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 to Montgomery, where it switched to L&N for the remainder of the run to NOLA. On this day, the local crew left a single boxcar blocking the main near the Southern crossing while they ran a few hundred yards to Opelika Manufacturing. Unfortunately, their switching errand took longer than expected and now 215 is jammed. After a call to the dispatcher, 215's engineer brings his GP40 quartet down the hill and uses his 12,000 hp set to shove the IC box off the main. There will probably be some finger-pointing, but somebody, somewhere will have to explain the foul-up to the big cheeses.
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.
