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By Vic Stone
Mid-week report from the Piedmont:
 
Mid-week report for 2nd week of April, 1996

** Special trains section **
1) American Orient Express is running southbound this Sunday,
April 14.  It leaves DC at 9 AM, due to arrive in C'ville at 11
AM or so.  The train then departs at about 4 PM for the run
south to New Orleands.
2) Circus train over the CSX Washington/Mountain Sub's on Tues,
April 16.  Crew change at C'ville about 1:30 PM.  The train is
running from DC to Charleston, WV.
3) Conrail executive train is out and running.  Will return
from Selkirk via the River Line on Fri to Oak Island and then
continue to Philadelphia, arriving about 5:45 PM.  It will then
deadhead back to Altoona that evening.

NS Report:
It appears the bridge project on the B-Line may already be
done.  155 has returned running to the ex-SR main so far this
week.  Extra sections, symbolled M55, are also running fairly
often.  The CP power on 341/342 may only last for a month or
so, as CP is rumored to have this reroute effective for a month
only after which they will re-evaluate the performance vs. the
Port Road/Amtrak route (i.e. don't take the now-regular CP
power on the Southern for granted!)  4610 was in Knoxville as
of last week (may still be there, working a local).

CSX Report:
Track improvement is now almost a certainty.  The siding at
Brand was occupied by about 50 ballast cars last Friday.  Brand
is a favorite siding for dispatchers to meet Amtrak and wb
empties.  H741 had an ex-Chessie HATX, ex-RF&P, a C40-8 stealth
and a Pumpkin GP40 as it headed west back to Clifton Forge last
week.  Westbound empties meeting Amtrak is now more the exception
than the rule.  The locals (from Doswell & Clifton Forge)
continue to meet Amtrak regularly.  Another work train, with a
crane is working on the east side of Afton.

Extra section:
NCDOT is taking delivery of their ex-Amtrak cars (more Horizon
Fleet).  Also, NCDOT has also purchased ex-C&NW executive cars
including power car F3B #490, the Oak Creek.  These should be
in storage at the State Fairgrounds.

- Vic Stone