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