It's a pretty safe bet the engineer on this train switching in Opelika, Alabama on a spring morning 37 years ago was close to the end of his career. But 5026 - three years old in this shot - is st... (more)

CSX 5849 leads the Atlanta-bound Williams Brothers sand train north past a big traffic generator on Opelika's north side.

Just back from Lafayette, 242 and crew get ready to do some work in Opelika.

With the boxcar logo on its nose and a little over an hour before going on the law, the empty ballast train of A012 splits the signals at south end Opelika and blows by at 45mph as the aggregate t... (more)

After waiting north of the signal, Hamlet-New Orleans Train 215 has the OK to start moving again. The crew will ease down the hill through downtown Opelika, cross the Southern, then take the sidin... (more)

A few A&WP/WofA/GARR diesels were delivered or repainted to Family Lines paint and, for a few months at least, they tended to stay close to home.

With the bulk of their eastbound local sitting on the main - its rear end actually blocking the WofA Atlanta-Montgomery mainline - the crew uses their GP9/GP18 duo to pull a cut from the siding to... (more)

Right behind the geeps on this eastbound local is a load of coal destined for Columbus, GA, where it will wind up in the tenders of SR 722 and S&A 750, scheduled for a double-headed Birmingham to ... (more)

A pair of SD24s sandwich an SD40-2 on an eastbound freight at Opelika. That GP in the background is power for the Lafayette branch.

Southern acquired a big batch of SD24s (48) in 1959/60, but they would have short lives, leaving the roster in 1978.

A matched set of Union Pacific SD70M locomotives running elephant style and sans American Flag, bring a hefty 6000 foot long Q619 into downtown Opelika on a surprisingly clear Saturday morning.

Self Guarded
One of the more unique style of frogs found on the railroad, the Solid Manganese Self Guarded Frog is typically seen in yards and industries where speed is 30MPH or slower... (more)