 3.5 to SM 5.0. The second defect detector is found at milepost SM 12.3 and the second siding, Crawford, a 10,900-foot (3,300 m) siding, runs from milepost SM 13.3 to SM 15.4. The three DTC blocks are Baldwin from milepost SM 0.18 to SM 5.0 followed by Fouraker from the SM 5.0 to SM 15.4 and last is Crawford from SM 15.4 to SM 20.0.
The Callahan Subdivision crosses theNorfolk Southern Railway at milepost SM 15.5. The line'sdispatcher is known as the JE Dispatcher on channel 14 and 32: 160.320 MHz and 160.590 MHz respectively.[4]
The line was originally built by theFlorida Railroad as part of a line that ran fromFernandina Beach toCedar Key. The first train ran in 1861. After various reorganizations and mergers, the Florida Railroad became part of theFlorida Central and Peninsular Railroad (FC&P) network by 1893.[5]
| Gross Subdivision | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Owner | Seaboard Air Line Railroad (1925-1967) Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (1967-1985) | ||
| Termini | |||
| Technical | |||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge | ||
| |||
The line would later become part of theSeaboard Air Line Railroad, who acquired the entire FC&P network, in 1903.[6] The Seaboard Air Line initially classified the line as part of its Ocala District.[7]
In 1925, the Seaboard Air Line built theGross Cutoff (also known as the Gross-Callahan Cutoff) which ran from the line near Callahan northeast toGross on the company'smain line. Gross was the name of a small turpentine village about 7 miles north ofYulee (near the current interchange betweenInterstate 95 andUS 17).[8] By 1936, the line was designated as the Gross Subdivision from Gross to Baldwin. A number of Seaboard's passenger trains, such as theOrange Blossom Special and theSilver Star, often ran the line when bypassing the often busyJacksonville Union Terminal. Up until the late 1930s, a daily mixed train (consisting of both passengers and freight) also ran the line from Baldwin to Callahan and along the original route east toFernandina Beach (known then as theFernandina Subdivision).[9][2]
The Gross Subdivision was busy enough by 1948 that the Seaboard Air Line installedCentralized traffic control along the line. TheFernandina Subdivision (part of the original Florida Railroad) was abandoned from Callahan east toYulee in 1954 since the Gross Subdivision had become the primary route.[10]
In 1967, the Seaboard Air Line merged with its rival, theAtlantic Coast Line Railroad, whosemain line crossed the Gross Subdivision in Callahan. In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation.
In 1985, the company abandoned the Gross Subdivision north of Callahan.[8] It became largely unnecessary after the company severed the Seaboard Air Line's main line (now known as the S Line) as a through route in southernGeorgia the same year.[11] The remaining route was then renamed the Callahan Subdivision as it is today.
| Milepost | City/Location | Station[2] | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SM 0.0 | Baldwin | Baldwin | junction with: |
| SM 3.9 | Fouraker | ||
| SM 6.3 | Bryceville | Bryceville | |
| SM 8.9 | Ingle | Ingle | |
| SM 15.5 | Crawford | Crawford | junction withAtlantic, Valdosta and Western Railway (GSF/SOU) |
| SM 19.9 | Callahan | Callahan | junction withAtlantic Coast Line RailroadMain Line |
| SM 21.5 | Nassau | junction withSeaboard Air Line RailroadFernandina Subdivision | |
| SM 28.4 | Mill's Creek | ||
| SM 34.4 | Gross | Gross | junction withSeaboard Air Line RailroadMain Line |
