NC RR, or Tennessee RR on the New River...

[Expoacher]

Things are slowly progressing over on the New River (Tennessee) with rehab
being done from Oneida to Smokey Junction. They've cleared the ROW
from the south end of the yard at Oneida to the National Coal prep
plant at Smokey Junction, and have the "weedwacker" machinery
sitting behind the plant on the siding. At Laco, just before Smokey,
there's an old ballast/something machine with CSX on one side and
Conrail on the other, being used to smooth the ballast and scrape
everything down around the rails.
  No rail or tie work has been done yet, but there's a small pile of
rails dumped out on the siding at the plant, and a flatbed worth of
new ties on up the road near the refuse dump.
  Over at the old Baldwin plant at Devonia, now labeled National
Coal #3 tipple, there was a beehive of work being done today. At
least three cranes, hardhats everywhere, and pallet upon pallet of
parts and machinery being moved inside the large prep plant. Cranes
were taking down the old catwalks and beltlines, and the ponds were
being drained and relined. Still some time off for loading here, as
no work has been done on the line past Smokey.
  At Laco on the lengthy siding, I noticed the siding was made of
steel rail manufactured in 1923! Labeled RAB 90 30 OH INLAND USA
1923. The main at Laco was '49 and '56 132 lb rail.
  I'll try to keep the group posted as this old coal hauling line in
the Cumberland Mountains of TN is rehabbed over the next few months.
  Brent A. Harrison