“Folkston, Georgia, before the Holiday Hiatus�
by Matthew Betzner
Folkston, Georgia, home to the Folkston Funnel, and on any given day, over 50 trains a day pass through traveling in or out of Florida. But come the Holiday time, it becomes quiet, with CSX’s Holiday Hiatus, no freight runs during these times, like Christmas, when the clock strikes midnight and the Hiatus begins, everything stops, trains are tied down in yards, and crews get the chance to reprieve and spend time with their families. That means the funnel is quiet, no freight, which leads to one question; what’s it like leading up to it?
Well that’s the answer Matthew Betzner found out, when he made the travel to the Funnel in late December of 2010. From ‘Hour to Hour�12 hours was spent between Noon and Midnight on December 23rd, viewing every movement passing through this famous railroad hotspot. Many kinds of Freight pass by including hotshot intermodals, autoracks, hopper trains, mixed manifests and more. In addition Amtrak trains pass through, including the Auto Train. From the blistering sun filled afternoon to the cold darkness of night, you’ll be there to see it happen, Trains are identified by their number and also by the time they pass through town as well as their origin and destination points.
It’s not just any afternoon at the funnel, it’s the final hours before the Hiatus, and you can see what passes through, in “Hour to Hour �Noon to Midnight at Folkston, Georiga.�/p>
Matthew Betzner is a member of TrainRiders Northeast and is a TrainHost on Amtrak’s Downeaster, and is also a member of the Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts. He currently resides in Medway, Mass, and is a Student at MassBay Community College. In spare time, Matthew enjoys filming and photographing trains in Eastern Massachusetts, but often travels to other states in the east to film different trains.
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