Eastbound coal has topped the grade at a place variously called Horton's Summit, McRae, and Nora over the years. The short steep pull up from Duffield made for beautiful music. At one time Foote... (more)

Eastbound Norfolk Southern train U41 is crossing Bootleg Trestle near Sunbright, Virginia.

Norfolk Southern train coal train U42 rolls east across Bootleg Trestle near Sunbright, Virginia

Westbound Norfolk Southern train U41 passes a vacant church building in the community of Sunbright, Virginia.

724 rounds the corner and is about to pass under the Natural Tunnel Parkway on their way upgrade through Sunbright

CSX T093-30 heads east across Bootleg Trestle near Sunbright, VA and will soon pass through Natural Tunnel as the train exercises trackage rights over Norfolk Southern.

The helpers on a CSX coal drag, utilizing NS trackage rights between Big Stone Gap, Va. and Frisco, Tenn., roll through Sunbright, Va.

There's no sun in Sunbright today, only rain, as the lights of a westbound empty hopper train highlight the rails on its return to Appalachia on a dreary Christmas Eve.

NS 718 rolls across Bootleg Trestle between Sunbright and Natural Tunnel.

An eastbound CSX unit coal train, running on NS trackage rights, rolls under "Brosnan Bridge" at Sunbright.

CSXT 354 with a 42 year veteran engineer at the controls pushes the loaded RDL Aluminum hopper train at Horton's Summit at Sunbright.

NS SD60M #6768 leads a westbound empty hopper train around the tight curve at Sunbright, VA and in front of the now dormant Horton Summit Church. The grey equipment seen on top of the cab is the n... (more)

NS 387 climbs Horton Summit, on its way to Andover.

An empty hopper train snakes over Bootleg Trestle, in Sunbright after sunset. Nikon D700, Nikon 24-70 f/2.8

Late in the steam era on Southern Railway, Ls-2 simple 2-8-8-2 4050 works the Bristol local upgrade just west of the crossing at Sunbright, VA. The grade is nearly two percent at this point. Both ... (more)