4 days in the Tri Cities area

 Starting on September 25th, I made a 4 day trip to visit some family whom live in Glade Spring VA. While there, I embarked on some great railfan adventures and had a great time with family and friends. The area is excessively beautiful and very unique in many ways. I traveled to CSXT's Kingsport Subdivision and NS's Appalachia District for the first time while in the area. The whole time while there, the railroads stayed fairly busy and I managed to bag a couple really nice shots.

Day One(September 25th, 2011), Railfanning around Glade Spring. 

  Day One turned out to be really slow day for the railway, with just seeing 4 trains in a 10 hour time period. Alas the lull in traffic, I managed to get two satisfactory images for the day.

  In this picture, NS 16T is pictured throttling up out of a slow order and past the old N&W CPL's at Washington with two Smoking Oakway's leading the short Eastbound manifest.

   In the late evening, NS 37Q is shown rolling West along Hillman highway with a huge 9 unit consist including 4 CEFX Bluebirds likely heading to Chattanooga to get a fresh coat of NS paint. The train is just 35 minutes from Bristol, where a Central Division crews will board the train and take it West 115 miles to Knoxville TN.

     Day two(September 26th, 2011, Railfanning on NS's Pulaski, Appalachia, and Knoxville East End Districts, and CSXT's Kingsport Sub.
   
        Day 2 was really productive with the train count totaling 10.  I spent the morning around Glade Spring and met Jonathan McCoy in the afternoon for some Railfanning West of Bristol. By the day's end, we had some great images and were totally satisfied with our afternoon excursion.

    The first train in the bag turned out to be hotshot intermodal 23G. After thinking where in Glade Spring to shoot him, I affirmed in my mind that I would shoot at the Washington signals once more. The choice was not regretted with the beautiful morning Sun illuminating the scene, as 23G passes through it roaring Eastward on its trek from Bristol to Roanoke.
  

 After meeting 23G in Marion, NS 79V rolls Westward through Glade Spring with a pair of newer AC GEVO's leading the way, as the old N&W CPL's stand tall and proud in the foreground behind the train. Alas, one day this scene will no longer be here with most of the old N&W signals being on borrowed time.

 After 79V, the railway see's a lull in traffic for the next 4 hours. After eating dinner in Abingdon, I find out that 38Q is nearing the community. I grab my camera and quickly set up on the pedestrian bridge in Abingdon. After a few minutes of waiting, the train rolls into town and creeps up the siding past some MOW on the mainline. After shooting 38Q, it was time to head on to Bristol and meet Jonathan.

 After departing Bristol, we head West down the Knoxville East End District as we try to find a Eastbound that we saw lined East at Piney Flats upon departing Bristol. As we near Bluff City, we hear the dispatcher talking to 16T whom is near Piney Flats, so we quickly set up at Pleasant Grove Road. After a few minutes of waiting, NS 16T storms around the sweeping curve situated just East of Bluff City,  as the trailing Dash-8 spits out some smoke as they roar uphill toward Bristol.

After shooting 16T, we head for Boones Creek, TN and try our luck on catching a train crossing the massive Boones Creek trestle. Upon arrival, Northbound U305-25 soon shows up and crosses the trestle with a AC4400CW and a SD70ACe powering the train. After the engines clear the trestle, they will soon start into the siding at Boones Creek to meet Southbound N344-21.

 After stalling out for 30 minutes just North of Boones Creek, N344 gets underway and crosses the beautiful Boones Creek trestle with a pair of AC44's leading the train Southward toward Erwin, TN.

 

   After shooting N344, we decide to try out luck on NS's Appalachia  District in Frico VA. Upon arriving in Frisco, we hear the Dispatcher talking to a NS 710. After setting up at a nearby crossing and waiting a while, NS 710 finally calls a clear signal at Frisco. In the picture below, NS 710 is depicted crawling uphill just out of the hamlet Frisco and toward a meet with NS 745 at Hawkins as a light rain falls. The two GEVO's on the head end had all they could handle pulling the Eastbound train, as they were in Run 8 and barely doing 15-20 mph. What a sound it was to hear two big ES40DC's down on their knees pulling that heavy coal drag!

 

As darkness was settling in quick and rain settling in for the night, we decide to head back to Abingdon and try our luck with a night shot. We arrive in Abingdon with a green signal for a Westbound train, and soon 15T comes into range calling signals. We set up at the Abingdon CPL's and soon 15T blasts through town and lights up the signals as he nears the end of his run in Bristol. 

Day 3(September 27th, 2011), railfanning on NS's Pulaski and Knoxville East End Districts.

   My third day in the Tri Cites area was yet another slow day, but alas did yield a couple of great shots. Myself and Jonathan McCoy met up again and went out for the afternoon. Starting out in Glade Spring and chasing Westbound 819 to Bristol and then embarking on another excursion down the Knoxville East End District. Indeed, it turned out to be a good evening, and we witnessed probably our best train of the 4 days in the area. That said train was I02, with a brand spanking new Union Pacific SD70ACe leading two NS EMD's.

The first train in the bag for me was this all EMD 16T charging through at Emory, VA. This was the only train that NS ran in the morning hours for me, but I was not disappointed with the power which was a nice surprise.

After meeting the 16T pictured above at Wytheville VA, NS 819 is shown here rolling into the beautiful hamlet of Glade Spring with a new GE and an old UP veteran for power. The train will soon meet 38Q up the road at Abingdon and then be a straight shot into Bristol. 

NS 819 is shown here charging through Wallace, VA at an impressive 50 mph as he nears Bristol where the crew will tie the train down on Track 6 and 7. 

  Next up, we head to Bristol yard and photograph 819 twice rolling up track 7 and he prepares to break the train in half to tie it down in the small yard. 

Summary of Spring Trips in VA, WV, and NC

Spring 2011 has really been the best spring for me on getting photos. I was blessed with a lot of beautiful weather, trains, and photos. Set back and enjoy a look back on my Spring trips starting back in early March.

My first Spring trip out kicked off on March 13th, 2011. We set out to shoot some photos on a absolutely beautiful along the New River between Eggleston and Oakvale, WV. The first signs of Spring were barely starting to show after a somewhat harsh winter in Southwest Virginia.

A pair of Dash-9's are in command of this days 186 passing some massive vertical cliff at Eggleston, VA. Virginian Railway photographers often visited this place for obvious reasons.

An older standard cab Dash-8 leads a 757 hopper train over the Oakvale, WV fire department as they climb the stiff grade toward Princeton on the ex VGN Princeton Deepwater District.

Our last train of the day doesn't disappoint! A pair of new ES44AC's lead NS 188 through the beautiful New River Valley of Narrows Virginia with a manifest train bound for Roanoke and points beyond.

On March 17, 2011, I set out with one goal in mind... To capture NS 974 with a rare ex Santa Fe Warbonnet leader. After thinking it over, I decide to document him passing by the Wysor CPL's and coming under the Vicker coaling tower. I did just that! We arrive in Dublin to find the train less than 10 minutes out and I quickly set up and he soon passes the CPL's. Next, we rush to Vicker to grab my last shot of him, coming under the coaling tower in decent light.

 My next trip takes place on Christiansburg Mountain on March 29th, 2011. It turned out to be a very productive trip producing a few neat photos and catching some neat lashups.

 Our first train turns out to be a very early NS 15T. We document him passing a neat little field near Eliston, VA as he makes the 140 mile journey from Roanoke to Bristol, VA.

 A old NS SD60 and a Dash-9 begin their hard climb up Christiansburg Mounatain with a good 180 car hopper train bound for the coalfields of West Virginia.

 Two GE's and a leaser, lead NS 824 downgrade through the beautiful Kumis, VA as they prepare to stop and wait for a spot to open in the South Yard in Roanoke, VA.

 A trio of GE's lead NS 236 downhill toward Roanoke through the curve at Singer, VA with a long double-stack train bound for Norfolk.

A nice little tree is in full bloom, as NS 272 drifts downgrade into Kumis, VA with a very long autorack train loaded with new cars bound for Winston Salem, NC.

Now lets get to the best catch of the day! Three older EMD's lead a shorter hopper train up Christiansburg Mountain. Boy... I hadn't heard a train that sounded this good in a long while. The first photo depicts the train in Shawsville, VA and Montgomery, VA.

 

  My next journey takes place on the Pulaski District on April 9th, 2011. The day started out pretty; without hardly a cloud in the sky. Later in the day, a severe storm hits Glade Spring with baseball size hail that ended our excursion quick. It did only minor damage to the car, but with more storms on the way; we headed for the house.

 NS 819 turns out to be our first train of the day. Here the train is depicted moving through the beautiful fields of Wytheville, VA.

  Next, NS 16T holds off the crossings at Glade Spring for NS 819 to get closer. I grab a couple shots of him as the severe storm mentioned earlier moves in.

 On April 13th, 2011, I make my second trip to Christiansburg Mountain to do some shooting. We arrive in Shawsville to find everything is in full bloom. It doesn't take long before we hear our first train.

 Two older standard cab GE's do the honors leading NS 185 through beautiful Shawsville, VA with a heavy train in tow. We again get ahead of him to get one more shot rounding the curve at Friendship Road near Shawsville, VA.

  A Dash-9 leads a neat lashup on NS 18M at Wabun, VA consisting of two leasers and two older NS locomotives. The towering mountain in the foreground made for a interesting backdrop in this image.

 A very odd and rare movement takes place next in this day. Due to clutter on the Christiansburg District, the New River Dispatch decided to run NS 811 westbound up the ex VGN Whitethorne District. The Whitethorne District is strictly a eastbound line with the exception of a westbound trash train that runs Monday through Friday between Roanoke and Bradshaw. In this vista, NS 811 is shown running through the beautiful field of Kumis, VA with two engines and a monster coal train.

  NS 15T turns out to be our last train, we decide to shoot him at Elliston and Shawsville. Soon, two EMD's show up leading a fairly early 15T west up Christiansburg Mountain in beautiful late evening late.

 On April 16th, 2011, I wasn't planning on doing any railfanning, but on the way back home. I pass NS 839 with a pair of ES44AC's with beautiful cloud formations in the sky. I decide to stop off and shoot him at John Farm Road in Shawsville. The choice was not regretted! I managed to bag a beautiful shot with interesting light and clouds.

 I ventured out once more on April 17th, between Whitethorne and Eggleston, It was kind of a slow day, but I managed to grab a couple very neat shots.

I scouted out a nice little shot in McCoy, VA and set up and waited for 186 to arrive. After waiting a while, two EMD's lead the train around a sharp curve and through a nice little scene.

 NS 18M heads through beautiful Eggleston, VA with a awesome lashup of leasers and older power. This is one of the tunnels that was modified in the Heartland Corridor project.

 A SD70M-2 leads NS 764 through beautiful McCoy, VA as nice puffy clouds roll overhead the train.

   NS 37Q rolls past the beautifully restored Dublin Depot with 6 engines leading a decent size manifest toward Bristol.

On the cold and rainy day of April 22, I head out to do a little shooting. Surprisingly, I bagged some really nice stuff and had a really great day.
NS 194 swings around a curve and past some little cliffs at Pepper, VA in a light rain shower.

 A pair of Dash-9's lead NS 755 into the siding at Belspring for a meet with NS 186 as a steady rain falls.

A trio of Dash-9's do the honors on today's 236, here the train is pictured climbing through Charleston Grade, VA near Christiansburg, VA.

In a steady rain, a standard cab Dash-8 leads NS 824 past the interlocking at VN in Salem, VA.

  NS 189 passes by the east end shops, as he ends his trek from Linwood, NC to Roanoke, VA.

On April 25th, 2011, Tyler Kestner and Jonathan McCoy ventured down to the New River Valley in hopes of seeing the circus train. It didn't show in Roanoke till after dark, but we did manage to get some very nice images in the day.

We begin our day at Newbern, VA with NS 23G rolling through the beautiful fields of Newbern, VA with a pair of GEVO's doing the honors.

Two EMD's lead NS 819 past the Dublin Depot in early morning light.

 DOTX 217 trails two SD40-2's in Shawsville, VA on a 096 move toward Bluefield.

  A rerouted 175 passes the CPL's at Salem Connection as the train will be entering Roanoke to tie the train down till a crew arrives.

 NS 18M heads through Wabun, VA with a long manifest bound for Roanoke and points beyond.

Rerouted 174 is shown climbing Christiansburg Mounatain in four separate places: Shawsville, Friendship Road, Montgomery, and Christiansburg, VA.

On two separate occasions, April 29 and May 4th. NS 722 and 38Q are shown crossing the New River in Radford, VA in the light of the day.

 With everything beginning to look like summer and not as much like spring. I will end the Spring 2011 photos on this trip on May 8th, 2011. We traveled some serious mileage and got a couple very neat photographs.

CSX Q697 heads through downtown Spruce Pine, NC with a AC6000 and a GEVO leading the long and heavy manifest train up the old Clinchfield toward Erwin, TN.

 CSX Q696 heads South through the little community of Tocain, NC as a few people stand around a little community Church after morning service.

 We next catch NS I3G blasting through Abingdon and past the stopped V19/V40 in the siding.

 NS 38Q passes through the wide-open fields of Wytheville, VA on a absolutely beautiful afternoon as he makes his trek toward Roanoke with four locomotives leading the way.

 As one can see, this was hands-down the best Spring I've had for getting photographs. Looking back on it, I feel really blessed having been able to travel as much as I did and getting so many great photos. A very big thanks goes to my family for chauffeuring me around to all these places. Another big thanks goes to Jonathan McCoy, Joe Shaw, and Hank Dralle for checking ATCS for me many times!