Amtrak in Tampa passing through the Neve Wye

I had a day off from work not too long ago, so I went by an interesting railroad spot in Tampa located east of Ybor City. This is the place where Amtrak's Silver Star - Train 91 southbound and Train 92 northbound - do the daily "Am-Ritual" here in Tampa.

After all, Tampa is one of many station stops on the route of the Silver Star. However, because of how Tampa's Union Station is set up it is called a "stub-in" terminal requiring this particular move. If an Amtrak train were to arrive into Tampa without turning around first then the locomotive would end up being first at the headhouse instead of the last car in the consist.

By the way, the Amtrak 92 consist for this day consisted of two locomotives, two Viewliner sleepers, one dining car, one cafe car and four coaches. During high demand periods (like what you may have seen on my Trains Passing Through Ybor City video) such as Thanksgiving Amtrak may add more coaches to the consist.

Here's a description of how Amtrak's Silver Star approaches Tampa's Union Station:

1. Train approaches westbound on the CSX A Main Line towards Tampa and crosses US 41 (50th Street). Just when the train is on the US 41 crossing it is slowing down for the curves of the Neve Wye.

2. Train will transition from the CSX A Line to the eastern leg of the Neve Wye. Track switching is automatic as it is controlled from CSX's dispatchers in Jacksonville, 200 miles away. This means that the conductor does not have to step off the train and make the switches manually.

3. Once on the Neve Wye, the last car in the Amtrak consist has to just almost clear the crossing at 8th Avenue before tracks are switched to allow the train to do the reverse move into Tampa's Union Station.

By the way, the Neve Wye is part of a spur track that goes north under Interstate 4 for about a few miles, stopping at a point northeast of Hillsborough Avenue at 56th Street. This track serves several industrial customers.

4. The conductor will take his or her position in the rear of the last car. Once the tracks are switched the conductor will radio to the locomotive engineer to proceed with the reverse move which will take the train to Tampa's Union Station.

5. Train will proceed onto the western leg of the Neve Wye and back onto the main CSX A Line. The conductor will signal at every crossing by using the whistle attached to an air hose, which is not as loud as the locomotive horn.

6. From the Neve Wye the Amtrak train proceeds westward in reverse, across the CSX S Line at TN Tower and railroad crossings at 22nd/21st Streets as well as streets in Ybor City and into the gated area of Tampa's Union Station.

Once at Tampa's Union Station the train is there for about 15 minutes for crew change as well as passengers and baggage disembarking and embarking. Then it's forward and onward to the next stop, which is Lakeland just to pick up passengers and baggage.

And there you have it - the "Am-Ritual" that happens twice a day in Tampa as Amtrak's Silver Star pulls into Tampa's Union Station.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Amtrak
• Tampa
• Neve
• Wye
• Silver
• Star

[MrCzechers]

Cool. Now if Amtrak would only bring the Silver Meteor back to Tampa.

[georgiaroadgeek]

Nice video. Cool to see the train turn at the wye.