Myself and a couple friends had planned to go scouting for the Grundy steam trips a couple weeks ago but the snow canceled that trip. So we rescheduled it for this past weekend. I went up a day early and met up with Samuel Phillips and we shot the Christiansburg District and the Pokey on Saturday. It was the first decent day we have had around here in a long time and the trains were moving. Things were going good till Otto's failure but it still wasn't all bad. On Sunday we headed for the hills of Southwestern VA to scout the Buchannan Branch for 630 and got to chase a rare move up the Big Creek Branch.
I got my first taste of the Pokey and I am now officially hooked. There is nothing that can compare to 8800 horses dragging 15000 tons of black diamonds up Elkhorn Grade.
Everything can be found in Hi-Res here:
http://southernrailsphotography.smugmug.com/Trains/Norfolk-Southern/2014-Norfolk-Southern/37467494_PrmphF
Trains were heavy on Saturday morning and we got our first one just after sunrise. 772 rolls along the New River on the Whitethorne District as they split the CPLs at McCoy, VA.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsouthernrailsphotography.smugmug.com%2Fphotos%2Fi-mGGfW5K%2F0%2FM%2Fi-mGGfW5K-M.jpg&hash=9fdb452c28f38910313a8a4bbad59be5d9c17be9) (http://southernrailsphotography.smugmug.com/Trains/Norfolk-Southern/2014-Norfolk-Southern/37467494_PrmphF#!i=3106483902&k=mGGfW5K&lb=1&s=A)
Next we headed over to Eggleston, VA to catch a western visitor passing by the White Cliffs of Eggleston on the former Virginian RR.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsouthernrailsphotography.smugmug.com%2Fphotos%2Fi-7N8jKwz%2F0%2FM%2Fi-7N8jKwz-M.jpg&hash=9a9f08b3a45822702a6d36651be1248815f5a92d) (http://southernrailsphotography.smugmug.com/Trains/Norfolk-Southern/2014-Norfolk-Southern/37467494_PrmphF#!i=3106485781&k=7N8jKwz&lb=1&s=A)
Trains started to slow on the Virginia Div but there were still hot and heavy on the Pokey so we headed west of Bluefield for the rest of the day. The first train soon showed up. 763 rolls west through Keystone, WV with a matched pair of Ex-Conrail D8-40CW junkers on the point.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsouthernrailsphotography.smugmug.com%2Fphotos%2Fi-NDF7Fht%2F0%2FM%2Fi-NDF7Fht-M.jpg&hash=b0bef5d7a03e3d41f4026b64b5d29c813af383cb) (http://southernrailsphotography.smugmug.com/Trains/Norfolk-Southern/2014-Norfolk-Southern/37467494_PrmphF#!i=3106488171&k=NDF7Fht&lb=1&s=A)
This shot really gives you a feel for the old coal mining areas of West Virginia. 64D starts its assault on Elkhorn Grade at Northfork, WV as they pass a string of abandoned coal company houses.
After Otto's failure delayed everything for an hour things were slowly starting to move again late in the afternoon. Q6A is on its knees as it crawls up Elkhorn in a cloud sand and exhaust at Crozier, WV.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsouthernrailsphotography.smugmug.com%2Fphotos%2Fi-VM28Qqj%2F0%2FM%2Fi-VM28Qqj-M.jpg&hash=f9075ec5fac29a680a09bb324828499e50d7da65) (http://southernrailsphotography.smugmug.com/Trains/Norfolk-Southern/2014-Norfolk-Southern/37467494_PrmphF#!i=3106508080&k=VM28Qqj&lb=1&s=A)
On Sunday the day was started out with a nice clean CP ES44 leading 234 past the CPLs at Falls Mill, VA. I am beginning to wonder exactly whos railroad this is lately.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsouthernrailsphotography.smugmug.com%2Fphotos%2Fi-CmJJ4Hp%2F0%2FM%2Fi-CmJJ4Hp-M.jpg&hash=68d54e1bd03debfaaa3b26a581d693e946aebb4a) (http://southernrailsphotography.smugmug.com/Trains/Norfolk-Southern/2014-Norfolk-Southern/37467494_PrmphF#!i=3106538505&k=CmJJ4Hp&lb=1&s=A)
The Big Creek Branch only sees about 3-4 trains a week and some how we got lucky enough to catch one of them. 821 is nearing the end of its run on the Big Creek and will soon be on the Dismal Creek Branch as it rolls across the trestle at Chicken Ridge near Jewell Ridge, VA.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsouthernrailsphotography.smugmug.com%2Fphotos%2Fi-cKXSgk5%2F0%2FM%2Fi-cKXSgk5-M.jpg&hash=1d8f443739eff404ce541dc715dc7b4b90e560ed) (http://southernrailsphotography.smugmug.com/Trains/Norfolk-Southern/2014-Norfolk-Southern/37467494_PrmphF#!i=3106551079&k=cKXSgk5&lb=1&s=A)
Paul
That's some good stuff. The two trains passing at Big Four is the "shot of the day" in my opinion, at least.
Beautiful Shots! I like Q6A and the slide fence. DE Dan