After selling 63 of their trouble-plagued SD50’s the Chessie System, mainly for coal train service, EMD quickly dispatched four SD60 demonstrators to the Chessie. In late October, 1985, they wer... (more)

A late day eastbound coal train passes thru the beautiful Potomac Valley on its way to Cumberland. The four axle diesels brought this train down off of the former Western Maryland at 21st Bridge.

536 leads it's train up the Potomac Valley towards Keyser, WVa, and west, with another long string of empty hoppers for more of that West Virginia coal.

317 gets underway on the Mountain Sub with a quartet of dark future units up front.

746 and friend lead coal loads eastbound at Lownes, bringing the train into warm early morning light out of the mountain mist in the background

Happy Birthday to me. With half the day gone and my scanner missing in action, I took a gamble that "The Snake"- the Mountain Sub's only manifest train - was still leaving Cumberland in the early ... (more)

A single unit leads an eastbound coal train through the beautiful Potomac Valley near Pinto on the former B&O West End. The path on the left was the Western Maryland's line to Elkins.

Q317 puts the hammer down on the Mountain sub as it snakes through the long rolling S curves at Pinto MD.

A westbound hopper train heads upgrade at Pinto, Maryland, on its way to Grafton and beyon. See EXIF data for shot details.

E819 is about 10 mins out of Cumberland, but thanks to a broken rail at Altamont, this empty coal drag won't make it to Grafton before nightfall.

The curve at Pinto is one of the most open areas on the Mountain Sub, allowing a nice view of E101's train.

Q317 and its eastbound counterpart Q316 are the only remnants of the numerous through freights which once polished the rails of the ex-B&O St. Louis main.

A quartet of clean bright future units has 317 rolling at a good clip through Pinto. The gravel road at right is the former Western Maryland Thomas Sub.

Four days after the SD70MACs arrived on the system.