Hotshot Top Hats

An early morning ride up the RTA Corridor on TriRail would bring me to familiar scene at Pompano Beach, FL where a horde of buffs had set up north of the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd grade crossing, all in anticipation for one specific train. At 07:37, a set of headlights would pierce through a sheet of rain to the south. The train in question would be the CSX “Office Car Special” business train, P00128, on its return trip back north to Jacksonville, FL. The crew had the three B&O-inspired painted F40PH-2’s runnin’ along at a brisk pace—I’d say 79 mph—on Track 2 under the N Andrews Ave flyover with CSX company executives on-board.

 

2022 marked the second year in a row in which CSX operated their business train down the entirety of the state of Florida between Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami, drawing out photographers in significant numbers both times. Unlike the 2021 visit, the train would lay over in Miami overnight between Monday, June 27th and Tuesday, June 28th. P00128 would get the light out of Hialeah Yard at around 06:50 with a straight shot north to SE DYER on the CSX Auburndale Subdivision, making them the hottest train on the mainline.

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Pompano Beach, FL

SFRTA Mainline

 

Date: 07/28/2022 | 07:37

 

ID: CSX P00128

Type: Passenger [OCS]

Direction: Northbound

Car Count: 14

 

1. CSX F40PH-2 #1

2. CSX F40PH-2 #2

3. CSX F40PH-2 #3

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© Vicente Alonso 2022

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