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!
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