Not an easy place to get to. Smack dab in the middle of the Cumberland Mountains, fourteen loaded coal hoppers left the rail with five hitting the ground. RJ Corman to the rescue.

With dusk, rain, and fog all falling along the Pokey, a train of mtys glides out of Elkhorn Tunnel and begins the long descent down to Welch. The huge ventilation system and iron shroud are from a... (more)

How to thaw out a frozen switch in nine degree weather, Take three fusees, a five gallon bucket of diesel, old shop rags, and....dedicated hard workers to say the least.

Derailment. Time for the torches.

Passing under an original, unretouched water tank left over from the steam days, NS 8861 heads to the Baldwin prep plant. A spur once turned off here and ran to Round Rock bottom with another spur... (more)

One of five coal hoppers that derailed and hit the ground, with a total of fourteen leaving the tracks loaded. RJ Corman had just finished loading a unit train at the National Coal loadout at Bald... (more)

Fill 'er up please. The helper engine at Morley is fueled to the tune of 3,000 gallons in thirty minutes on this wintry, rainy day. The tank holds 5,000 gallons total and is usually topped off eve... (more)

With two SD70M-2s for power, 144 heads north on the Rathole. This day was particularly frigid with temps near the single digits and the wind chill well below zero. A special thanks to safari leade... (more)

Pushers shoving hard on the rear as a coal drag crosses Trace Branch on the Dry Fork of the Pocahontas on a rainy, foggy day. The head end is near the Dry Fork #3 tunnel at Bandy.

Yes, it has a motor and it runs on the rails. Made by Johnson Industries and the first in the US, this auger sampler takes coal from each utility bound hopper as it passes by at Turley. Refer to 2... (more)

With the ridges on fire from the fall colors, two new ACs push hard on a Hill Run over the Garwood trestle. Signs of the old Virginian electrification days are abundant along this stretch of the P... (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 two helpers on the rear, another unit train of mtys returns to the Powder River Basin for coal. Draglines and loadouts can be seen on the horizon.

Ever wonder how sturdy those new aluminum coal hoppers are? Brand new FURX coal hoppers were ripped apart like aluminum foil in this slow speed derailment.

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)