Good to finally meet you, Danny, and I enjoyed seeing so many people I know in the FEC shots. I think it's also important to note that Santa and Mrs. Claus were none other than the CEO of the FEC Railway and his wife -- Jim and Debbie Hertwig. They are two of the nicest people you'll ever meet, and he has a real love for the railroad AND the railfans. Great work as always!
What nice about Amtrak is that they gave Tril Rail permission to repaint their old EMD engines. So the Tri Rail video you shot, that is an early Amtrak locomotive. Great to see history working in the industry.
Man that coal train and the passenger trains speed are so closely matched that it appears as though the two trains are glued together! Leave it to you to catch Santa Claus and all the Elves and the children. A very nice and special video! Loved it! Thank you.
My Lady loves the trains as well. She's looking for a 5 chime Leslie for her truck. I don't know that the truck will haul it, but she will see. She's also one for the range.
Yes CSX frequencies change as you move south into ex-SCL territory. In Florida (and much of Georgia) the main road channels are 160.590, 161.100, and 161.370. Dispatcher channels can be 160.230, 160.320, 160.920, 161.520, 160.410 and maybe 160.290 for parts of GA & SC.
Toys for tots is a great organization. I collect toys for it at work. Do pretty good. My friend is a retired marine and is involved with toys for tots.
@2005GLI We consider temps in the 40's cold. Sorry that's cold. It's kinda like when you Yankees get all flipped out about a 60 MPH tropical storm. That's not a storm. That's just a good rain. :-))
Danny I passed on your information to a friend of mine who loves trains he's been watching your trains keep up the good work please be safe in the merry Christmas and a happy New Year if I don't get to talk to you again take care and God bless the Lord's blessings be with you and the family God bless
@Honestware Many, many thanks Jim!! Yeah I had Jim and Debbie identified at first, then thought better of it. Don't like to blow the whistle on Santa because of all the kids that watch these train videos. They are obviously very nice folks, as is everyone at FEC. Really a great community service, this Christmas Train.
Another great job here, Danny. That caboose lodging looks like the way to go, it's definitely in the running with Tom Davis' Station Inn on the old PRR Broadway, now the busy NS Pittsburgh Line. I'll definitely have to do what I can to get a reservation there whenever I can make my way down to the Funnel, I couldn't imagine staying anyplace else! The documentation on the Toys For Tots train was incredible, great job combining the best of everything into one great compilation like always! -Mike
A couple of questions for you Danny. What is on the flat car behind the two FEC engines? It looked like a generator. Would it be used to power the following rail cars? My other guest ion is the gentleman with the air horn mounted on his minivan. Is it a train horn? If so is it an older style? And would you know an approximate date? The reasons I ask is I see it was made by Leslie which was a producer of a musical instrument or should I say special speaker (revolving speakers inside) cabinet usually added on to an electric organ to make them sound more like a pipe organ with their choral effect. As a matter of fact the description given to the Leslie sound or effect was that it made it sound like a train engines horn, and now that I see this it makes me wonder that if Leslie was a major supplier the the rail industry that maybe they were so plentiful that their sound became synonymous with ya it sound like a train horn because ya were the ones making the horns. Do you know if they are still producing horns for the rail industry? Thank you for another one of your spectacular videos and great narration. Such a knowledge full person.
Interesting, varied video. Not boring like so many train videos, repeating the same views of trains coming down tracks again and again and again. ALWAYShow the train arriving at grade crossings in case someone is hit. Wow! Looong tank cars.
Hey Danny what was the thing on the flatcar at 8:30, a generator for the passenger cars? Also why did railroads choose the letter Q for a crossing whistle signal (long, long, short long)? At 0:43 what company does that maroon color container belong to?
Wonderful video, Danny. That was the first time I attended Winter Watch and I enjoyed every second of it. I also had fun chasing the FEC Toys for Tots Train to Dania Beach from New Smyrna Beach again. By the way, your Tri-Rail train was P671 if filmed around 4 PM. -Tim
Nice variety of shots and the Christmas storyline. Really enjoyed it. Would have liked to see the interior of the caboose. Looks like a fun, unique concept!
They've already got those switches installed on both ends of the new Anthony siding. They're also prepping to connect Ocala and Singletary sidings, ribbon rail is already laid out and new diamonds are downtown at the union station.
@FGLK1751 I should have mentioned in the script that they painted the 714 in heritage colors. Scuttlebutt says they're going to do most or all their power this way eventually.
Pretty slow from what I hear. You can hang at the West Palm Tri-Rail station and see those on weekdays plus 4 Amtraks. CSX runs one freight each way/each day into South Florida. FEC runs a few in the early mornings and late at night.
Another great video. God bless you, the USMC, & the FEC! On another topic: I'll never understand why CSX abandoned the S-line between Savannah & Jacksonville. Back in the day, my grandparents lived down the street from it. From their side yard I could look down 23rd Street in Jax and watch northbound SCLs heading to Richmond, or southbounds coming to the end of the line at Moncrief Yard. Oh well. Keep up the great work, Danny.
+MrCzechers Thank you very much! I can tell you why CSX abandoned the SAV-JAX S-Line in two words: Water Crossings. The Seaboard was closer to the coast, so the rivers and creeks were much wider out there , making the bridges bigger. Since the two began and ended in the exact same place, it made sense to get rid of one of them. So the old Seaboard took the hit, sadly.
OK. Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense. Small parts of that S-Line still exist in Jax today, but only as a local route from Moncrief Yard, via an ACL local, to Jaxport's Talleyrand docks. Another part runs from Jax to Yulee, FL. The line from Yulee to Fernandina Beach is now owned by a short line, I think. Other remnants in Jax have been converted to rail trails, traversing some of the worst parts of town.
@Rtchugg This is why I doubt I'll ever own a caboose for such purposes. I would want to paint it in Seaboard red no matter what line it came off of. Too many fans want you to keep it in original livery. Personally, I think it looks great in the Family Lines colors. There's a dentist locally who bought an SCL M5 and did it in MoPac. Took a lot of railfan grief about it.
@distantsignal Yeah, I see your point... I guess it's just because I spend so much of my free time in the tri-county (Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) area, I consider it all being "in town". I was born in Hollywood and spent nearly my entire life living and working just about everywhere between West Palm Beach and Miami. It's always been "home" to me and continues to be despite the fact that I reside clear on the other side of the state.
@SFLRailFan That's pretty funny because West Palm has got to be 150 miles or so from Naples. That's about like me saying to someone coming to Jacksonville, "Let me know next time you're in town". All in what you're used to, I guess. Ha!
and the part where the santa train comes when trains sit on the crossing to long it will make the crossing think the train is still there and the train is not there.
that was awesome especially the Toys for tots train & the Tri-rail & what would you think if Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, & Florida came together to make a commuter system & what motive power would you think they would use for the whole system?
OSHKOSH 12 ton, it's the replacement for the 939 5 ton series which replace the older 800 5 ton and 2.5 ton. Those should have been Marines or Marines ROTC as they are the only ones with this model as of now.
![[1S] 13 Trains at the CSX Gateway Between Georgia and Florida, Folkston GA, 10/20/2015 ©mbmars01](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qBjIQXHWuNY/mqdefault.jpg)
Good to finally meet you, Danny, and I enjoyed seeing so many people I know in the FEC shots. I think it's also important to note that Santa and Mrs. Claus were none other than the CEO of the FEC Railway and his wife -- Jim and Debbie Hertwig. They are two of the nicest people you'll ever meet, and he has a real love for the railroad AND the railfans. Great work as always!
What nice about Amtrak is that they gave Tril Rail permission to repaint their old EMD engines. So the Tri Rail video you shot, that is an early Amtrak locomotive. Great to see history working in the industry.
Superb video as usual Danny. Kudos on the catch of the Florida East Coast Christmas Train and kudos to the FEC and the Marines!
Man that coal train and the passenger trains speed are so closely matched that it appears as though the two trains are glued together! Leave it to you to catch Santa Claus and all the Elves and the children. A very nice and special video! Loved it! Thank you.
I stayed in that caboose last fall it was awsome!
I know this is old, because today is, 10 Nov, 2019.
Happy Birthday Marines! 244 years old.
I am Army, retired, but they are my BROTHERS!
Another job well done. Thank you Danny.
We need feel good stories like this without a doubt. Happy Holidays to you Danny!
Many thanks. Glad you enjoy them.
DH
Ive stayed at the caboose 3 times now, easily the best place to stay in Folkston.
My Lady loves the trains as well. She's looking for a 5 chime Leslie for her truck. I don't know that the truck will haul it, but she will see. She's also one for the range.
Danny, that was really cool. Thank you so much, and have a Merry Christmas!
Man, what an awesome video, from beginning to end, congratulations, well done!
Another job well done Danny!
Yes CSX frequencies change as you move south into ex-SCL territory.
In Florida (and much of Georgia) the main road channels are 160.590, 161.100, and 161.370. Dispatcher channels can be 160.230, 160.320, 160.920, 161.520, 160.410 and maybe 160.290 for parts of GA & SC.
Toys for tots is a great organization. I collect toys for it at work. Do pretty good. My friend is a retired marine and is involved with toys for tots.
@2005GLI We consider temps in the 40's cold. Sorry that's cold. It's kinda like when you Yankees get all flipped out about a 60 MPH tropical storm. That's not a storm. That's just a good rain. :-))
This was such a cool video. I just loved it. Thanks Danny for doing such a good job. 👍👍👍❤️
Great to see rail action that involved people! Too often this is ignored, thank you.
Thanks.Yes, I always like to put people in my stories, when I can get them.
Danny I passed on your information to a friend of mine who loves trains he's been watching your trains keep up the good work please be safe in the merry Christmas and a happy New Year if I don't get to talk to you again take care and God bless the Lord's blessings be with you and the family God bless
I've watched so many of you videos and this is the first one I've seen with a train that came from my town lol the Q103
@Honestware Many, many thanks Jim!!
Yeah I had Jim and Debbie identified at first, then thought better of it.
Don't like to blow the whistle on Santa because of all the kids that watch these train videos.
They are obviously very nice folks, as is everyone at FEC. Really a great community service, this Christmas Train.
I love the first train, when it passes on the left track to go on the secondary line :D
I pass Folkston every month on my way up and down the coast....Your video has given me some great ideas on places to stop or stay on my future trips.
@SFLRailFan I thought you lived in Naples. That's not exactly "in town" in West Palm, is it?
Everybody gangsta ‘til the Chrysler Town and Country starts blowing its air horn.
Really Great and at Christmas. Go FEC, from a SAL guy. Thanks Danny, it's 02:33 and really liking it. F.
ah Toys for Tots.... that always gets ya in the feels :)
That's a million dollar view from the deck
Another great job here, Danny. That caboose lodging looks like the way to go, it's definitely in the running with Tom Davis' Station Inn on the old PRR Broadway, now the busy NS Pittsburgh Line. I'll definitely have to do what I can to get a reservation there whenever I can make my way down to the Funnel, I couldn't imagine staying anyplace else! The documentation on the Toys For Tots train was incredible, great job combining the best of everything into one great compilation like always!
-Mike
I'm from Tampa, but do a lot of railfanning in Jax.
Hi Danny, I'm DAVE IN CALIFORNIA HERE..., LOVE YOUR TRAIN VIDEOS, GREAT NARRATIONS CAMERA WORK, I'M A FAN!
A couple of questions for you Danny. What is on the flat car behind the two FEC engines? It looked like a generator. Would it be used to power the following rail cars? My other guest ion is the gentleman with the air horn mounted on his minivan. Is it a train horn? If so is it an older style? And would you know an approximate date? The reasons I ask is I see it was made by Leslie which was a producer of a musical instrument or should I say special speaker (revolving speakers inside) cabinet usually added on to an electric organ to make them sound more like a pipe organ with their choral effect. As a matter of fact the description given to the Leslie sound or effect was that it made it sound like a train engines horn, and now that I see this it makes me wonder that if Leslie was a major supplier the the rail industry that maybe they were so plentiful that their sound became synonymous with ya it sound like a train horn because ya were the ones making the horns. Do you know if they are still producing horns for the rail industry? Thank you for another one of your spectacular videos and great narration. Such a knowledge full person.
Interesting, varied video.
Not boring like so many train videos, repeating the same views of trains coming down tracks again and again and again.
ALWAYShow the train arriving at grade crossings in case someone is hit.
Wow! Looong tank cars.
Great job Danny. The Lewis' in Folkston have done a great job with both places to stay for railfans. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Great video Danny. Super scripted and a superb voiceover.
Awesome video Danny! I appreciate the mention so much! You don't know how much it means to me. Thank you!
Top notch video Danny! Lot of variety in this one. Looking foward to the next video.
Hey Danny what was the thing on the flatcar at 8:30, a generator for the passenger cars?
Also why did railroads choose the letter Q for a crossing whistle signal (long, long, short long)?
At 0:43 what company does that maroon color container belong to?
Wonderful video, Danny. That was the first time I attended Winter Watch and I enjoyed every second of it. I also had fun chasing the FEC Toys for Tots Train to Dania Beach from New Smyrna Beach again. By the way, your Tri-Rail train was P671 if filmed around 4 PM.
-Tim
Awesome video ! Great coverage on the FEC Toys for Tots.....Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Interesting. My dad worked for FEC in the 40's.
Nice variety of shots and the Christmas storyline. Really enjoyed it. Would have liked to see the interior of the caboose. Looks like a fun, unique concept!
Epic to the absolute max!
Do you know if they are having Winter Watch this year and will you be there if they have it?
They've already got those switches installed on both ends of the new Anthony siding. They're also prepping to connect Ocala and Singletary sidings, ribbon rail is already laid out and new diamonds are downtown at the union station.
Excellent video again, Danny. Thanks for fixing them. ;)
I don't get your feed anymore. Are you not filming anymore? I miss your films. Thanks.
Another great video Danny, thank you.
Roy Snelgar Thanks Roy. I really enjoyed making this one.
this is a great video love it! i love csx's GE's becouse of there horn there body and looks :)
OMG that voice, are you in broadcasting, radio and or speaking? Your voice and etiquette are amazing!
Hahaha!!! Thank you for those kind words. Yes, I'm a TV producer and narrator
What does 2 Lightning bolts on the side of a CSX Engine mean?
@FGLK1751 I should have mentioned in the script that they painted the 714 in heritage colors. Scuttlebutt says they're going to do most or all their power this way eventually.
Good videoDanny,love the voice-over,you should read the news mate!!
Cheers Gregg.
You call that Winter?!?! LOL
Most excellent video Danny. Hope Santa is good to you! Merry Christmas!
VERY good!
@iRECKONER Yeah. That's my craft. Voiceover and narrations for FOX.
"CSX's much maligned GE's..."
Much maligned? Whyzat?
Pretty slow from what I hear. You can hang at the West Palm Tri-Rail station and see those on weekdays plus 4 Amtraks. CSX runs one freight each way/each day into South Florida. FEC runs a few in the early mornings and late at night.
Wow. Wonderful video.
@trainwatcher116 Same here! Always adventurous as well! Great to see CSX making the rails RISE UP once more! :-D
Danny, good job on the videos man. Keep up the good work and good railfanning to you.
wow Danny that was cool i never been to Florida yet but you should come to Raleigh,North Carolina there is a lot of trains where i live.
danny, why do you call the GE's much maligned , thanks.
Another great video. God bless you, the USMC, & the FEC! On another topic: I'll never understand why CSX abandoned the S-line between Savannah & Jacksonville. Back in the day, my grandparents lived down the street from it. From their side yard I could look down 23rd Street in Jax and watch northbound SCLs heading to Richmond, or southbounds coming to the end of the line at Moncrief Yard. Oh well. Keep up the great work, Danny.
+MrCzechers Thank you very much! I can tell you why CSX abandoned the SAV-JAX S-Line in two words: Water Crossings. The Seaboard was closer to the coast, so the rivers and creeks were much wider out there , making the bridges bigger. Since the two began and ended in the exact same place, it made sense to get rid of one of them. So the old Seaboard took the hit, sadly.
OK. Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense. Small parts of that S-Line still exist in Jax today, but only as a local route from Moncrief Yard, via an ACL local, to Jaxport's Talleyrand docks. Another part runs from Jax to Yulee, FL. The line from Yulee to Fernandina Beach is now owned by a short line, I think. Other remnants in Jax have been converted to rail trails, traversing some of the worst parts of town.
+Distant Signal awesome stuff Santa Mr,s Claus and the u.s.m.c and Christmas train
@Rtchugg This is why I doubt I'll ever own a caboose for such purposes. I would want to paint it in Seaboard red no matter what line it came off of. Too many fans want you to keep it in original livery. Personally, I think it looks great in the Family Lines colors.
There's a dentist locally who bought an SCL M5 and did it in MoPac. Took a lot of railfan grief about it.
@distantsignal Yeah, I see your point... I guess it's just because I spend so much of my free time in the tri-county (Dade, Broward, Palm Beach) area, I consider it all being "in town". I was born in Hollywood and spent nearly my entire life living and working just about everywhere between West Palm Beach and Miami. It's always been "home" to me and continues to be despite the fact that I reside clear on the other side of the state.
Muy interesante y bonito
I do live in Naples, however, anyplace from West Palm Beach southward is considered "in town" to me. ;-)
This was taken during my high school sophomore year.
That special train is Toys For Tots. That 714 engine is the new Heritage Unit :)
9:40 - man those F40PHs are beautiful...
Yes, those were very cool.
Where do you work at Danny Harman
nice to meet you at WPB.
really great vid!
Great piece, Danny... The T4T train was a nice touch to close on. Let me know next time you're in town. ;-)
-Ted
What video is it that you stepped in view of your camera,,Would like to see what a good friend looks like.
What happy to 2024 video
@SFLRailFan That's pretty funny because West Palm has got to be 150 miles or so from Naples. That's about like me saying to someone coming to Jacksonville, "Let me know next time you're in town". All in what you're used to, I guess. Ha!
Would love to go back to Folkston sometime, BUT there are several people who make me feel unwelcome, so it will be sometime before I return.
Thanks Danny..I was Thinking About you a few days ago..
Why are the CSX GE's maligned?
I've never figured it out. They've made an awful lot of money for the railroads over the last 25 years.
Q124 now originates in Winter Haven replacing Q170. I would assume it's S Line route still takes it into Jax ramp first.
Danny, is it me or did Q-124's head engine only have ditch lights?
Do CSX frequencies change down into Florida? Im probably the only one who knows the the ones around the D.C,Maryland area :P
and the part where the santa train comes when trains sit on the crossing to long it will make the crossing think the train is still there and the train is not there.
Odd that Jack Heard's Georgia 300 is running backwards @6:00. Must not have anyone on board. Both cars are normally stored at Orange Park.
great video danny! Just one question, what is rail traffic like in WPB? Can you see a good amount of freight per day?
Did the FEC change their paint scheme again?
that was awesome especially the Toys for tots train & the Tri-rail & what would you think if Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, & Florida came together to make a commuter system & what motive power would you think they would use for the whole system?
Hey danny, what was coming in on that medium clear?
like the opening clip, "cold weather" LOL, what do you guys consider cold?
excellent video ! you do some of the best stuff i have seen on youtube ! where do we find a link to the place you all stayed at in folkstone ???
have you ever catch videos of crossing malfunctions?
great video
Love the video.
Thanks Tim!
Awesome video man!!! I think your better then CSX6000!
Nice video!
At 7:39 is that a duece or a 5 ton troop transport?
Looks like a 5 ton, seeing how tall it is.
OSHKOSH 12 ton, it's the replacement for the 939 5 ton series which replace the older 800 5 ton and 2.5 ton. Those should have been Marines or Marines ROTC as they are the only ones with this model as of now.
that fec sd40 could pass as a sp sd40 in the daylight pant stile
i saw her too and mikey