A hopper of hardwood chips, which will take a crooked route from Royal Blue, TN to Canton, NC. Originally built by Champion International, the mill has changed hands several times to the current o... (more)

With the loadout supports now replaced and the derailed coal hoppers removed, work has begun on new track that was displaced by the derailment. Several loaded hoppers were pulled, literally, thru ... (more)

Trains don't come 'round here no more... The greens of Summer are slowly reclaiming the upper stretch of the Clearfork Branch, which once hosted three coal loadouts and almost daily traffic up int... (more)

Having originated out of John Sevier Yard in Knoxville, TN, a coal train derailed a week ago under the Middlesboro Mining loadout. Two hoppers were rerailed with another suffering damage and skidd... (more)

Of blue and steel... coal hopper mtys are backed up under the loading silo and will be ready for loading in the moring at Middlesboro Minings loadout. For decades the operation was known as Appolo... (more)

Two log flats, loaded and ready to be shipped to the Kykenkee lumber mill in Vance, AL. The John Deere knuckleboom loader has made short work of the two flats, which will be picked up by a NS crew... (more)

Conrail, still hanging on but just barely...

Fire and Brimstone... heating the rails with a copious amount of coal and diesel fuel. With sledge hammer in hand, the hot rail is slowly knocked into place on a curved stretch crossing Straight C... (more)

10,000th rebody coal car according to the stencil. That's been many a Top Gon thru the shop years ago when the rebody program was active. It was good to hear recently that some won't be scrapped b... (more)

Working the switch at Hagans Switchback, U016.18 prepares to put the two pieces back together before heading north under Cumberland Mountain and into Harlan County, KY. The brakeman had to follow ... (more)

Occupied Camp Car...a holdover from the old days and the only RR still using them, NS still has a collection of camp cars that track gangs still call home at various times of the year. This string... (more)

With fresh prepped coal piled in the background, a Trackmobile sits on a storage track between shifts. The track is barely capable of supporting the machine with the decrepit ties and rail in plac... (more)

With the smell of fresh paint seemingly in the air, one of the Norfolk Southern heritage cabs waits for duty in Alfrdon Yard. In my opinion the cab will look alot better after a few revenue runs u... (more)

Push on the white square, pull on the white circle. There's coal to be loaded at the old Garcoal loadout, now operated by Mountainside Coal.

Using a pry bar, sledgehammer, and alot of muscle, the loadout crew closes a few open discharge doors before coal can be loaded.