Signals And Stacks
Sometimes leaving out the locomotives can really accentuate another element of the scene which is what I tried to accomplish here. So for today's Freight Car Friday here's another take on NS train 11T (loaded double stacked trash containers from Greencastle, PA to Uniontown, AL) with motion blur of the well cars and stacks drawing the eye to the classic CPL signals.
A brief history for those who perhaps aren't familiar. Norfolk Southern's modern day Roanoke District mainline is a historic former Norfolk and Western Railway route that was the original pre merger N&W's outlet to northern markets via connections with the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Western Maryland. Formed in 1870 as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad with financial backing from the PRR the portion of the line from Shephardston to the Shenandoah River opened in 1879 followed by the extension north to Hagerstown in 1880 and south to Roanoke in 1882 marking completion of the 240 mile long route up the valley. Within a few years the company was bankrupt and after several years or legal and financial wrangling it became a part of the growing N&W system and has remained integral to it and its successor to this day.
Per Jeff Hawkins' wonderful site on all things Virginia railroading:
Due to the Pennsylvania Railroad's ownership stake in the N&W, the company began utilizing position light signals in the 1920's. The first position light signals were installed on the Shenandoah Division between Hagerstown and Shenandoah in February 1924. In December 1926 the remaining segment of the line to Roanoke was activated. In the early 1960's the N&W removed the center light and changed the lights around the outer perimeter to color bulbs, hence the term color position light signal.
The train is seen here hustling past the timetable location known as Pkin at MP H165.6 as they leave single track and diverge onto Main 1 for a stretch of double track extending 3.1 miles south to Vesuvius. While most of the CPLs south of here appeared to remain in service I'm not sure how many remain north to Shenandoah and beyond up the Hagerstown District...if any.
Rising beyond is the flank of 3640 ft. Cellar Mountain in the Northern Blue Ridge Mountains in the Saint Mary's Wilderness area of George Washington & Jefferson National Forest.
For a nice concise map of the Roanoke District I again reference Jeff Hawkins' resources:
www.railfanvirginia.com/NS Roanoke.htm
Near unincorporated Steeles Tavern
Augusta County, Virginia
Friday March 29, 2024
Signals And Stacks
Sometimes leaving out the locomotives can really accentuate another element of the scene which is what I tried to accomplish here. So for today's Freight Car Friday here's another take on NS train 11T (loaded double stacked trash containers from Greencastle, PA to Uniontown, AL) with motion blur of the well cars and stacks drawing the eye to the classic CPL signals.
A brief history for those who perhaps aren't familiar. Norfolk Southern's modern day Roanoke District mainline is a historic former Norfolk and Western Railway route that was the original pre merger N&W's outlet to northern markets via connections with the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Western Maryland. Formed in 1870 as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad with financial backing from the PRR the portion of the line from Shephardston to the Shenandoah River opened in 1879 followed by the extension north to Hagerstown in 1880 and south to Roanoke in 1882 marking completion of the 240 mile long route up the valley. Within a few years the company was bankrupt and after several years or legal and financial wrangling it became a part of the growing N&W system and has remained integral to it and its successor to this day.
Per Jeff Hawkins' wonderful site on all things Virginia railroading:
Due to the Pennsylvania Railroad's ownership stake in the N&W, the company began utilizing position light signals in the 1920's. The first position light signals were installed on the Shenandoah Division between Hagerstown and Shenandoah in February 1924. In December 1926 the remaining segment of the line to Roanoke was activated. In the early 1960's the N&W removed the center light and changed the lights around the outer perimeter to color bulbs, hence the term color position light signal.
The train is seen here hustling past the timetable location known as Pkin at MP H165.6 as they leave single track and diverge onto Main 1 for a stretch of double track extending 3.1 miles south to Vesuvius. While most of the CPLs south of here appeared to remain in service I'm not sure how many remain north to Shenandoah and beyond up the Hagerstown District...if any.
Rising beyond is the flank of 3640 ft. Cellar Mountain in the Northern Blue Ridge Mountains in the Saint Mary's Wilderness area of George Washington & Jefferson National Forest.
For a nice concise map of the Roanoke District I again reference Jeff Hawkins' resources:
www.railfanvirginia.com/NS Roanoke.htm
Near unincorporated Steeles Tavern
Augusta County, Virginia
Friday March 29, 2024