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.
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