After coming of the CSX Columbia Sub, Rice Yard bound CSX X409-31 (Selkirk,NY-Waycross,GA) is easing through one of the most busiest section of railroad in Savannah, GA. X409 will take the limited-approach signal off the main 2 at South-End Passenger Station (MP A-491.4), and diverge onto the west leg of the wye at Alabama Junction to get on the West Route for Waycross. “There’s a lot to unpack here!” This area is a hive of mainline actions for multiple reasons. Between the milepost A-490.4 and A-491.7 is where you can see three railroads cross each other. Starting north at the milepost A-490.4 where both the CSX Columbia, and Charleston Sub funnel into the Savannah Sub while crossing over Norfolk Southern's Savannah District. Milepost A-491.7 is Alabama Junction where CSX Intermodal traffic from the Savannah Intermodal facility traverses in and out of this location in addition to the freight traffic that must go to and from Waycross. The Savannah Port Terminal interchange intermodal with CSX to get international containers to the port. Georgia Central also crosses CSX to gain access to Magazine Yard on the old SAL MDS Route and has haulage rights to get to the port via of the Savannah Sub. Norfolk Southern’s Savannah Yard is also in the area and they have access to the Savannah Ports and interchange with both CSX, and Georgia Central. Let’s not forget Amtrak major presence with a total of 7 trains traversing the area with 5 trains making a station stop here. I bet the dispatcher in Jacksonville on all three shifts has its hand full of the amount of traffic in this area.
