Auto Train 2021 Published 4-9-2021
Post updated 5-3-21 1:24PM EST
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Hello readers, this is Ryan Casey and welcome to Auto Train 2021! March 2021 marked the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 Pandemic, which is still ongoing at the time of writing. Vaccines are out, but appointments are hard to come by. Businesses are still running at 25% percent capacity, and masks are a federal requirement on all transportation in the United States. Domestic travel restrictions are still in place, but are becoming little more relaxed as more people become half or fully vaccinated. Under these circumstances, I knew that it would be safer to travel by rail than by air. So my mother and I decided take Amtrak’s Auto Train down to Florida.
History of Auto Train
In the late 1960s, passenger rail transportation in the United States was declining rapidly as highways and airports were being built. People began driving or flying to their destinations. Thus making rail travel more and more irrelevant. Meanwhile, a USDOT report, outlining the feasibility of a market for passenger trains carrying both people and their personal vehicles, was published. The study stated that this concept works provided that potential services could turn a profit, and be run by potential private sector companies. Eugene K Garfield, who was a former attorney to the DOT, picked up on the report, and founded Auto Train Corporation as a way to attract passengers back to the rails. In December of 1971, after contracting with the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac and the Seaboard Coast Line railroads, Auto Train Corporation began revenue service between Lorton, Virginia, south of Washington, DC, and Sanford, Florida, just north of Orlando. A neat way to travel between the northeast and the then-new Walt Disney World, was born.
The new Auto Train Corporation picked up all dome cars from over seven major railroad companies wanting to get rid of their equipment. New locomotives from General Electric, and auto carriers were even purchased. Some of which came from Canadian National. Together, with backing from the New York Times, the service was successful. For the next ten years, Auto Train Corporation seemed to be doing well. So much so, that a Louisville to Florida route and Cranford, New Jersey route were proposed. Unfortunately, when the company chose the Louisville to Florida route, they got into operational and financial trouble. Several derailments due to poor track conditions, caused insurance premiums to rise and revenue patronage to fall, leading to the company’s demise in 1981. The company’s concept never died, and still worked. In 1983, Amtrak was able to start their own version of Auto Train, using the same facilities, all the auto carriers, and some of the old dome cars. Today, Amtrak’s Auto Train is the most profitable long-distance route outside of the Northeast Corridor, and the longest passenger train in North America.
March 24th-26th
On Wednesday March 24th, 2021, we began our trip in New Jersey, driving into some foul weather heading south towards Delaware. The rain did let up by the time we got to Maryland, but day turned quickly into night as we approached Virginia. Upon reaching Lorton, we finished the first segment of the path of everyone’s trip to Florida by land. If traveling from New England or New York, it’s highly recommended to arrive the night before your departure. Traffic on a Friday morning and afternoon on I-95 South swells up so badly that there is a risk of missing your train.
On Thursday March 25th, 2021, we got up next morning trying to decide what to do about boarding the train. We decided to drove over to the terminal at 12:30PM EST, but unfortunately we couldn’t go back to our car and there was no hot food in the cafe. I had to heat up lunchables pizzas in a dirty microwave because I underestimated my hunger. We waited and waited. Then at 2:00PM EST, the motive power for our train of the day was coupled on. The engines were P42DCs #180 and #183. This may be the last time I ever ride behind a P42DC. Because starting later in 2021, these engines will be replaced by the newer Siemens ALC 42 locomotives. So it was high time to catch anything I could get before they got retired. At 2:30PM EST, we boarded the train. Once the Auto Carriers were all coupled up, our train departed fifteen minutes to four.
The southbound journey of Auto Train travels down the former RF&P railroad mainline through Virginia. Now owned by CSX Transportation, this route remains an artery for freight traffic running from Florida to the Northeast. In addition, many Amtrak regional and long distance trains also traverse this line. As of 2021, all other long-distance trains, except for Auto Train are still running tri-weekly due to COVID. But Northeast Regionals still run daily. Virginia Railway Express trains are even less frequent on this line, only running northbound in the morning, and southbound in the afternoon. This is due to the fact that the line is so busy, pre-occupied with freights and Amtrak trains. Another thing to note is that Precision Scheduled Railroading has greatly affected how freight trains are run. Longer freight trains run with less locomotives, and allowed the railroad to cut many jobs and close hump yards. Freight trains can now reach up to 2 miles in length, and are powered by three locomotives. Two at the front, and one DPU unit in the middle.
Passing down the Virginia Tidewater coast, we passed through woods. Northern Virginia’s rugged terrain and thick woods make it ideal for government agencies such as the FBI or CIA to have their academies based here. Several military installations could also be seen from the train. The Marine Corp Air Facility in Quantico, and the Defense Supply Center in Richmond, boast many unique aircraft and Army National Guard trucks and equipment. In Civil War times, Virginia was in the Confederate States of America, and it’s capital was Richmond. Meade’s Pyramid, Prospect Hill, and the Stonewall Jackson death site were all visible from the train south of Fredericksburg. Figured these would be the last places that today’s woke “cancel culture” would ever catch up to.
Soon we reached Ashland, Virginia, passing through town and by the Randolph Macon College. Then Richmond, where we passed by the Staples Mills Road Amtrak station, and the CSX yard. Then, the train joins the former Atlantic Coast Line trackage, veering west, and crossing the James River. It was south of here where the Defense Supply Center was. The route from here becomes swamp land and woods. Going down into North Carolina, darkness fell, but we could still see old factories along the line. At Rocky Mount, North Carolina, CSX also has a yard, but by that time it was too late to take anymore pictures. I did spot two CN units on the ready track, though.
Early next morning, March 26th, the train rolled south of Jacksonville, and down into Central Florida. The weather was overcast, but the sun eventually came out and shined brightly. We passed by a SunRail train at it’s terminus of DeBary, Florida before reaching Sanford. Upon arrival at Sanford, the train stopped and then proceeded into the terminal yard. There, sitting on two of the yard tracks were P32-8BWH #511, P40DC #831, as well as ten Auto Carriers, and P40DC #835. The Auto Carriers were involved in a derailment last May, while the P40s last ran in February of 2021. It is unknown what their fate will be. When it was time to detrain, everyone rushed the terminal building in Sanford, anxious to get to their vehicles. We were one of the last ones to get our car back. So the later you come to the terminal, the earlier you will get your car. Three hours later, we drove down I-95 and stopped in Port St. Lucie for a few hours. Then we finished our trek in South Florida and West Palm Beach to stay with our friend.
Retrospect of Tri-Rail
Digging through old photos, I came up with a few Tri-Rail Pictures from 2007, the last time I was in South Florida. On this trip, my father and I decided to take a side trip on a Tri-Rail train from West Palm Beach to Boca Raton and return. Boca Raton, Florida is the furthest point south in the United States mainland that I’ve been to. Tri-Rail is South Florida’s main commuter rail carrier, and was originally established in 1989 to relieve congestion on I-95. The service proved to outlive it’s intended purpose and is now a staple to the region. During this time period, Tri-Rail was using Colorado Railcar-built DMUs and then-recently rebuilt, GP49H-3s from Norfolk Southern. The DMUs were very heavy, and could not make the hills under their own power. So Tri-Rail had to put a locomotive on the end in order for them to run, defeating the purpose of ever using the DMUs in the first place. They are now stored. Tri-Rail also had three variants of F40 rebuilds. As of the 2010s, Tri-Rail now uses Hyundai Rotem cars, and BL36PH locomotives built by Brookville Locomotive Works, which eventually replaced the F40s, and some Bombardier coaches starting in 2012.
The Return Trip April 1st-April 2nd
After five days in the sun and pool, it was time to return home to the Northeast. Leaving West Palm Beach, for the most part, the weather was really nice and sunny. But as we drove north, the weather got cloudy and cool, for the worse. Off Exit 223 on the way to Amtrak’s Auto Train in Sanford, everyone drives on a country road which is supposed to take a half hour to complete. But if there’s traffic and people are slow, it could take longer than that, as was the case on April 1st, 2021. We arrived in Sanford, and back to Auto Train’s southern terminus. We arrived at 1:30PM EST, and had to wait a while before boarding. Ten minutes prior, I went to grab more pictures, and came up with some shots. Turns out, the same locomotives that were on our train the week before, were going to pull our train again to return home.
At 4:00PM EST, our train pulled out of Sanford, for the return trip to Lorton, Virginia. Along the way, we saw a yard, and a few SunRail trains. Unfortunately, the windows were really dirty, so taking pictures proved to be difficult. SunRail was first conceived in 2007, when four counties in Central Florida all agreed upon bringing a commuter railroad to the Orlando region. The first service began on May 1st, 2014, with late night train service being suspended in October 2015 due to lack of ridership. The service originally ran between DeBary and Kissimmee, but added a new station in Poinciana in July 2018. North of DeBary, SunRail proposes to extend service to the Amtrak station in DeLand, Florida in the near future, and will be the northern terminus. Although CSX Transportation maintains the freight yard in Sanford, almost all of the tracks are now owned by the Florida Department of Transportation.
North of DeBary, CSX still owns the trackage, and three round trip Amtrak long distance trains still use the former Atlantic Coast Line route. The Silver Meteor, Silver Star, and Auto Train. At one time, the Sunset Limited, from Los Angeles via New Orleans, also ran on this line. There were no less than three sidings with rusty rail, another effect of Precision Scheduled Railroading. They are not long enough to accommodate the longer trains of today’s railroading. Coming up on Palatka, another yard belonging to CSX could be seen from the left side of the train. However, instead of strings of boxcars, there were just gondolas and maintenance of way equipment. A couple of hours later, we arrived near Jacksonville, and traversed the big curve track around the city. The big yard in Jacksonville is still there and busier than ever. Getting pictures on board was more difficult due to the backlighting. After dinner, we passed by Folkston, Georgia, a well-known railfan hotspot in the South, before it became too dark.
Next morning, April 2nd, 2021, we were passing through Richmond, and once again crossed the James River. The on-board service attendant deliberately stated that it was 35 Degrees Fahrenheit in Lorton. But by the time were reached Lorton it was slightly warmer, but not by much. That was no April Fool’s joke! The train was a couple of hours late getting out of Florence, South Carolina due to freight traffic interference. Soon, we once again passed through the charming community of Ashland, Virginia, and I got a nice shot of the station area. I also spotted the Buckingham Branch railroad and a few of their engines at Doswell Junction. But I missed the opportunity for photos. Gotta remember that next time. By 10:00AM EST, we finally arrived in Lorton. We once again waited in the terminal for our car, before driving home in the traffic infested Northeast, and I-95 North on a Friday afternoon.
Thanks for reading!
Coming soon: N&W 611 visits Strasburg 2019, North Carolina Trip 2021, and Steamtown Memories.
Later this year: Southern California Trips – Volume 4 – June and July 2021.
To catch up on my previous post, click here: https://empireofrails.com/index.php/2021/03/11/chicago-trips-volume-2-rcdash9-videos/
To book your next trip on Amtrak’s Auto Train, click here:https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train
