62k
The old CW station and headquarters building. On the left side of the building, part of the word 'railway' is visible (...lway). In the fenced in area are two tracks that occationally store covered hoppers. Just out of the picture and to the left is the main line, and across the tracks is Casco Ice, who gets an occational refeer car of ice.
22k
Another angle on the CW station. Sorry about the Sun. The street on the right of the station is Chesapeake Ave, named for the railroad. In the background on the left, a UP refeer is at Casco Ice.
44k
Rocco's grain elevator. This building is over 220 feet tall and gets rail service at least once a day, 40 cars at a time. This is probably the tallest building in Harrisonburg.
30k
An important safety reminder and legal warning. Taken near the Rocco plant.
51k
One of the local trains has just finished switching Rocco and is heading back to the yard/station. The man on front is the switchman; he must flag Harrisonburg's numerous crossings (there are no electricly protected crossings in the downtown area and trains are prohibitted from using their horns except in emergency).
UPDATE ON THE CROSSING SITUATION: The railroad has finally said enough is enough, or to put it in an Engineers words "The FRA says to blow the whistle, I'm gonna blow it". Numerous electric crossings (some with gates, some without but all with lights and bells) have been installed durring 1999 and early 2000. Sight lines have also been improved in places by cutting back brush where it can be done.
Most major crossings in the city are now protected. (There is still a significant number that are not). Flagmen are still used, but now have an easier time.
A caboose has also been assigned to the area, used as a platform for the flagman so he can watch crossings durring long shoving moves. The caboose is almost always used when trains run out to Plesant Valley, and the locomotive will sometimes end up in the middle of the train on the return trip.
32k
All the locals have been combined into one train (#630 I believe) and are preparing to leave Harrisonburg. The train is heading toward Elkton. The track that runs to the right side of the picture runs North, into downtown Harrisonburg and on to Mt. Jackson. That line also runs south to interchange with the Shenandoah Valley RR a few mile away (also down this way is Plesant Valley, the auto auction (receives used cars by rail), and more poultry related industries). The track the train is coming from runs almost to Dayton.
(Yes, this is an unprotected diamond! Pretty rare, I'd say.)
The white building on the left has a track running ON it's roof. I haven't ever seen cars on the track, but the building belongs to Rockingham Co-op.
18k
Another local is returning from serving the Tyson feed mill on the north end of Harrisonburg. Like the Rocco mill, the Tyson mill receives large numbers of cars at one time. (Running long hood forward).
29k
The local works a siding under the Cantrell Street Bridge. The cars on the right are parked on the main. The road on the left is Chesapeake Ave. NS's office in Harrisonburg is just on the other side of the bridge, between the main and the siding.
36k
One of the locals has just set off to work Harrisonburg one snowy day in Jan 1998. It is passing between Rockingham Co-op and JMU's facilities building. Just north of this train is the Cantrell St. Brige, barely visible. Behind the locomotives about 100 yards is the Y tracks where trains come into Harrisonburg from the NS main in Elkton.
59k
Two locomotives hang out at the Y tracks in Harrisonburg. The left most track, it runs up hill, is the track on the roof of one of Rockingham Co-op's buildings.
