Boy has it been too long since I've updated this thread or what. I've been shooting some more video in quite a few different places this time. I say
its time we get to the videos that I have done over the past month or so. The first four videos in this post I shot at Kenova, West Virginia on a
Saturday in late October.
First up is a Norfolk Southern coal train, 857, coming across the massive Ohio River Bridge at Kenova, West Virginia on a warm Saturday afternoon in
October. This train, by what I counted was over two hundred cars in length with just two engines on th point. This would equal out to about a two mile
long train mileage wise if my math is right. As for how long this bridge is, I'm looking over into the state of Ohio from where I was at and I still
couldn't see the end of the bridge. I believe this bridge is somewhere close to a mile and a half in length.
Second one to show up that day was brought to us by the boys at CSX Transportation. CSX train N298 heads west through Kenova as it heads for
Catlettsburg, Kentucky and CSX's Big Sandy and Elkhorn Subdivisions. Once the train reaches Catlettburg, the power will then "run around the train"
and take it on down the Big Sandy River. What I mean by "run around the train" is that the power will be taken off of one end, ran around on another
track, and then coupled onto the new front of the train to take it where ever it is destined to go to. This train was heading down to some place in
Georgia I believe.
The third one to show up was Norfolk Southern train 233, a Norfolk, Virginia to Chicago, Illinois intermodal as it rounds the bend to the approach for
the Ohio River Bridge. Recently, if you count September as being recent, this train and a few others like it on the Pcoahontas Division were upgraded
to doublestack capacity with the opening of Norfolk Southern's Heartland Corridor Project on September 9th. Usually, this train runs in late
afternoon to early evening but I was surprised when it showed up an hour earlier than expected. Last time I was down there it didn't run until about
seven in the evening. Crank up the volume to experience the full effect of nearly 13,000 horsepower gliding up the 0.02% grade to the bridge.
The fourth and last one to show up was Norfolk Southern train #218, eastbound intermodal, with a product from the Electro Motive Division of General
Motors when it was built. This train was on its way from Chicago, Illinois to Charlotte, North Carolina bound for the southern United States. As you
may notice, there are a few UPS trailers scattered throughout the train's consist. This video was taken almost behind the Wendy's Old Fashioned
Hamburgers at Coal Grove, Ohio.
You guys know how the Environmental Protection Administration is trying to make everyone cut down on emissions right? Well, the crew on this CSX coal
train were telling the E.P.A. what they think of these new emission standards and what the EPA can do with these said standards on this Saturday
morning in October. These two General Electric products do their best at imitating a steam locomotive when they start to accelerate with this heavy
coal train bound for Brice, North Carolina.
On Saturday, November 13th, I decided to go back down to one of my favorite local spots to get some video. Needless to say that I wasn't disappointed
when I left down there and headed home. Usually it stays pretty busy down there with two seperate rail lines coming in down there. This day was one of
those where it stayed busy for most of the time I was there. This CSX train, G894 out of Garrett, Indiana, heads eastbound through Saint Albans with
nearly an entire train of brand new covered hoppers. I believe this guys had one hundred and ten cars or somewhere close to that. As you can see when
the video starts, this train is pounding the crossover from number two main over to number one main as it comes out of the curve.
About two and a half hours after the grain train had went through, I noticed that the westbound signal for #1 track at the East End of Dock was
showing a "High Clear" and that something was on its way. When it changed, I had no idea that it would be a westbound empty doing nearly sixty miles
per hour through town. A couple of minutes later, the scanner at my side crackled to life with this, "T314-12 CSXT 463. West on one, CLEAR all the
way through Saint Albans."
This video is the train that closed out the day and some of the night for me down there. CSX train G858-12 heads eastbound through beautiful Downtown
Saint Albans on this chilly, November night. Little did I know that before it got there it would have one of the "Old Guard" of the CSX locomotive
fleet leading the charge. The lead unit, CSXT 8642, is almost one year younger than I am since it was built in October of 1985!!!
Now the following two videos I shot yesterday, December 8th.
First one is of Amtrak train #50, the eastbound Cardinal, as it heads through Marmet on its way to places like Charlottesville, Virginia; Washington,
D.C. and New York, New York. This train runs three times a week on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday heading east for New York and west for Chi-town. One
of the rumors that I have been hearing is that this train is supposed to return back to its seven days a week service sometime toward the end of 2011.
On the rear of the train is Chesapeake & Ohio Railway business car #3, Chapel Hill, as it is being rented by someone or a group of people.
The last video from Wednesday is Norfolk Southern train 380, a Columbus, Ohio to Charleston (Quincy), WV mixed freight that runs daily on Norfolk
Southern's West Virginia Secondary. Today's "massive" eleven car train was being handled by a former Union Pacific SD60 that had been sold to HELM
Leasing Company. This video was taken about two miles fromo the north end of the yard at Belle, West Virginia.