Colombian Andes Railroading, From the Top Down!

[Ocklawaha]

Much hot air has been expressed about the "impossible" odds of Jacksonville, rebuilding the "S" line for freight and commuter rail service. As you watch this excursion look at the grade, the gauge, the conditions on a cliff, yet this is entirely a rebuilt railroad. Somebody, please tell the me the odds of this happening in a country where the railroad is ALWAYS refered to as "The Antique Railroad".  More? Most of these lines lay abandoned for up to 40 years and we brought them back. Not only are they back but in 07 this line handled over 3.5 Million Tons, which isn't bad for an "antique." See Faye? It just doesn't have to be new and fast to create jobs, or to work well.

Enjoy your trip and please feel free to ask questions or comment.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/U3d29GVgJpo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x402061&amp;color2=0x9461ca&amp;border=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/U3d29GVgJpo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x402061&amp;color2=0x9461ca&amp;border=1</a>

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Bonus Video. This is the other end of the pipeline that ends at the new coal Terminal in Jacksonville. By this point, all of the various lines you have seen on video, have come down to this double track narrow gauge raceway. Reminds me of the song "Riding on the City of New Orleans," where Arlo sang, "Rolling down to the Sea..." Port Drummond is also owned by Alabama's coal giant, the Port itself is south of the Colombian Port City of Santa Marta, currently our only railroad container port. Hopefully with the Billions pouring into fuels, and the railroads of Colombia, we will soon restore service to Cartagena. I say "restore" tongue in cheek, as that railroad dating from about the 1890's only ran from the City to the main shipping river, along a silted up canal bank. Needless to say it didn't last long, and to reach it, we'll have to hack through the terrain you see in this video, cross a river about twice the size and volume of the Mississippi, and hopefully be able to land on that old bank. Maybe I'm headed South again? Maybe...

BY DAY
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/9PiPfp7jP5A&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x402061&amp;color2=0x9461ca&amp;border=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/9PiPfp7jP5A&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x402061&amp;color2=0x9461ca&amp;border=1</a>

BY NIGHT = 24 hours of TRAINS!
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/P-4GIVP6Vgo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x402061&amp;color2=0x9461ca&amp;border=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/P-4GIVP6Vgo&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;color1=0x402061&amp;color2=0x9461ca&amp;border=1</a>

OCKLAWAHA