Sunday Evening CSX Freights (And an Amtrak...) - Plant City & Lakeland, FL

After some obligations earlier in the day, I was able to head out and catch some trains! Here is what I got (11/23/25)

0:00 The first train I caught was Amtrak P092 (#40 - Northbound Floridian) rolling through Plant City towards the direction of Lakeland.

00:48 Next up, following Amtrak, was a CSX freight… I044, daily Tampa, FL to Jacksonville, FL priority intermodal. On Sundays, I044 was called “I144” but that is now a daily Jacksonville, FL to Fairburn, GA intermodal train. A couple of families were enjoying this evenings I044!

1:45 After I044 I went to Lakeland and catch CSXT M603, daily Waycross, GA to Winston, FL manifest (mixed freight). I was at a spot called “Peoples Lane” at Lakeland Junction.

2:31I broke off from M603 and went over towards Wabash Ave… M603 was stopped just short of the crossing due a major traffic jam. The first train to pass was CSXT L729, daily to almost daily rock loads and empties (mostly empties) from Winston, FL to Brownsand, GA… 5,307 feet according to the job briefing. L729 also met M603 here at Wabash, and was running with phosphate loads, a bit of manifest, and rock empties.

9:20 Next up was CSXT L743, daily to almost daily rock loads and empties (mostly loads) from Brownsand, GA to Winston, FL. This is L729’s southbound counterpart. L743 has an empty phosphate train tacked on.

11:56 After L743 was CSXT L793, daily rock empties from Winston, FL to Miami, FL. (A vehicle crash occurred across the tracks)

13:25 The next train was CSXT I045, daily Jacksonville, FL to Tampa, FL priority intermodal. Pretty lengthy for I045!

16:07 And the finale was train B202, an as needed empty phosphate train off of BNSF in Birmingham, AL bound for Mulberry, FL. BNSF and CSX motors powered this train… one engine up front, two at the end!