NS did what I consider a tasteful job of renumbering when they acquired their portion of Conrail. This unit is working a mine run on the former Interstate. It's still around, rebuilt to 6354 and... (more)

After my previous posting the locomotive stayed in our area for a while and here is a photo of it idling the day away.

Between East Drive and North Church the former N&W followed the narrow confines of the Middle Fork of the Holston River, at this point just a large creek, more or less. Sharp curves before and af... (more)

I posted the helpers first. Here is the front of that train I uploaded earlier. Back in the coal days. Back when there were locomotive on the roster not numbered in the 4000s, LOL.

A GP38-2 is on the point and there are helpers in the middle with these guys kicked back and rattling along in Run 8 all the way to Big Cut and the top of the grade. Back in the coal days.

After a quick crew change, NS 29C leaves Bluefield with the Monongahela heritage on point.

Westbound local has finished its work and is racing home to Bristol in one of many small towns along the line. Nowadays it's six axle power.

Back when the EB local ran in daylight it was passing the little Methodist Church in this tiny former "tank town". Alas my foreground tree is no more.

A dirty Monongahela heritage unit leads NS 29C west through Shawsville Cut along the Christiansburg district.

Originally SOU, this model was unique to this system. I've always wondered why they changed the high short hood from the B23-7. Guess we'll never know. I think the extra lights SOU added probab... (more)

Originally SOU, this model was unique to this system. Here one is leading a mixed freight that ran with an EB number on this line. So much has changed. The "back track" is totally gon... (more)

Ten years and no repaint. I like the lines of the original SD40 better than the -2 so put a new electrical cabinet and and you've got the best of both worlds. We didn't get many of these beautie... (more)

WB freight comes out of the Middle Holston River's short gorge at the west end of town. The big snow would wait til March.

A westbound NS coal train eases around the track connecting the for Clinchfield with the former Southern Appalachia Sub. At present NS is not using the CSX track to get here.

The Norfolk Ford Assembly Plant ceased production on June 2007. In 2011, the main assembly building was purchased by Katoen Natie for $10.5 million to be used as a distribution hub for plastic pe... (more)