A Busy Day on the East End

[billworsham]

I decided this may be my last good chance of great sunshine and mild temperatures, so I got out there on the A Line starting in Knoxville at Safety City/Concord Street.  On my way there around 9:23am, I saw  NS Train 134 at Hodges.

I saw a lot of NS MOW and construction equipment at Willoughby, working on a bridge between the NS/CSX Willoughby Diamond and Concord Street.  I knew then that West End District trains would be tied up for a while.  So I decided to go to the East End.

On my way to Sevier Yard, I caught the Maryville Alcoa Job crossing Gay Street, stopping for the K&A Junction at MP 131A.  A ver short train with about six boxcars.

From there I continued on to the Sevier Yard, heard them talking to 38Q and others.

At 11:50 am, I saw Y2A (intermodal-a second section of 22A?) westbound stopped at Friends.  In the lead was NS8918 and 7654.   A couple minutes later, I heard 38Q call Hodges Switch.  So I knew there would be a meet.  I waited for them at Mimosa Street.  Then Y2A was given permission to proceed, rolled by and stopped at Hodges for 38Q to pass.  As 38Q passed Y2A, the roll by inspection revealed a brake defect about ten cars back or so.  The crew informed 38Q and the train stopped on Baker Road, right where I could see it coming.  I took a short spin down the road and saw in the train was NS 8871 and 8393.

While 38Q was working on the handbrake that was applied and checking out the hotwheel, T-59 (Bulls Gap, TN to Knoxville TN) called the Jefferson City signals.  T-59 came by with NS 6131 in the lead with nine more engines trailing, then the consist.  It was a huge train.  That was at 12:08.  At 12:12, the rest of T-59 is still passing me.  A VERY huge train.  38Q gave the rollby inspection and nothing was determined to be out of order.

While 38Q is bleeding out the brakes and recharging, T-59 called the signal at Hodges Switch and the defect detector at MP 111.2 noted no defects.  At 12:25 T-59 arrived at Sevier Yard.  A couple minutes later at 12:27pm, 38Q was rolling again.

At the same time 38Q began rolling again, I heard 714 (loaded coal) call Jefferson City.  Then I saw it at Friends. NS 9379 was leading with NS 6780 & 9386 leading.  I heard it call Hodges at 12:37pm.  That train was on the move.  No defects at 111.2 and calling the Strawberry Plains signal at 12:44pm.

Later at 12:59, 38Q is calls an approach diverging at Talbott, shortly after the detector at MP 98.9 reveals no defects. At 1:30pm, the train calls clear at Pickens and is issued Track Authority from MP76 to control point Rader, to meet an eastbound.  I never did catch what this eastbound train would be.  The detector at MP 87.1 showed no defects.

That's all I could do for the day as I had to get back home to Newport.  To think all this happened in just over an hour, I could just about imagine what the rest of the day was like when the West End District was turned loose after the MOW work at Willoughby.