Waycross Webcam – Watch CSX Freight Trains Near Rice Yard

The Waycross Webcam is a pan-tilt-zoom camera run by Virtual Railfan at the historic depot in Waycross, Georgia, aimed at the CSX lines that meet beside Rice Yard. In a typical framing, an overpass runs across the top of the picture, signal masts show their aspects above a road crossing, and tracks curve in from the left to cut across the line heading for the yard. Further back, parked CSX locomotives and long strings of tank cars sit on the yard tracks. Virtual Railfan lists intermodal, manifest and autorack freight trains on this stretch, and schedules vary from day to day. Because the camera pans and zooms, the shot you find may be tighter, wider or pointed elsewhere along the tracks.

About Waycross and Its Railroad Junction

Waycross is the seat of Ware County in southeast Georgia, a city of 13,942 people at the 2020 census, sitting about 40 meters (130 feet) above sea level. It was incorporated as Way Cross on March 3, 1874, and the name describes the place well: railroad lines from six directions meet here. The city grew as a major junction on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and according to Virtual Railfan, three CSX subdivisions converge at the Waycross diamond today: the Jesup, Fitzgerald and Thomasville subdivisions, all former Atlantic Coast Line routes.

The camera takes its name from the depot, the city’s former Union Station, built in 1911 at 315 Plant Avenue. The building now houses a visitor information center and a Rail Observation Center, and people come to the back of it to watch CSX trains moving to and from the yard. The Downtown Waycross Development Authority hosts this camera, while a second Virtual Railfan camera, hosted by Boswell Oil Co. and pointed at the diamond itself, is open to channel members only.

Rice Yard is the reason so much traffic passes. Explore Georgia puts the yard at about 344 hectares (850 acres) with roughly 240 kilometers (150 miles) of track, and describes it as the largest of the nine classification yards on the CSX network. The Waycross terminal took its current name in 1987, in honor of W. Thomas Rice, who became president of the Atlantic Coast Line in 1957. In the frame, a white sign reading Waycross, Opportunities in every direction stands behind an iron fence on the right, a fair summary of the town’s rail geography.

Weather and Climate in Waycross

Waycross has long, hot summers and short, mild winters. July brings average highs of about 94 F (34 C) and nights that stay near 71 F (22 C), and the record high stands at 108 F (42 C). Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons, with highs around 81 F (27 C) in both April and October and lows of roughly 52 F (11 C) and 55 F (13 C). On the October afternoon captured for this page, the grass between the tracks was still green and the yard in the background was soft with haze. The area records about 1,280 millimeters (50.4 inches) of precipitation a year.

Winter is gentle by most American standards. January highs average about 64 F (18 C), with lows near 37 F (3 C), and December averages highs of 67 F (19 C) and lows of 39 F (4 C). Cold snaps do happen, though: the record low is 2 F (minus 17 C). Waycross runs on Eastern Time, the zone shown on the camera’s on-screen clock.

Things to Do Near Waycross

Start at the depot on Plant Avenue, where the Rail Observation Center puts you in front of the same CSX traffic the camera follows. Downtown Waycross, whose development authority hosts the camera, has streets laid out in the shape of a Maltese Cross and storefronts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1937 CC McCray City Auditorium is part of the same story: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Ella Fitzgerald, Otis Redding and James Brown all played the hall.

Waycross is the closest city to the Okefenokee Swamp. Okefenokee Swamp Park, at the northern tip of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge south of town, runs boat tours, boardwalks, wildlife exhibits and a train ride. Closer in, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) west of town, the Okefenokee Heritage Center covers regional history, and Southern Forest World tells the story of Southern forestry and naval stores, including Stuckie, a dog found mummified inside a hollow tree by loggers in 1980. Laura S. Walker State Park, one of the few state parks named for a woman, spreads over 253 hectares (626 acres) around a 49-hectare (120-acre) lake, with campsites, cottages, a swimming beach, about 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) of trails and the 18-hole Lakes at Laura Walker golf course.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More railroad cameras, two of them elsewhere in Georgia:

• Cordele Webcam
• Austell Webcam
• Stockton Diamond Train Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Waycross Webcam located?

The camera is at the historic depot on Plant Avenue in Waycross, Ware County, in southeast Georgia. Jacksonville, Florida, is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) to the southeast in a straight line, and Savannah about 155 kilometers (96 miles) to the northeast.

What can you see on the Waycross Webcam?

Signals, a road crossing and converging CSX tracks below an overpass, with parked locomotives and tank cars in the yard beyond. It is a pan-tilt-zoom camera, so the operator can swing it along the tracks or zoom in on a passing train, and the framing changes from time to time.

What trains run through Waycross, Georgia?

CSX freight trains. Virtual Railfan lists intermodal, manifest and autorack trains on the Jesup, Fitzgerald and Thomasville subdivisions, which meet at the Waycross diamond. Freight schedules vary, and the stream’s chat carries real-time updates on what is moving.

How big is Rice Yard in Waycross?

About 344 hectares (850 acres), with roughly 240 kilometers (150 miles) of track, according to Explore Georgia. It is a classification yard, where freight cars are sorted into new trains.

What is the weather like in Waycross?

Hot and humid in summer, with July highs near 94 F (34 C), and mild in winter, with January highs around 64 F (18 C) and lows near 37 F (3 C). April and October both average highs of about 81 F (27 C).

What radio frequencies do railroads use at Waycross?

Virtual Railfan lists the CSX road channel on AAR 32, 160.590 MHz, and the CSX JE dispatcher on AAR 14, 160.320 MHz. A live radio feed is also available through Broadcastify, linked from the stream description.

Why is the city called Waycross?

The name comes from its position at key railroad junctions, with lines from six directions meeting in the city. It was incorporated as Way Cross in 1874.

Can you watch trains in person in Waycross?

Yes. The 1911 depot at 315 Plant Avenue is home to a Rail Observation Center, train watching happens from the back of the building, and it also serves as a visitor information center.

Source: Virtual Railfan