Calling all rail fans! The Folkston Funnel located in downtown Folkston, Geogia is 40 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida. This is the perfect place to view moving trains. The double track CSXT funnel serves as the main artery for trains traveling into and out of Florida.
Train watchers can see an average of 40 to 45 trains per day. The trains travel from Jacksonville, Florida south and split north of town where trains go west to Waycross, Georgia and north to Savannah.
The trains run 24-hours a day, so there is plenty of time to spot one. If you come at night there are flood lights lighting the track for better viewing. These trains carry coal, molten, sulfur, automobiles, orange juice, phoshate, gain and more.
Watching freight trains in Folkson is so popular because of its covered viewing platform. The platform was built in 2001 and includes a radio scanner tuned to CSXT frequency 160.590 and 160.320. Lights and electric outsets are also available. Visitors can listen to train engineers as they pass thorough the area.
The platform offers picnic tables, ceiling fans, high top seating, charcoal grills, free WiFi and rest rooms. It is the perfect place to enjoy a full day of train entertainment.
The month of April, Folkston holds there Annual Railwatch Day- April 11, 2015, Charlton County development authority, expects to see over 1,000 watchers.The Okefenokee Chamber of Commerce also has a rail watch photo contest. The train-watching festival seems to grow each year.
Searching for the viewing platform address online, I seemed to have such a hard time locating it so here are some easy directions that might help. From US 1 in Folkston, take Main St. west to Railroad St. Turn south just before the railroad tracks onto Railroad St (little dirt road) and you’ll see the platform.
While visiting the area be sure to The Train Museum. It covers the railroad history in the Folkston. It features a lot of artifacts from railroad documents and log books to tools and signals to communications equipment. It is a free museum which makes it even more of a MUST -VISIT!
My suggestion: Pack a lunch, drinks and snacks, a little bug spray and enjoy the day train watching. Whooo Whooooo!
Katie Girl