The Panhandle line serves a significant portion of Florida’s geography, but a rather insignificant portion of its population and it’s RR traffic. All of the big population areas and traffic are from Orlando south, not to mention the phosphate traffic. FEC has the east coast, but that plus the Panhandle line don’t constitute a stranglehold.
Stranger things have happened, but I’d be very surprised if CSX sold the line to FEC. Atlantic Coast Line wanted FEC in the 1950’s, but Ed Ball (using the DuPont estate) fought for and got control. The hatred may have been diluted somewhat by management that didn’t come up thru the ACL/SCL/SS ranks (which ACL dominated), but I don’t think CSX wants competition from a larger FEC in Florida.
As long as CSX comes into Jacksonville from Folkston, it has the lion’s share of Florida traffic, especially in central and west Florida.
Even though the Baldwin Cutoff still exists fron Callahan to Baldwin, CSX will conrtinue go west from Jacksonville to Baldwin–and I have my doubts that CSX would consider giving the FEC trackage rights from Jacksonville to Baldwin.
By the way, I wonder what traffic that would use this cutoff comes up to Baldwin on what was “That Other Railroad”?
Well CSXs folkston route will never change hands because of Waycross. FEC and CSX already have a good relationship. Everything that comes into florida from the east goes basically goes through FEC until JAX and then CSX and NS take over. FEC also owns Raven transports. I dont think FEC will be a buyer, I think GrupoMexico will be the buyer.
One thing to remember, when CSX sold the trackage around Orlando to SunRail (state of Florida) the bulk of freight was shifted to the S Line through Wildwood from the A line through Orlando. CSX, however, did retain haulage rights to its Orlando area facilities. Baldwin has always been a service point of the S line as well as for the PD/P&A which goes West through the Panhandle to Flomaton, AL.
It would be rather humorous if CN bought the line via a unknown subsidiary or shortline…unbeknown to CSX and then found a way to bridge the gap to Pensacola to one if it’s North-South mainlines.
Looking at SPV’s Southern States Atlas (2001), the best route for CN to Pensacola would be BNSF from Memphis down through Amory, Mississippi to KImbrough, Alabam–and then on what used to be the Frisco/BN to Pensacola over what is shown as the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railroad. CSXT is shown as having trackage rights from Atmore to Hybart so as to reach Vredenburgh.
The BNSF uses NS from Kimbrough to Mobile.
I have no idea as to what BNSF would think of allowing CN to use the track between Memphis and Amory, since that is part of the route from Memphis to Birmingham (think Kansas City-Florida Special).
VERY long coal trains have used the interchange track between CN (southbound) to BNSF (ex-Frisco, southeast) starting a while ago; I observed them in the very early 2000s. So there is no technical impediment ‘if the price is right’.
Now, it does have to be said that it’s a mighty rickety piece of single track with at least one significant curve, which I would not have thought would support an integral coal train even with low-tare-weight cars, and I did observe speed was very low and the horn turned up at the grade crossing to full (which is an Experience, if you’ve never been outside next to a unit so operated). But it is certainly possible to interchange most any other traffic there, if the price is right.
Someone here will know how far those coal trains ran on the BNSF and where they further interchanged.