One of the few occasions I got out of my technical school to do some railfanning. Here the "Crescent" is on its way to New Orleans back when it went by the multi-road route. Shows how ... (more)

Two GP40s and two first generation geeps are cresting the hill just east/north of Opelika. From this point forward they will mostly be dropping as they head for the Chattahoochee River at West Po... (more)

SCL, L&N and Western Railway of Alabama - The Family Lines - initiated two pairs of run-through trains in 1973. One pair - 215/216 - ran between Hamlet and NOLA. The first couple years of operat... (more)

Back in the day, the procedure for Southern and Western Railway of Alabama trains passing through Opelika included a full stop at the crossing of the two lines. After a crew member ascertained th... (more)

The grade out of Opelika may be imperceptible to the naked eye but, believe me, it's tough. Four old geeps and a newer GP40 on train 208 are proving that to the doubters. The driver of that Econ... (more)

Back when there were still shippers near downtown, the crew of the eastbound local gets some fresh air as they switch a few cars. That old Chevy (GMC?) truck adds a little color to balance the pl... (more)

No business this day for Auburn University - last shipper left in the downtown area - so the southbound (westbound in pre-CSX days) local bops past at a good clip.

The four GP40s on Hamlet-NOLA train 215 bob and weave across College Street.

After coming from Atlanta as WofA 215, this Hamlet-NOLA run-through is continuing its southward trek as L&N 415. Crew changes were usually done at WofA's Chester Yard, but I am not sure at what p... (more)

Locals 5 and 6 try to work around each other in the tiny Opelika yard. That's 6 on the main, with 5's geep and cab visible beyond the Southern main.

Early in the Family Lines era a pair of SCL Hamlet-NOLA run-through trains were established utilizing the Western Railway of Alabama between Atlanta and Montgomery. In the photo, 216 - with the us... (more)

No work in Auburn on this day, so the local is really rolling. Looks like a pretty big train (common in those days), so the old EMD probably had a tough go on the 12 mile climb from the Tallapoos... (more)

The mill being switched by the local provides a photo backdrop, with a junkyard full of Detroit iron in the foreground.

Initiated in 1973, train 215 was probably the hottest freight ever to run on the West Point Route. Originating in the big Hamlet yard, 215 ran to Atlanta via the old SAL, then over the West Point ... (more)

The WofA local waits just short of the crossing as an eastbound Southern train (I think it's 136) comes over Second Avenue and around the curve.