On August 28th of this year, I made my way down to Kenova, West Virginia to get some action on both CSX and Norfolk Southern. Needless to say that I was not disappointed when I left around 8PM that evening. In fact it turned out to be a somewhat busy day with nine trains running between CSX and Norfolk Southern in about four and a half hours.
First up is Norfolk Southern train 185, westbound manifest from Roanoke, Va. to Bellevue, Ohio, running on Pokey Main #2 as it crosses over CSX, Kenova, and the Ohio River. I did not realize this at first, but there was a ten mile per hour slow order in place for both tracks just south of Kenova between the interstate and "57" Crossover. So every NS train that showed up was just creeping by mostly. As the 185 is crossing over the bridge, an eastbound CSX grain train rolls under it.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2477.jpg&hash=52b48c5446ab707c0f79f5dc9ed49330aff7c99c)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2478.jpg&hash=c50aacbc11ace78456c0418a9c62367bb30fcab6)
Now considering that I am taking video and photos of two seperate mainlines. I might as well go ahead and post the links to the CSX trains that went by as well. Out of the four CSX trains that went by, all four were heading eastbound.
CSXT 561 on an eastbound empty coal train (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/CandOforever14455/100_2481.jpg).
CSXT 7762 on another eastbound coal train (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/CandOforever14455/100_2482.jpg).
CSXT 8127 on a third eastbound (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a189/CandOforever14455/100_2490.jpg).
The second NS train of the day was the M94 eastbound manifest of the previous day's train 194. This was the case since that day's 194 passed this train up somewhere around Portsmouth, Ohio.. This train had quite an interesting lashup with two former UP SD60s, a Dash 9, and an ES40DC.
HLCX SD60 #5956 leads the train into West Virginia as it proceeds timetable east on the Kenova District.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2483.jpg&hash=5eb03319bba8345a96a805c91f33db2d1e40a115)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2484.jpg&hash=a2fbbe3b63fd38e27de64ecc7a85428d7d11f9c5)
The third train that showed up on the Kenova District was the 234 bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. I have to keep in mind that I shot these photos ten days before the Heartland Corridor Project was to be completed. However I did goof up on the 234 though, I forgot to press record on the video camera. OOPS!!
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2485.jpg&hash=eabee6a9d59ae7651b89c1d7cce32fe44c9d866b)
About a half an hour later, the 233 showed up heading timetable west on Pokey Main #2. This train had an interesting lashup like the M94 did about an hour before. The lashup for this 233 was NS 7560, UP 7825, & NS 8802. It took this train almost six minutes to go by me due to the slow order.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2486.jpg&hash=c959ebc29f477e64d9f4fabb1a2488122dfa1383)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2487.jpg&hash=dad8d390b1a66b91c7eb60a80860de435ee7d638)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2488.jpg&hash=a7b562fa417ee55b7888bc4744c4dcabdfdb8023)
The last train to show up on the Kenova District was the 80K heading for Portsmouth, Ohio. I would say this train had the best lashup of the day on it. The lashup for the 80K was NS 7601, EMDX 9056, and EMDX 9037.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2491.jpg&hash=533284a43e5697d43803c540a3f3339643d16d84)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2492.jpg&hash=21f0da8e9f2237245a52beb40d55c3016ee56854)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2493.jpg&hash=b69a10a4e95c927314fb31d083caeadfbbef1b26)
The videos for that day. They will be best viewed in full screen. :)
A Day At Kenova. Part One (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL60IPseJzc).
A Day At Kenova. Part Two (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8U5kPWxWqU).
I made a return trip back down to Kenova on October 30 just to focus on what NS trains I could catch. This day wasn't like the previous time I was down there, it was dead as a doornail the entire day. Granted that NS did run the bulk of the traffic again like they did before. Out of the six trains that ran on the Kenova District, I caught five out of the six that ran.
The first train to show up was the 857 bound for Williamson, WV with the 9139 leading. This time I tried out a spot that I had been wanting to try out. That is how and when I got my photo and video of 857 coming across the bridge. The photo turned out really nice with the color of the leaves in downtown Kenova and on the Ohio side of the river really making train stand out.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2687.jpg&hash=aa1e0ce14a90b79003c8722c80bcf14b2f8259fb)
The 857 coming into West "By Gawd" Virginia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fc8gYe1kpI).
The second train to show up on the Kenova District was the J13 "a.k.a. Rocky Top" road switcher that came out of the yard. It sat on the bridge for a good five minutes before it shoved its one car back into the yard on the Wayne Branch of the Pokey. I did not have time to set up the video camera to get a video due to where I didn't hear him over the street traffic going by.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2689.jpg&hash=414415915aa00618390468542b744da5d71bd38f)
I did manage to get video of train 189 coming around the bend but the video
The second to last train of the day was one of the two that I was wanting to get on video. NS 233 being led by the 9638 proceeds west as it heads across the bridge over CSX and the Ohio River. This was the first of two doublestacks that I caught during the day.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2694.jpg&hash=32e47ed4c6a04c7c1eb9d8506e1f3c07a028a032)
NS 233 west at Kenova (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdsJ5yw3LQQ).
The last train of the day was the 218 bound for Greensboro (Charlotte) NC as it passed through the town of Coal Grove, Ohio as it heads eastbound. This was the lashup of the day by far with an ex-CONRAIL Spartan Cab SD70 leading the way. The lashup for this train was NS 2570, NS 8827, and NS 6734. The 2570 was built for NS as CONRAIL 2570 in September of 1998. The 6734 was built as CONRAIL 5605 in Feburary of 1995.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi11.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fa189%2FCandOforever14455%2F100_2700.jpg&hash=11068a01d20b518b294d245cea2aad0deb99d3d7)
NS train 218 at Coal Grove, Ohio (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYXYh9VwvpA)
The only train that I missed was the 186 which was in front of the 218.
Thanks for looking!!
Dennis S.
Sweet series Dennis. Thanks for sharing!
Actually, I'm hoping to get back down to Kenova District in a few weeks.
It has always had something interesting going on down there when I'm down that way.
I had actually stopped by there one day while on the way to my uncle's.
The 52Q is coming across the bridge with a former CONRAIL unit leading.
http://conraillives.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2318896 (http://conraillives.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2318896)
52Q With An "Approach Diverging" At Kenova (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdvN1Zje-_U)
Funny thing about this is about ten minutes after it passed, they radioed the dispatcher saying that their trailing unit was on fire. Sad that it was an SD60 that caught fire and not the GE. :(