Following a heavy coal drag up Elkhorn Grade

Join me, as we follow a heavy coal drag across the Pocahontas District while the train assaults Elkhorn Grade in fleeting conditions caused by rain-slickened rail. Powered by two EMD's, the train permeated the quiet hollows as it roared east in notch 8, struggling to maintain a decent trackspeed.

Elkhorn Grade posed challenges for Norfolk & Western years ago and still does so in present-day operations at Norfolk Southern. Standing at 1.4%, the grueling grade starts at Welch and ends at Elkhorn Tunnel in Maybeury, W.Va. Multiple tight turns lie within the stretch making it even more challenging for ascending eastbound trains.

On the rainy and gloomy day of May 20th, 2013, I followed No. 83K from Davy, W.Va., to Switchback, W.Va., near the top of the ascent. Maxed out with tonnage, the move struggled to break 15-20 MPH the whole time even with two ES44AC's on the rear. EMD's are known for poor performance on wet-rail, and that theory proved itself true on this chase!

Photography:

Let's get started in dreary downtown Davy, W.Va., as a horn blares and the rumble of an approaching train breaks the stillness of a quiet Monday afternoon. Davy is nothing more than a little bump in the road these days.. I'm sure years ago it was probably a prosperous little town, but few reside here and living conditions are pretty bad in this back-woods location along the Pokey in present times.

No. 83K pictured rolling underneath a new safetrain signal situated downtown as the train charges east at trackspeed. A little puddle in the lower right denotes how hard it is raining as the train treks through the small town.

The rain continues to fall, as No. 83K emerges into daylight at Vivian, W.Va., while passing milepost N392, which denotes we are 392 miles from Norfolk via the ex-N&W. Note the notched tunnel portal which allows double-stack cars to pass through. The plan to notch the tunnels along the Pokey was implemented between '07 and '09 and was dubbed the Heartland Corridor Project by Norfolk Southern. 

Catching back up to the move just a couple miles to the east at Landgraff, No. 83K is pictured rolling uphill and underneath the classic N&W signals situated in the small town. Directly behind the photographer is the well-known Elkkorn Inn, in which many railfans has stayed at over the years while visiting this intriguing section of railroad.

Now down to a fast walk, No. 83K rounds a sweeping curve at Kyle, W.Va., just outside Northfork, as it battles the worst of Elkhorn Grade in notch 8 with sanders wide-open. The train is currently between CP Powhatan and CP Crozier, which features a center siding used for passing when traffic gets congested.

Now at Elkhorn, No. 83K crawls through the small community permeating the air with the sound of EMD's in notch 8 and a horn echoing throughout the still valley.  Getting closer and closer to the summit, the train continues to march up the stiff grade at a steady pace of roughly 10-15 MPH.

Now less than 5 miles from the summit of the grade at the east end of Elkhorn Tunnel, No. 83K rounds another sweeping curve at Switchback, W.Va., as another little church can barely be spotted nestled in the woods behind the lead locomotive.

It was a slow go, but the train of 100 loads slowly marched up Elkhorn Grade, conquering the climb in roughly an hour. The train then rolled on relatively level territory to where it dropped its train at Flat Top Yard, just west of Bluefield, for a later train to use for filling out to a required tonnage.

It was certainly a fun chase. Nothing like listening to a heavy train crawling upgrade, with locomotives in notch 8 and barely making it. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the pictures!





 

Black Lick Trestle

Coal, coal and more coal... The lively-hood of many whom reside in Southern West Virginia. Coal mining and railroading are what they depend on, and one of few remaining jobs. When the coal industry suffers, they suffer along with it. Declining traffic along many of NS' coal branches is staggering compared to ten years ago.

This vista shows a long string of Norfolk Southern top-gon coal cars marching, one-by-one across massive Black Lick Trestle in Kegley, W.Va on the morning of April 29th, 2013. Originating at Elmore Yard in Mullens, W.Va., it is likely that three or four cuts of cars in this train, was loaded at separate mines along the trackage of the former Virginian and made into one train at Elmore.

Coal is what built this area: it is the reason Henry Huddleston Rogers constructed the Virginian Railroad in the early 1900s. It wasn't because of freight transportation, but immense quantities of coal that he foresaw to bring huge profits upon transporting it to the coast.

The future is uncertain for this career and lively-hood that many depend on, but for now, the coal continues to roll out of West Virginia mines and to the coast for exportation.

A couple cold/wintery days in Va. & W.Va.

Overview:

 Before the New Year arrived, I set out on a three day adventure in Southwest Virginia and Southern West Virginia, with a couple good friends, to roam the Pocahontas Region of the former Norfolk & Western. Traffic was a bit slow at times in result of the holidays, but the trip indeed yielded some good photos .

 The weather was cold, dark, and dreary the whole time; which I absolutely love. As you know, I have an affinity for shooting under such conditions and have spoken about this concept extensively in a couple previous blogs; follow these links to view if you have not reviewed them before(#1 & #2).

 I will include a couple of my favorites from each day spent trackside and a little historical information will be provided along the way. Lets get started!

December 27th, 2012:

 After receiving information from a good friend stating the Illinois Terminal heritage unit was en-route to Bluefield leading a hopper train, we quickly head for the quaint town to try and catch it. We arrive at the snowy yard just in time to catch No. 765 grinding into Bluefield, W.Va., for a quick crew change before heading toward Williamson via the Pocahontas District. The signals dubbed RD, can be seen looming off in the distance situated at the east end of the yard. The train has been battling a 1.5% ascent since Glen Lyn, Va., and now only has about two miles left before ending the twenty mile assault located at the yard office.

 Now seen a little further to the west, No. 765 works uphill past the N362.8 signal denoting we are 362 miles from Norfolk via the former Norfolk & Western mainline; the signal also marks the beginning of the Christiansburg District. The signal is sometimes referred to as "Bills Grocery", named after a former store that was directly to the right of the signal along the highway. The Bluefield Car Shops can be seen behind No. 1072 and a plethora of coal cars sit on Yard Tracks 1,2,3,5, and 6.

 Now on the Pocahontas District, No. 765 roars across the quaint community of Coopers, W.Va., on an impressive viaduct spanning the little town. Underneath the trestle lies the former Norfolk & Western Bluestone Branch, which comes off the mainline on the other side of Coopers Tunnel and goes to Weyanoke, W.Va., along side the former Virginian mainline. The branch however, is not operation and has been abandoned since the mid 1980s. However, the very eastern portion of the branch still gets used sporadically for freight car storage.

 About a mile behind the photographer, lies 7150' Elkorn Tunnel situated at the top of grueling Elkhorn Grade. The West Portal of the tunnel marks a slight decrease in the grade, 1.4% to roughly 1%,  and that 1% ascent continues through the entire length of the tunnel and halfway to this location. The tracks will then descend most of the way to Falls Mills to turn uphill again for the final assault into Bluefield Yard.

 For years,  Elkhorn Grade influenced the Norfolk & Western to acquire and built some of the worlds biggest and most powerful steam locomotives to assault the steep grade. Some of the most impressive and notable, are the Y and J class locomotives built in their famed Roanoke Shops in the mid-late 1940s. In my opinion, the N&W had the most beautiful steam locomotives in operation compared to any other railroad and their fleet.  I can only imagine how awesome it would be to return to the Pokey in the 1950s, to see N&W's impressive fleet of steam locomotives traversing these rails!

 It is worth noting, the original Elkhorn Grade tunneled through the mountain behind the photographer at Coaldale, W. Va.. Heavy trains that traversed the Pokey couldn't handle the original grade well, so the railroad abandoned it. Thus, the alternative was the construction of Elkhorn Tunnel in 1950 ,along with relocating the tracks,  decreasing the grade by 0.6% and remedying the situation. Even with today's advancement in horse power, Elkhorn Grade still poses a challenge for heavy eastbound trains.

December 28th, 2012:

 On December 28th, we find ourselves again starting off the day along the Clinch Valley District. After being dead all morning, we finally hear the dispatch state he would soon have No. 80T departing Carbo Yard to head east for Bluefield. With that, we head west to intercept it.

 After waiting and waiting, we finally hear the train come into scanner range near Honaker, Va., but the move shortly stalls out on the steep 1.7% Finney Hill. After consulting the dispatcher, the train crew receives orders to reverse the train west back down the hill and onto the main at Finney. Once completed, the helpers are ordered to stay with the train for breaking, while the head end cuts off the first 20 cars of their train. The head-end power will then take the twenty loads fifteen miles east to Alfredon Yard, near Raven, Va., to set them off in a yard track. The engines will then return light to their train and start east again with roughly 2,300 tons less.

 The picture above depicts the move just after the stall-out, while it backs downhill into the quaint hamlet of Finney, Va.. One of the original ten SD70M's NS acquired from EMD in the late 1990s, is on the point of this heavy coal drag.

 Before No. 80T can depart Finney, the dispatcher informs the crew that No. 80A will first have to run through the siding. Shortly thereafter, No. 80A rumbles through the tiny community with a long train of empty coal cars bound for the Tom's Creek loud-out in Coeburn, Va., notice the Conrail heritage unit is second in this three-unit consist.

 After getting the green light to proceed east, No. 80T flies uphill just outside Finney, Va., with its short train in tow, while passing a rock outcropping on the way out of the community. This area is remote and not often visited by railfans, curvy and back-woods roads are the only way in and out of the small hamlet. Not many people reside here due to the poor economy of the area, making the roads seldom traveled.

 Now just east of the small hamlet of Honaker, Va., No. 80T rumbles uphill past a mine load-out situated by the mainline. This small mine is located just off the shoulder of Rt. 67 near Swords Creek, Va., and seems to be busy judging by the amount of coal trucks arriving/leaving this location.

 Old Norfolk & Western code line runs adjacent to the tracks in the small community of Swords Creek, as No. 80T briefly disrupts the afternoon stillness with its passing. Another mine load-out stands behind the photographer, but seems to be inactive for the time being. In recent times, there isn't much left here in Swords Creek other than a couple old buildings adjacent to the highway. Although, I'm sure it was a bustling little place back in the day.

December 29th, 2012

 On the 29th, we set out for the Christiansburg District; our first train arrived under rainy and foggy conditions in the quaint hamlet of Ada, W.Va., with a SD70M-2 leading the way. The train is only three miles away from the yard at Bluefield and a crew change before proceeding onto the Pocahontas District.

 As snow files through the air, loaded grain train No. 58V descends the 1.5% grade from Bluefield, as it passes through the hamlet of Oakvale, W.Va., with old Norfolk & Western CPL's looming off in the distance guarding the cross-overs. One can only imagine how it sounded to hear a Y class N&W steam locomotive thundering uphill through these West Virginia hills!

 Norfolk Southern coal train No. 774 glides downhill through Blake, W.Va., with a pair of General Electric wide-cab GE's holding back the lengthy train of Hyco bound coal. The CPL's  stand tall and proud as they witness yet another train passing by. If these signal could talk, the stories they would tell of N&W glory days when class J's and Y's ruled the rails.

 Back on the former Norfolk & Western Radford-Bristol mainline, finds No. 38Q rushing east at dusk with a heavy manifest train. The train is pictured streaking into the color position light signals at Stones Mill situated at the east end of the Wytheville, Va. passing siding. The train has been delayed immensely due to numerous meets, and now the engineer has the hammer down to complete the remaining seventy miles to Roanoke.

That's all for now and I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Please leave your feedback in the comment section below and check back next week for another post!

Following Norfolk Southern No. 745 across the Clinch Valley & Dry Fork mainlines

Overview:

This week, my blog post will consist of chasing Williamson, West Virginia bound hopper train No. 745 across, rarely photographed and seldom visited, former Norfolk & Western trackage. The first portion of the chase took place between Cleveland and Richlands, Virginia along the Clinch Valley District; and the second portion took place between Amonate, Virginia and Berwind, West Virginia along the Dry Fork Branch.

 The weather was balmy and the chase resulted with acquiring some great images, making the time and effort well worth it. The crew was friendly, giving us sporadic horn shows and waving; making the chase even more pleasurable.

 Before we get started, I feel compelled to provide a little further information concerning the tracks we will be following.

Clinch Valley District:

 Built in the late 1890s by the Norfolk and Western, the Clinch Valley District twists and turns through remote country lying between Norton, Virginia and Bluefield, West Virginia; a distance standing at roughly 100 miles. It was built to move coal out of southwest Virginia and take it to the cost under the care of Norfolk & Western. In result: multiple spurs, mines, and little towns was built along the route. As any other coal line back in the day, it was a busy district with prosperous towns.

 In recent times, traffic has sadly dropped off and the Clinch Valley does not see much action. The results of plentiful, and cheaper natural gas has made an immense impact on this region. The trackage east of Cedar Bluff, gets even less daily movements due to the Dry Fork Branch splitting off and heading north toward Iaeger.

 Although traffic has somewhat, slumped in the last few years, the Clinch Valley still witnesses 5-10 movements daily depending on one's location; which is still pretty good. The tracks along this route can be hard to access at times, but the line is still fun to railfan and a good amount of easier accessed locations lie within. 

Dry Fork Branch:

 Also built around the same time as the Clinch Valley, the scenic Dry Fork Branch spans from Cedar Bluff, Virginia to the small yard at Auville, situated along the Pocahontas mainline in Iaeger, West Virginia. The branch twists and turns through little hollows, crammed with a road and few houses, along with sporadic mine load outs. 

 The Branch is definitely intriguing and hosts beautiful photo locations within its 45 miles of track. Also, the 1.7% grade from Jacob's Fork to Bandy, poses a huge challenge for southbound loads coming from Iaeger. Trains will often get down to a fast walk as they assault the stiff grade and stall-out's are fairly common.


The chase: Cleveland-Richlands; December 26th, 2012

  It's a frigid morning, with temperatures down in the mid 20s, when the crew on board No. 745 readies their train and prepares to depart Carbo Yard, near Cleveland, Va.. Operations has just resumed normal, since Christmas was the day before, and No. 745 will be the first train to traverse the Clinch Valley in nearly 48 hours. Soon,  the crew calls the Clinch Valley dispatch and acquires permission to depart the Yard and head east. The picture above depicts the move rolling underneath the signal mast at Cleveland; the train is being pulled by a duo of older GE wide-cab's and they puff out a little smoke, as they throttle up for the trip east.

 The quaint community of Honaker, Va., lies still and quiet, until the sound of Norfolk Southern train No. 745 rumbling through town, shatters the stillness for a brief minute or two. This small community lies between the bigger towns of Saint Paul and Richlands, but not much can be found here other than a elementary school and a few older stores and buildings. The railroad is pretty much the only thing that awakes the small town; and that only happens a hand-full of times daily.

 Now seen traveling a relatively slow portion of the Clinch Valley, No. 745 passes through a small community called Swords Creek, Va., situated roughly five miles to the east of Honaker. The early morning sun decided to peak through the clouds and bask this scene in golden lighting just as the train came.. A little mine load out is located behind the photographer, but it seems to be out-of-service for the time being.

 After traversing, perhaps, the most remote section of the Clinch Valley District, No. 745 now rolls into the town of Richlands, Va. with a bitter cold winter wind howling. Old Norfolk & Western code line runs adjacent to the Clinch Valley main in most places, and that is definitely played out in this scene.

Amonate, Virginia to Berwind, West Virginia, Dry Fork Branch:

 Situated roughly 10 miles to the north of Cedar Bluff, lies the quaint community of Amonate, Va.(Milepost I-37). Known by railfans for its impressive viaduct spanning Trace Fork Creek, Amonate is also located near the summit of the 1.7% grade from Jacob's Fork to Bandy.

 The sun is barely peaking through the clouds, as No. 745 slowly whines across the Trace Fork Viaduct  beginning its journey up the scenic Dry Fork. Norfolk Southern poses a restricted speed for movements crossing this viaduct; 10 MPH is the limit due to the trestle being aged and not up for fast speeds. Although northbounds usually have to apply breaking to reach 10 MPH; southbounds usually do not because they do not even reach 10 MPH when assaulting the hill to Bandy.

 The hoppers within train No. 745, blur across the Beech Fork Branch, near Amonate, situated just across the W.V./Va. border. The old Norfolk & Western CPL. in the distance, stands as the approach signal for the junction ahead with the Dry Fork mainline. One can only imagine how old it actually is and if it could talk, the stories it would tell of the N&W glory days. The Beech Fork Branch is currently dormant;  sadly, the only mine along its track is not operating for the time being.

 All is quiet in the quaint town of Berwind, W.Va., until the sound of approaching hopper train No. 745 permeates the air. The sound of flanges squealing and a horn echoing throughout the hills, dominate the audibles within the quiet valley. A beautiful old Church is situated trackside, and one can only imagine how old it actually is. The train is now approaching Jacob's Fork Junction ahead, but will continue north, toward Iaeger, on the Dry Fork main.

 With that, we will conclude our journey across rare trackage following No. 745. Thanks for viewing and be sure to leave your feedback in the comment section below.

Samuel Phillips
January 11th, 2013

A dreary day trackside along the former N&W & VGN

 Overview:

"I just stay at home when it rains,"some may say, "it doesn't produce good images." I have heard that stated more than once and I differ concerning my outlook on dreary/rainy day photography. In my personal experiences, some of my best images has been taken in less than ideal weather for photography. It proposes a challenge for the photographer and causes one to think outside the box. Certain elements on dreary days, can also produce wonderful moods and spooky atmospheres that create a masterful image. In this documentation of December 16th, a demonstration of rainy day photography is played out with a series of shots taken in dark, rainy, and foggy weather.

Documentation:

 I started off the day on Christiansburg Mountain along the former Norfolk and Western mainline spanning from Roanoke to Bluefield, WV. The morning yielded seven trains in just over an hour; which is extremely busy for this route. The backup was caused after signal problems at Montgomery and Arthur materialized overnight causing major delays. Once the problems were fixed the following trains negotiated Christiansburg Mountain within two hours: 186, I3G, 236, 67N, 17M, 823, 29W, 22A, 185, M7M, 755, 821, and 749.

 Dawn breaks in the quaint hamlet of Shawsville, VA as NS 67N negotiates a tight S curve with a empty train of ethanol cars in tow, as a layer of morning fog carpets the surrounding valley. This is actually the steepest section of Christiansburg Mountain; if a westbound will stall out, it will do so short of the crossing pictured in this photograph. If a train successfully climbs the first two miles of the grade, it will likely make the top of the mountain situated 10 miles to the west at Christiansburg. The town of Shawsville is quiet this dreary Sunday as the train abruptly ends the peaceful morning with engines in notch 8 and a horn echoing throughout the valley.

 The uniformity of ethanol cars are played out in this moody scene depicting 67N's train traversing the S curve pictured above at a different angle.

 After clearing a 10 MPH slow order back in Shawsville, the engineer on 67N has just opened up the throttle as it now moves uphill at trackspeed with a filthy Canadian National second in command as the train approaches Friendship Road just east of Montgomery Tunnel.

  NS 186 parades downhill through this nice early morning scene at Shawsville, VA with a pair of C40-9W's permeating the air with the sound of dynamic breaks whining holding back the heavy manifest train as it descends the 1.5% grade.

 After waiting for traffic ahead to clear, NS 823 struggles to get his train up to speed as the two big GE's shake the ground in notch 8 while it negotiates the hamlet of Shawsville, VA. This monster hopper train will take twice as long to climb grueling Christiansburg Mountain because of his heavy train consisting of roughly 150-170 empty coal cars.

 NS 29W files through Elliston at trackspeed with a long string of autoracks in tow as it makes a running start for grueling Christiansburg Mountain that lies just ahead. The "Lights out indicate approaching train" crossing sign is a unique landmark that has stood here in Elliston for decades; it is presumably the last one still in operation and makes for a interesting photograph, especially in such moody weather like this.

 Now along the former Southern Railway south of Hurt and Altavista, we find NS 186 climbing uphill near Greene, VA with two GE's wide-open in notch 8 as they prepare to stop ahead to await the arrival of northbound #214. A vegetation called "kudzu" is a frequent plant that grows trackside along the former Southern and that is very apparent in this image of #186.

 "186 approach track two Motely, NS 186 out!", a statement heard over the scanner as #186 approached this former Southern Railway signal just north of Greene. The approach signal is for the meet with 214 that will take place just south of here.

 Hotshot intermodal #214 charges over the Staunton River in Altavista, VA as it files north through the quaint community with a trio of Norfolk Southern motors heading up the train. After arriving in Lynchburg, NS 214 will perform a speedy set off for Norfolk bound intermodal I3G to attach to his train for the trek east. Rain clouds begin moving into the area that will bring heavy rain to Central Virginia overnight.

 Now on the former Virginian Railway Altavista District, NS 820 is pictured splitting a pair of approach lit N&W CPL's situated in the small hamlet of Stone Mountain, VA. Dense fog moves into the area along with the approaching front coming from the south with heavy rain. Train #820 is making great time along this relatively flat section of the former Virginian with much slighter grades opposed to the P-D north of Princeton...

  Another view of #820 depicts the photographer shooting between old boards part of an old wooden overpass located here in Stone Mountain. A good percentage of the country roads required to access locations between Roanoke and Altavista cross the tracks on old wooden bridges; this is just one out of many I witnessed while exploring this intriguing route.

 Running just minutes behind #820 is Hyco bound coal train #764 pictured here charging east near the community of Moneta, VA just west of the location above. Another pair of approach lit CPL's are situated in the background of this image. The CPL's along this line are quickly disappearing as part of NS' plan to upgrade the signals along this route to the modern safetrain signaling system.

 In the very last light of the day, NS 18M hits Tinker Creek Connect in Roanoke, VA to take the train south roughly one mile to join the former Virginian Altavista District and then the former Southern at Hurt. Two C40-9W's are in charge of this heavy Linwood, NC bound manifest as darkness quickly falls upon the community; the old N&W CPL stands tall and proud as it witnesses yet another train. These signals are on borrowed time though, as NS quickly is eradicating them from service.

Thanks for looking and I hope you enjoyed the read and photography!

A trip up the former Virginian P-D District

  In recent times, the former Virginian Princeton Deepwater District has become a favorite stretch of railroad for the photographer to visit. The former Virginian, in his opinion, stands as one of the most intriguing and fascinating railroads around. It hosts some of the steepest grades along with some of the most stunning scenery one can find in Southern West Virginia. In this little story, I will provide some history depicting the West End District of the former Virginian before my documentation.

History of the Virginian's West End 

The Virginian mainline spanning between Norfolk, VA and Deepwater, WV was constructed in the early 1900s by the Tidewater Railway that shortly thereafter became the actual Virginian Railway. The last spike was driven in 1909 just west of Glen Lyn, VA and the well-constructed route was then open for business. The grades in West Virginia are grueling, especially the 2.07% grade from Elmore to Clark's Gap, and gave the railway a major challenge in finding steam locomotives powerful enough to move a sufficient amount of coal over the hills. After experimenting with steam for a couple years and never being totally satisfied with the performance, the Virginian decided to electrify the line between Mullens and Roanoke in 1925 dubbing this section "The Electrified Zone". The railway purchased a fleet of LC-2 electric locomotives from Alco-Westinghouse in 1925-26 to operate within the electrified territory in sets of three. The engines dubbed "Squareheads" was capable of 2375 horsepower or a tractive effort standing at 92, 000 pounds each.

 The Electrification was just the solution the Railway was looking for in their West End District.. The Squareheads could move more coal over the mountains in WV and VA much more efficiently opposed to any steam locomotive they had in operation. In 1948, coal traffic had risen to new levels and the Squareheads were beginning to show age so the Railroad turned to General Electric for the solution.. Arriving in that year, the "Streamliners", EL-2B locomotives started polishing the tracks situated in the Electrified Zone. Producing 260,000 pounds of tractive effort and standing at 6,800 horsepower, the Streamliners was beyond anything the Railway had previously owned and proved to be the most powerul electric locomotive ever used in the world. Their arrival increased the maximum tonnage of coal trains immensely and were extremely effective. In December 1953, the Railway placed their first diesel locomotive order and purchased 25 locomotives from Fairbanks-Morse. They served the Virginian well until the N&W merger in 1959.


 On December 1st, 1959, the Norfolk and Western purchased the Virginian Railway acquiring the main and all branches between Norfolk and Deepwater. For two or three years, little to nothing changed on the former Virginian situated in the West End, but in late 1962, N&W ceased to use the electrified railroad between Roanoke and Mullens. The electric locomotives was shortly scrapped and N&W started using their diesel locomotives across the whole route.

 In modern times, much has changed on the Virginian's Western portion of the railroad. Signs of the electrification are far and few between and only a handful of old searchlight signals stand as they are falling fast to the new safetran signals. Many depots and part of the Princeton yard complex have also been eradicated. Instead of the Railways' intriguing electric locomotives, a plethora of wide-cab GE's and EMD's now rule the rails as any other railroad.

 Despite the changes, the Virginian will live on in the heart of many and the Princeton Deepwater District will remain a favorite line of mine due to the history and magnificent scenery that is associated with it. Witnessing a coal drag tackling the grueling Clark's Gap grade stands as one of my favorite things to see and hear.. The ground vibrating and the sound of engines in notch 8 permeating the air is nothing short of spectacular, in my opinion.

December 1st, 2012 documentation

 Exactly 53 years after the Virginian and Norfolk & Western merger, I set out to document the now Norfolk Southern owned Princeton Deepwater District on balmy December 1st, 2012.

 With fine morning light illuminating this impressive trestle at Ingleside, WV, NS 810 works downhill with a 150 car coal train, likely weighing in the neighborhood of 21-22,000 tons, as it descends the 1.5% grade from Ambrose, just east of Princeton, to Kellysville; also the junction with the Christiansburg District. Just to the west of this location lies VGN Tunnel #18 and the V344.5 signals situated at the westend of the short bore. This coal train departed Mullens, WV shortly after 3 AM and traversed the steepest section of the line witnessing many huge trestles while en route to Princeton; 810 also paused at the small yard situated in Clark's Gap to perform a common duty called "filling out tonnage". That basically means the train was short of its required tonnage upon departing Mullens and had to stop and acquire extra loads before continuing the trek to Norfolk.

  Operating in full dynamics, NS ES44AC #8062 provides extra breaking to safely get train 810 downhill to Kellysville as it whines across the Ingleside trestle. These new AC units Norfolk Southern acquired from General Electric are 4,400 horsepower along with being excellent pullers and are essentially built for coal service like pictured. After cutting off from 810 roughly 7 miles to the east, 8062 will then return light to Elmore operating as J92.

  Five engines idle in Elmore yard as they await their next assignments; Norfolk Southern's Monongahela Heritage Locomotive brightens up the scene as it sits dead last in line. The tracks in the foreground is the Guyandot River Branch that spans South toward Gilbert and eventually reaches the ex N&W Pocahontas mainline at Wharncliffe, WV. Multiple spurs exist along this route and NS operates on average 2-4 trains over this branchline daily. Also, to the right of #8025 lies the main Elmore yard office where crews will first report before a PTI driver will take them to their train.

  Just after arriving in this small hamlet by the name of Tralee, which is situated just east of Elmore, NS 755 sits short of a small crossing after the crew had just tied the train down with a pair of NS' newest horses on the point. NS will often park westbound trains here if another crew doesn't go on duty for a while and that is evident in this scene.

  Shortly after departing Elmore, NS U87 powers across magnificent Covel Trestle, V366.4, with two C40-9W's wide-open lugging their train toward Clark's Gap traversing a 2.07% grade along the way. The quaint town below watches and listens as the train roars uphill permeating the still valley with the unremitting sound of engines in notch 8 struggling to maintain 7 or 8 MPH. This is just one of many impressive trestles constructed along this route, the ex Virginian never fails to impress!

 By the time the helpers operating as J93 reach Covel Trestle, #U87 continues loosing speed as the train grinds away on the steepest grade situated on the whole Virginian. Between the head-end power and helper engines, this train has 21,000 horsepower but is still barely making the hill. That tells an individual how grueling and steep this grade is! Providing extra color to this scene, the Erie and Reading Heritage Engines are pictured crossing the impressive structure with ES44AC #8111 sandwiched in the middle; the Erie is definitely showing signs of being in coal service because part of the paint appears totally black!

 With its whole train over the hill, #U87 rolls downhill between Clark's Gap and Weyanoke as it begins slowing for a meet with westbound 775 just ahead. At this exact time, the head-end crew is chatting with the helper crew as they begin the process of removing the units from the rear while on the move; J93 will then follow J92 back to Elmore to await another coal drag to shove up the hill. This location is in middle of no where as one can easily see by the baron wilderness!

  In golden afternoon lighting, NS 775 creeps through the tight twists and turns situated in the historic community of Matoaka, WV as it passes one of the only surviving Virginian depots that still stand. Just below the depot, lies the old abandoned N&W Bluestone Branch that spanned from Bluestone, along the Pokey mainline, to Weyanoke a few mile west of this community. N&W last operated a train on the branch in the mid 1980s but has remained unused ever since, with the exception of Bluestone itself where NS will occasionally store freight cars. Matoaka used to be a booming town back in the day, but in recent years has dried up where practically nothing of interest remains except for the railroad. The train will shortly begin a stiff 1.5% climb to Weyanoke before topping the hill just east of the location above where I captured U87.

 After completing a meet with opposing westbound empty train 775, #U87 rolls downhill into Matoaka, WV as it enters a very tight S curve in golden afternoon backlighting. The crew on board has just 15 miles left before reaching Princeton and the end of their run just west of the beautifully restored Virginian Depot situated in the downtown area of the community.

  As seen charging out of the blinding late evening sun, #U87 roars across Blacklick Trestle in the community of Kegley, WV as it battles the relatively slight 0.5% grade spanning from Rock to Princeton. This trestle is actually the highest ever constructed on the former Virginian and is comparable to the former Clinchfield Copper Creek trestle in terms of height to those familiar with it. With being just minutes away from Princeton , #U87 has successfully traversed the western end of the P-D district witnessing some of the most stunning scenery in Southern West Virginia.

 The shot above from Blacklick trestle concludes my December 1st documentation depicting modern day action on the former Virginian. It was a fantastic day that I will never forget. Modern day operations are not near as fascinating as operations in the 50s, but it still never fails to impress me.

 Be sure to check back for future articles on this line as I will certainly return in the near future to capture more stunning scenery along this intriguing route! The link below depicts the video I shot on December 1st.. The sound from Covel is amazing, but still cannot adequately express the feeling of actually being there and hearing it in person.

December 1st video