Virginia Division odds & Ends

[E.M. Bell]

I finally went back through the stuff I shot in the Roanoke area over the past month or so, and finished up the "leftovers". The important stuff (Steam) had already been done, and I almost forgot about some of these you see below...when there is coal smoke in the air, its hard to remember anything else

As always, they bigger versions are at the link, if you see anything you want a closer look at.. http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/nsvadiv12

July 1st, after the 630 had went lame and we started for home, we took time to stop near Arthur VA to shoot a Eastbound coal train. I found out later from a couple of natives to the area that this was a somewhat rare move. It seems that most of the Eastbound coal loads run on the old Virginian side (the Whitehorn District), and the fact this train even had pushers on it made it ever more rare. The severe storms that had shut down the RR just 24 hours before had caused this train to be re-routed...leave it to me to luck into something you dont see every day!



Pushers on the same train, helping with braking as they dropped down the mountain to Roanoke.


NS 5609 sits at the "Test Shed" at Roanoke on 07/01/12


NS GP40-2 #3052, recently rebuilt as a slug mother and wearing fresh OLS paint near Salem VA. 06/30/12


And the slug..RP-E4C #716 (later in the day at Singer Va)


A pair of fine looking EMD Ace's lead a Westbound empty hopper train near Salem VA 07/07/12


The DPU on 23G follows the train down the mountain at Wabun VA on 07/07/12. Its always neat to see a train that runs right by your front door, so far away from home.