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Resplendent in fresh paint, Aberdeen & Rockfish 300 is seen here on 30 October 2000 leaving the interchange with CSX and NS at Fayetteville, NC with three cars. 300 is a GP18 that the Rockfish bought new. Her rostermates, GP& 205 and GP38 400, were also purchased new by the A&R. 205 was repainted last year; 400 should get the treatment later in 2001 although she's going to need a lot of work. Her normal domain is a chemical plant in Fayetteville that's notorious for its corrosive atmosphere. |
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Another North Carolina shortline but a mere youngster compared to the 100+ year history of the A&R is the North Carolina & Virginia, a Railtex line. The NCVA runs in southeast Virginia and northeast North Carolina, from an interchange with CSX at Boykins (on the old SAL line to Norfolk) almost due south to Kelford, NC. There, it makes a hard turn and heads northeast toward Ahoskie, NC and to a Nucor steel plant at Tunis, NC. On 9 December 2000 we found GP38 #3801 and friend wheel a train with scrap empties and loads of steel plate toward Boykins. |
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As long as we're looking at shortlines, consider the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western. It runs all of the remaining old (grey) Norfolk Southern west of Gulf, NC. It runs with a mix of its own power and lease units...these are the latter, being ex Canadian National GP40-2Ls from Taylor Leasing. On 18 December 2000 I found them working the big Perdue grain facility at Candor NC. The scene does look like it could be in the middle of Manitoba...the woodchip cars kind of ruin that illusion. |
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Now for some bigger stuff - I ran across CSX AC4400 #420 on the old Charleston & Western Carolina (later Atlantic Coast Line) route at Lanford SC, between Spartanburg and Laurens, SC. This is a unit coal train off the old Clinchfield which connects to the C&WC thru a 600 foot tunnel in Spartanburg. One doesn't typically associate stiff grades and helper service with the southeast, but the C&WC line here is fairly tough - this train had another AC4400 shoving on the rear. |
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Barely out of South Carolina, here's NS 9636 swinging intermodal Train 204 thru the ess curves at Grover, NC on the old Southern main line on 7 March 2001. If you're concerned about getting good sun angles on your photos this stretch of the Southern is tough to beat as it wanders higgledy-piggledy across upstate SC and on into NC toward Gastonia. |
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Can you tell we're near the Interstate? On 11 March 2001 South Carolina Central 8383 heads a good 80 cars away from the CSX interchange at Florence SC. Part of the train will be set out in Darlington SC, part of it at Floyd SC, and some trash cars go all the way to Bishopville SC. That trio of pure EMD 567 engines sounded so sweet. |
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Let's head to the midwest for a bit. While spending a weekend in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa during a company meeting, I had some free time to railfan. I went over to Waterloo and blundered into this train on the old Rock Island trackage now operated by the Iowa Northern. At the IANR shops I found a pair of GP20Es in the dead line - it appeared that a half dozen ex CSX LLPX GP38s were now providing the motive power. Great...I go out to Iowa and find CSX stuff...still neat though. |
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The Illinois Central has a fair sized yard in Waterloo. I paid a visit to the yardmaster and asked what was up...he told me it was a slow day save for a couple of locals. He was kind enogh to call his dispatcher and find out where they were, allowing me to get set up for the eastbound train and to chase him west back to Cedar Falls. I shot this photo of SD70 1036 right at the foot of Main Street where the track makes a big turn and crosses over the Cedar River. Big power for a local...both these Iowa photos were shot with a 42 year old Kodak Retina IIIC. |
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OK, back east now...on 6 November 2000 I went out at lunchtime to get a shot of The Carolinian. I set up in one of my favorite spots...when the train came into view I was puzzled by the blue on the front. I realized that I had gotten very lucky and caught one of the two NCDOT F59PHIs on the train, a very rare occurence. I learned later it was being ferried to Richmond VA for a conference of some type. No matter - I nabbed a shot of an NCDOT engine in broad daylight in Cary. Can't beat that. |
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Normal duty for the F59s is on the two Piedmont trains, which leave Raleigh early and return late...westbound in the morning and eastbound in the evening, meaning out of the sun. In this part of the state the best one can do is something like this shot at Cary in March of 2001. |
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Another rare catch was Amtrak #90, the Silver Star, in daylight here. Running a good six hours late two days after Christmas 2000 I shot the train departing the station (pointed roof barely visible in background at end of train) in Raleigh. |
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I do like shooting trains on the big bridge at Weldon, NC. But who's railroad is this, what with a Conrail, three Union Pacific and a single CSX motor? Of course it's CSX Train K277 heading south. The grey container cars on the point are garbage containers heading for interchange with the South Carolina Central at Florence SC. |
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Gotta love the jungle telegraph that is the Internet. Without it, I'd never have known that the CSX business train would be in Rocky mount on 14 March 2001 on a Operation Lifesaver tour. Even better was when I found that CSX was kind enough to park the train where it could actually be photographed! |
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Sticking with the A Line we find Train Q470 at North Selma, NC. Q470 is a Hamlet NC to Rocky Mt NC train. This 23 December 2000 was crisp and crystal clear In this photo Q470 is actually stopped due to a broken coupler and to get this shot I had to hike back from a grade crossing to the head end. |
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12 May 2001. All rights reserved - you copy deese pictures without our permission, we gets you.
