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.
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 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.
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.
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!
