Ted Marshall wrote:
P42 108 wrote:
The Juice Train is operated by CSX. Tropicana and CSX have a facility in Brandenton, Florida. Loaded trains head out to distribution centers in Jersey City, NJ and Cincinnati, OH. Empty trains head back to Florida as quickly as possible. If you ever need information on a train operating over CSX, check out their website. Usually you can find at least some kind of useful information. I typed Tropicana into the search engine on CSX's website and came up with a page that might be useful to you. Check out
The trains run right by my aun'ts house in Florida. I can ask her what time they run by her house if that will be any help. As for an exact schedule, perhaps another railfan can help you out who lives along the route. Unfortunately the Juice Train does not go through Connecticut.
Tropicana juice cars also move on the FEC to and from their plant on the K-Branch near Ft. Pierce. They're hooked up to and cut away from the juice train at CSX's Moncrief Yard in Jacksonville. Some also go west to California on BNSF.
Correction: That would be City of Industry, CA via UP, 2-3 cars per day a couple of times a week.
Here's a quote from Brad Kindschy, a member of the FECRailway Yahoo Group posted a couple of days ago:
"Last I knew (early 2007), the FEC ran a dedicated job to Moncreif with the
Tropicana's early to mid-morning. From there, Tropicana/CSX has three
destinations for the Juice."
"Highest volume (40-60 cars per day) is the Juice Train- Q740 (ex-K650) - from
Bradenton, FL-Greenville, NJ. Q740 turns east at Baldwin and runs into
Jacksonville to pick up the FEC Juice and set out any Cincy/City of Industry
Juice. Empties return on Q741, which stops in Philly to pick up a small block
of Florida Intermodal... tropicana's are generally on the rear south of Philly,
which is a way to tell it apart from Q141."
"Next highest volume is the Cincinnati Juice (10-20 cars per day). This used to
run as a dedicated train twice a week in the 90's (K652), but now runs 6 days
per week (ex-Su) on CSX Jacksonville-Cincinnati intermodal Q142. The
tropicana's are always on the head end. Once in Queensgate, a yard job ferries
to the Tropicana Distribution Center in a Suburb. Empties back on Q141 from
Cincy-Jax."
"Lowest volume is the Juice to City of Industry, CA (LA Basin). Runs 2-3 cars
per day a couple times a week. They used to run on Q101 Jax to new orleans, but
CSX now takes them to Atlanta on JAX-ATL intermodal Q154. At Hulsey Yard, they
are added to Q145 (ATL-NWO). Q145 becomes UP train KATLB (intermodal; New
Orleans, LA/CSX-Long Beach)... KATLB sets off all domestic intermodal &
Tropicana at Long Beach. The Tropicana's are either at the head end or middle
of this train on one end of the domestic intermodal block for City of Industry.
After setting of at CofI, KATLB then runs the Alameda Corridor and drops it's
steamship boxes at ICTF in Long Beach. Empties return on KCIAT back to Atlanta.
KCIAT has all domestic intermodal with blocks for Atlanta, Charlotte & Florida.
The Tropicana's are generally at the rear of the train, attached to the Florida
Intermodal block. At Hulsey, they get on Q155 to Jacksonville to the FEC (or
get picked up by Q741 to Bradenton). Note: This is the run where Tropicana
tried (unsucsessfully?) to run a stainless steel insulated tank car with orange
juice."
