BEEM - Carter-Roag Coal Company ALCo S-4 number 115, Alexander, West Virginia_
Beech Mountain RR has one mission - deliver to market some of the best metallurgical coal the earth has to offer. This highly sought after coal is rich in carbon, but contains low levels of sulfur and other impurities. At best they operate trains four or five times each month on their 8-mile long route. Needless to say getting a move on one's day off is quite a catch.
BEEM loads 80-car trains, taking the empties up in three 25 to 30 car cuts and returning with loads in as many trips - this results in two light engine trips, one after delivering the first cut of empties to the mine and one to retrieve the last cut of loads. Two ALCo switchers are used, the one pictured here, and another that stays at the mine loading cars. A pair of two-man crews work the trains, they are mining company employees that do other tasks when trains are not running.
Here the "road crew" is shoving the second cut of loads past their engine house toward the Appalachian & Ohio RR interchange. The A&O leases all of the former B&O coal lines in the area and they deliver the trains to the CSX at Grafton, WV, where most of them are taken to Baltimore for transloading into ships for export.
There is very good article on the line in the Sept 2012 Trains Magazine.
BEEM - Carter-Roag Coal Company ALCo S-4 number 115, Alexander, West Virginia_
Beech Mountain RR has one mission - deliver to market some of the best metallurgical coal the earth has to offer. This highly sought after coal is rich in carbon, but contains low levels of sulfur and other impurities. At best they operate trains four or five times each month on their 8-mile long route. Needless to say getting a move on one's day off is quite a catch.
BEEM loads 80-car trains, taking the empties up in three 25 to 30 car cuts and returning with loads in as many trips - this results in two light engine trips, one after delivering the first cut of empties to the mine and one to retrieve the last cut of loads. Two ALCo switchers are used, the one pictured here, and another that stays at the mine loading cars. A pair of two-man crews work the trains, they are mining company employees that do other tasks when trains are not running.
Here the "road crew" is shoving the second cut of loads past their engine house toward the Appalachian & Ohio RR interchange. The A&O leases all of the former B&O coal lines in the area and they deliver the trains to the CSX at Grafton, WV, where most of them are taken to Baltimore for transloading into ships for export.
There is very good article on the line in the Sept 2012 Trains Magazine.