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Northbound, this train passes the Interlock arround mid-day. The northbound Amtrak arrives at Tuscaloosa arround 12:30pm daily. (Isn't Northbound even and southbound odd?--I think this is Amtrak 20, but it could be number 20).
This train departs daily from New Orleans and heads to Washington DC (then changes names and goes to NYC). The Amtrak through Tuscaloosa is named "The Cresent"--in honor of the great Southern Cresent (though at no time does it ever actually journey over the former Southern Cresent's route).

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The southbound is just arriving at the Tuscaloosa Amtrak station on a beautiful day. It's scheduled arrival time is 2:00pm. It runs to New Orleans from Washington, DC (and NYC before that--but it changes names in DC (but is physically the same train)).
The Tuscaloosa Amtrak station doubles at NS freight office and crew room. Of historical note, the station was arround in the segragated days of the south--one of the waiting rooms is still a waiting room, the other is currently an NS office. I am not sure which side was "white" and which was "colored" (if you know, write).
In the background, on the right, is the NS yard.

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Southbound, just south of the interlock and just north of Tamko Roofing Products. The near track is a two mile long siding; freights often must wait for the Amtrak to pass on this siding. Even if the Amtrak is running late, the Birmingham dispatcher often does a good job of keeping the Amtrak moving.
Two locomotives is the norm, followed by one or two bagage/mail cars, two to four coaches (usually three or four), a dinette/lounge, a diner car, and two or three sleepers (sometimes four sleepers).

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These Marlins caught my eye one day... they read "Hialeah, Fl". Amtrak has some shops at Hialeah, these cars were serviced there (the Marlins appear on about half the cars through Tuscaloosa).

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The Northbound Cresent passes Sperry Rail Service car 118 on the siding at Bryant (10th Ave crossing/block signal). The SRS car was inspecting track for NS that day. For more shots of SRS 118, see the Nolfolk Southern pages.

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Sorority girls, while 99 times out of 100 are very attractive (ok, beautiful), are not known for their intelligence or observational skills. Note that if the train had been on the siding and not the main line, she would be dead.
This photo was taken at what NS calls 'Bryant'--the 10th Ave NS crossing.