CSX Nicelytown, VA
“E207-04 to Yard Master, Clifton. I’m coming to ya off the Mountain.” CSX trains contact the Yardmaster at Clifton Forge, Virginia well before they enter his yard limit in order to receive instructions. On this day, westward empty company hopper train E207-04 made that radio call and met the morning sun crossing the Cowpasture River near Nicelytown, Virginia. New spring leaves and the Eastern Redbud dot the landscape. Most westward empty coal trains traverse the former Chesapeake and Ohio Mountain Subdivision to avoid the gently descending parallel James River Subdivision used by every eastward loaded train.
The Mountain Subdivision of the former C&O from Charlottesville crosses the Blue Ridge, the Shenandoah Valley, and the highest elevation on the C&O at North Mountain to reach Clifton Forge. After passenger and merchandise traffic on the Mountain Sub declined and only westbound coal and grain empties remained, CSX sought to sell off the route. In 2004, the right of way and infrastructure was sold to the Commonwealth of Virginia and Buckingham Branch Railroad became the exclusive freight operator. In addition to the three-times-a-week Amtrak Cardinal from Washington DC to Chicago, CSX retains overhead trackage rights and runs several empty coal and grain trains each day.
Currently CSX returns 220 empty hoppers west from Newport News with a four locomotive consist. E207-04 will be broken into two 110 car trains, each with a two locomotive consist, at Peach Creek, West Virginia for loading. Loaded eastbound coal trains are combined near the mine or in Hinton, West Virginia and are operated in a 2 X 2 consist using Distributed Power over the eastern continental divide via the Alleghany, James River, and Peninsula Subdivisions to Newport News for export ocean shipment.
CSX Nicelytown, VA
“E207-04 to Yard Master, Clifton. I’m coming to ya off the Mountain.” CSX trains contact the Yardmaster at Clifton Forge, Virginia well before they enter his yard limit in order to receive instructions. On this day, westward empty company hopper train E207-04 made that radio call and met the morning sun crossing the Cowpasture River near Nicelytown, Virginia. New spring leaves and the Eastern Redbud dot the landscape. Most westward empty coal trains traverse the former Chesapeake and Ohio Mountain Subdivision to avoid the gently descending parallel James River Subdivision used by every eastward loaded train.
The Mountain Subdivision of the former C&O from Charlottesville crosses the Blue Ridge, the Shenandoah Valley, and the highest elevation on the C&O at North Mountain to reach Clifton Forge. After passenger and merchandise traffic on the Mountain Sub declined and only westbound coal and grain empties remained, CSX sought to sell off the route. In 2004, the right of way and infrastructure was sold to the Commonwealth of Virginia and Buckingham Branch Railroad became the exclusive freight operator. In addition to the three-times-a-week Amtrak Cardinal from Washington DC to Chicago, CSX retains overhead trackage rights and runs several empty coal and grain trains each day.
Currently CSX returns 220 empty hoppers west from Newport News with a four locomotive consist. E207-04 will be broken into two 110 car trains, each with a two locomotive consist, at Peach Creek, West Virginia for loading. Loaded eastbound coal trains are combined near the mine or in Hinton, West Virginia and are operated in a 2 X 2 consist using Distributed Power over the eastern continental divide via the Alleghany, James River, and Peninsula Subdivisions to Newport News for export ocean shipment.