There’s quite a bit to see in this shot taken by my good friend Ken Marsh. This is northbound Clinchfield train 95, a through scheduled run from Spartanburg to Elkhorn City, KY—the length of the railroad—but pretty much a “clean out the yard” slop freight by this time. The power pulling today’s edition of 95 is truly eclectic, even for the Clinchfield. Up front is U36C 3602, one of seven such units acquired in 1971 for pool coal train service with the L&N. But the big U-Boats were not popular with a mechanical department only familiar with EMD power, and an operating department that found the big units to be less than stellar performers. The 3602 and her sisters would be traded to CRR’s half-owner, SCL, in 1977—straight up—for a like number of SD45s. The next unit is SD40 3010, from the second order of three for this model. The 3010 (as well as the fourth unit, 3011) were acquired in 1969. But—the third unit is REALLY interesting. GP7 919 was built in 1950 for the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad. Equipped with a steam generator and signal lines for passenger service, the unit (NC&StL 753) was painted blue and gray, same as the line’s F-units, and placed in service pulling the daily Memphis-Nashville round trip of the “City of Memphis.” When the NC&StL was merged into parent L&N in 1957, the unit was renumbered 1753. Clinchfield acquired the GP7 from L&N in 1964 after a derailment. The steam generator was removed, but the unique hood unit retained its roof-mounted air reservoirs (placed there to yield more space for a water tank below—a standard design alternative by EMD). In 1979 it was refurbished (for the Clinchfield) as a “Tampa rebuild.” The last two units are F7s, from CRR’s remaining stable of such units at the time. Clearly, the Clinchfield had no hesitancy to mix its units by builder, horsepower or generation.
Photos taken in the Deep South--primarily Alabama and Georgia--from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Featured railroads include the ICG, the West Point Route, SCL, Southern, Frisco, and even KCS.
Coal and steel don't go bad. This album features long, slow, heavy freight trains; drag freights, slop freights, dead freights, etc. Trains with lots of power, and lots of different cargo slogging along behind.
Not
just heritage schemes, not just commemorative schemes - this album is devoted to some of the world's most interesting paint schemes, past or present.
