America 250! CSX 250 & CSX 2026 Lead M408-01 Up The South End Sub With A Cool Crew & Nice Horntaps

Read Description For Background Information On July 1st, 2026 just around lunchtime, M408-01 departs Waycross, GA with yet again CSX 250 & CSX 2026 with on point after a quick turn around from the southbound run of P001 (Office Car Special or OCS). Long story short, on the way up north, I032-01, P098-01, and M408-01 all got stuck on the same stretch in Yemassee, SC due to MOW. I don't know what the exact reason for the hold up but it caused I032 & M408 to law out right there in Yemassee. What was a originally going to be the 250 units third night run turned into NC's time to finally see them in good daylight which is what I hoped for after seeing P001. It ended up leaving Florence around 08:30am the following morning so I ventured to Parkton, NC, the town I wanted to capture P001 originally since the area is open and perfect for roster shots. With northbound lighting the best between 8am-11am around this time of year, I knew M408 would be coming through at prime time for good shots and videos. Sure enough, M408 rolled through Parkton at 10:16am with two GE's in tow picked up from Florence I believe. With them going about 40-45mph, I knew I'd have plenty of real estate to get them again in Selma. After backing tracking to Godwin, NC to capture M491-02 with CSX SD70MAC 4568 (OLS) and CSX CW40-8 7836 (YN2) trailing, I hightailed it back north on I-95 to Selma as M408 and M491 had a rolling meet just around Dunn, NC. I managed to beat it by around 10-15 minutes and ended up not being along in catching this cool train. 2 younger railfans and an older gentleman who I know and met before, all watched M408 roll through town just after noon in spectacular fashion in about 100 degree weather. After it passed, we all dispersed rather quickly to escape the heat and head back home. With that chase being successful and my shots turning out pretty well, I'd say I'm 250'd out for now, it's pretty hard to beat seeing them in near perfect lighting. With all that being said, hope you enjoy today's video! Please show some love to this video if you liked it! Don't forget to comment, rate, like, and subscribe for more content like this if this interests you in any way! Also hit that notification bell by the subscribe button so YOU can be the first to be notified when a new video comes out. It all certainly goes a long way. This is CJ, until next time. Peace out y'all! ------------------------------------------------------------------ M408-01 (Waycross, GA - Cumberland, MD); 328 axles CSX CM44AH 250 (RL K5LA; # 1 Bell Dies Out) CSX CM44AH 2026 CSX ES44AC-H 763 CSX CM44AH 7453 Fresh ------------------------------------------------------------------ Railfanning Equipment: -Sony HDR-CX330 Camcorder (Main Cam) -Sony HDR-CX330 Camcorder (Secondary Cam) -iPhone 14 Pro Max (Handheld/Third Cam) -iPhone XR (Static Cam) -Canon EOS 77D with EF-S 18-135mm lens (Photos) -SLIK Pro 700DX Professional Tripod with KingJoy VT-1500 Fluid Tripod Head (Main Cam Tripod) -Jolican 75” Camera Tripod (Ground & Phone Tripod) -Uniden BC75XLT Scanner with Diamond Antenna SRJ77CA -Adobe Premiere Elements 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------- 00:00 - Intro 00:20 - B-Roll Shots of Parkton NC 01:45 - M408-01 Going Up & Down The Grades Towards Parkton 02:55 - CSX 250 Announcing Its Presence 03:20 - Crossing Activation 03:36 - Horn Action Starts, Main Cam View 04:05 - Secondary Cam View 04:20 - Third Cam View 05:00 - Static Cam View 05:40 - Main Cam View Returns 06:52 - Secondary Cam View Returns 07:10 - B-Roll Shots Of Selma's Amtrak Station & Surrounding Area 08:40 - M408-01 Passing L228-01 Working Bailey Feed Mill Approaching Selma 09:40 - Crossing Activation 09:45 - Horn Action Starts, Main Cam View 10:08 - Secondary Cam View 11:02 - Handheld Cam View 11:48 - Main Cam View Returns, M408 Clears Up Downtown Selma 13:10 - Outro