View allAll Photos Tagged AC44C6M
Norfolk Southern job U55 crosses Knox Creek with loads from Consol as they briefly dip into Kentucky from Virginia before hitting the Pokey Mainline and go to Williamson, WV.
On the first full day of Fall, dirty NS blue bonnet AC44C6M 4001 is seen heading eastbound with I34 as it traverses the western end of the Christiansburg District in Oakvale. WV
Storm clouds gather in the distance as NS 279 rumbles west along the straight stretch in Elliston with an AC44C6M leader.
4-1-2023
Bring on the snow this year. I hear this year is supposed to be more snowy than normal, if so I'm ok with that. Here loaded export coal train NS 820 powers through Hardy, WV in a fresh snow from the night before.
1-7-2022
NS AC44C6M 4001 leads coke train 420 west through Emsworth. This is the first time an AC44C6M has been through Emsworth.
The midday gloom and fog enveloping Virginia's Shenandoah Valley is pierced by the distinctive aspects of Norfolk and Western color position light signals, a collection of dots colorized, positioned--horizontally, diagonally, vertically--each unique hue and orientation displaying a different message to the engineer, the N&W's near century-enduring solution of conveying movement authority and track occupancy. Advancements in signaling technology and PTC have pushed the CPL to near extinction on former Norfolk and Western territories over the start of the 21st Century, but on the Roanoke District to Hagerstown, MD--punching right up the gut of the Shenandoah Valley--the CPLs still guard for the safe passage of trains, just as they did for the K2a on Train No. 1 or the Y6 on a time freight in their heyday. Deep into 2020, nearly 100 years since the design was conceived, they have a route displayed for northbound manifest 12Z to dive through the equilateral turnout onto single track at Pkin--seemingly missing a vowel or two--after lining up a meet with a coal drag on the three miles of double main between here and Vesuvius.
With darkness setting in, Norfolk Southern empty coal train U89 emerges from Tunnel No. 3 on the Guyandot River Branch and rolls through Cub Creek Junction in Big Branch, West Virginia. This train is bound for the Alpha Metallurgical Contura-Kepler Prep Plant for loading.
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NS Guyandot River Branch
Big Branch, WV
NS U89 (Coal Empties; Gilbert, WV to Contura- Kepler Plant - Wyoming, WV)
NS 1095 SD70ACe Blt. 2013
NS 4267 AC44C6M Ex. NS 8998 C44-9W, NS 8998 C40-9W Blt. 1996
In the last few minutes of light on a sunny March evening, empty Norfolk Southern coal train 591 emerges from the Port Perry tunnel and crosses the bridge over the Monongahela River as a westbound CSX loaded coal train dodges shadows underneath. It was quite the treat to get an over under here, and even more of a treat for both trains to be coal trains in 2023.
After the RPM meet in Youngwood ended for the evening, a friend and I decided to head up to Greensburg to do some railfanning before heading back towards the city. As soon as we pulled up, this 591 was there. We decided that this would be a good train to chase, and we beat them to CP-Wing where they stopped momentarily to let a westbound out of Pitcairn. After reaching the "overlook" here at Port Perry, it was only a matter of minutes until a headlight came out of the tunnel. While I was lining up the shot, I saw movement in the bottom right corner of the viewfinder, and I could hardly believe our luck.
With four units on the head end, Norfolk Southern loaded coal train 80E heads west on the Guyandot River Branch and passes the Virginian searchlight signals guarding the control point at Lincoln, West Virginia. This control point is located deep within one of the rock cuts blasted through the mountains when this section of the line was relocated for the construction of the R. D. Bailey dam project in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
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NS Guyandot River Branch
Lincoln, WV
NS 80E (Coal Loads; Elmore Yard - Mullens, WV to Lamberts Point - Norfolk, VA)
NS 4267 AC44C6M Ex. NS 8998 C44-9W, NS 8998 C40-9W Blt. 1996
NS 1173 SD70ACe Blt. 2014
NS 4724 AC44C6M Ex. NS 9509 C44-9W, NS 9509 C40-9W Blt. 2000
NS 4599 AC44C6M Ex, NS 9338 C44-9W, NS 9338 C40-9W Blt. 1999
It's Autumn in the Shenandoah Valley as Norfolk Southern's 12Z rumbles North into Arcadia, Virginia. In about 25 miles, 12Z will grab the siding in Buena Vista for a meet with Southbound 15T.
Not much to say about this one, it's Norfolk Southern's Lackawanna heritage leading a train at one of the most iconic spots of the former Lackawanna, in perfect sun. NS 1074 is leading the daily Binghamton to Enola southbound over Tunkhannock Viaduct, with a fresh AC44C6M rebuild trailing, and good sized train in tow.
Loaded coal drag 592 emerges from the darkness that is the tunnel on Enola Yard's G Track with an AC44C6M leader.
NS 230 rushes into Atlanta, Georgia, via "The Killing Game" Trench with NS AC44C6M 4000 leading on May 17, 2020.
While I've shot here at Sampson's before getting one here in the morning in decent light has been elusive but no more. It was a good morning for CPL's
NS AC44C6M 4233 is seen leading westbound 11K through the town of Fleetwood, PA and past the former Fleetwood autobody plant on former Reading trackage.
With the shadows getting longer and entering the golden hour 51X and empty grain train is in the S curves East of Ada on a fine West Virginia spring day.
AC44C6M 4327 finds a small pocket of late evening mounting sun as it pulls eastbound manifest NS 392 through Narrows, Va.
9-12-2021
NS #179 rolls south out of tunnel 22 and across the Emory River at Nemo, TN during a welcome January snowstorm.
A trio of black and whites pull intermodal NS 29G west through a snowy Eckman, WV on the Pocahontas district.
1-7-2022
With it being the first day of September, it's making me want fall to be here now. I'm ready for some cool, crisp mornings and some fall colors. Here NS 65W slowly makes its way into Bluefield yard with a clean AC44C6M rebuild on point surrounded by some decent colors on a cool and overcast October morning last year.
10-16-2020
NS 148, with a brand new AC44C6M leading, crosses the Cumberland River Bridge in Burnside as it heads north toward the Queen City
Spring comes late to the Wisconsin northwoods. Here near Courderay, the lime green emergent foliage makes a nice backdrop for this northbound CN train led by freshly rebuilt AC44C6M 3318 along Beverly Lake. The lead unit began life as CN C44-9W 2609, and was rebuilt by Wabtec in Fort Worth early in 2023.
By the way, the ticks were out in force. We found about a half-dozen on each of us!
Fall colors are still making a decent showing as NS AC44C6M 4380 is about to duck into Huger Tunnel with eastbound with 81N on the Pocahontas District.
A pair of 4300 AC44C6M rebuilds are backing up a coal train to finish loading at Dan’s Branch Mine in Eckman, WV just off of the Pokey main.
2-4-2023
A pair of GE's lead a loaded Norfolk Southern coal train as it crosses the bridge over the Ohio River into Kenova, West Virginia. Running with a J13 crew, this train from Portsmouth Yard will take the connection to the Wayne Branch at the south end of the bridge to then get on the Kenova Runner and loop around to interchange the train to the Kanawha River Terminal Railroad on the tracks underneath the bridge here.
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NS Kenova District
Kenova, WV
NS J13 (Coal Loads; Portsmouth, OH to KRT - Ceredo, WV)
NS 4028 AC44C6M Ex. NS 8884 C40-9 Blt. 1995
NS 8050 ES44AC Blt. 2011
NS 20E (I refuse to refer to the silly ass new symbol) runs east on Conrail's P&H Branch along Route 1-9 in Newark, NJ. An NS AC44C6M leads UP and BNSF power under the former PRR catenary structures that used to host GG1s and E44s.
CN 3324 and a gevo bringing an Eastbound Potash train through the Swan Landing on the busy Edson Sub.
Daylight is almost gone as an empty hopper train rushes out of Montgomery tunnel on track two.
6-27-2021
202 crosses the South Fork Holston River at Bluff City with one of the special painted AC44C6M rebuilds leading.
NS Manifest 167 rolls across the diamonds with Alton & Southern at A&S Junction on a gloomy Summer morning. The CNJ SD70ACe is in charge of the Eastbound train with NS 5174 dead in tow and an NS AC44C6M pushing on the rear.
It's a quiet night in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania until the arrival of Norfolk Southern 4946 that breaks the silence as it rolls down the street running trackage on Main Street. This is train N23, a mine run returning to the yard at Shire Oaks after loading at the Consol Energy Bailey Mine.
====Info====
NS Mon Line
West Brownsville, PA
NS N23 (Coal Loads; Bailey Mine, PA to Shire Oaks, PA)
NS 4946 AC44C6M Ex. NS 9748 C44-9W, NS 9748 C40-9W Blt. 2003
NS 9858 C44-9W Ex. NS 9858 C40-9W Blt. 2004
A clean AC44C6M is seen leading a westbound stack train through Duncannon on the eastern end of the Pittsburgh Line.
Brand new AC rebuilds are put to the test right out of the gate on the the steep grades of Norfolk Southern’s Fort Wayne Line. Framed under the classic Pennsy signals at CP Mohican, NS locomotives 4285, 4283, and DC counterpart 9899 have loaded coal train No. 578 well in hand as they begin the final uphill climb on their rollercoaster ride across eastern Ohio, which will top out at milepost 172 just east of Mansfield.
CP Mohican gets its name from the Black Fork of the Mohican River, which flows under the mainline just east of the plant. This location, like many others on the Fort Wayne Line was once home to a manned interlocking tower, which lasted into the Conrail era. The tower operator controlled the crossover switches here when the line was double tracked, as well as a westward extending siding, and the helper pocket on the east side of the plant. This helper pocket was where helper locomotives would await the call to shove heavy trains up Wooster Hill to the east, but was long ago known as the Walhonding Branch, and ran all the way to Coshocton to connect with the Pennsy’s Panhandle Route. Interestingly enough, a dwarf signal still protects movement from the helper pocket/branch onto the main, eerily awaiting any movement from Coshocton, which will of course never come.
36A squeals through Safe Harbor under the looming disused Alton & Susquehanna trestle.
NS 36A with NS 4291 (AC44C6M), NS 9764 (D9-44CW)
Norfolk Southern Port Road Branch
Safe Harbor, Pennsylvania
With a fresh crew onboard, relatively clean AC44C6M 4343 heads out of Bluefield yard with westbound 65W. The train will head over the Pocahontas district and continue on towards Chicago.
Westbound hopper train NS 815 rumbles by a field in Elliston, Va with the recently rebuilt, again, AC44C6M 4001 on point.
Morning sun shines down on AC44C6M 4008 as it leads manifest NS 14Z east downgrade through Shawsville. Some good fall colors remain in this curve near Friendship Road.
10-27-2022
Night fall has made its way to Bluefield and a crew change is under way on hopper train NS 815. This is actually two trains in one. The mid train DPU's will become the leaders of another hopper train with another symbol while 4000 will take 815 down the Clinch Valley district. The nose of the Nickel Plate heritage unit can also been seen sitting at the fuel rack as it was in pusher service for the pokey when this photo was taken.
6-26-2021
The final colors of fall are in full display as Norfolk Southern loaded coal train 798 with a pair of rebuilt GE AC44C6M's for power crosses over the Elijah Creek just east of Prichard, WV. While the Kenova district doesn't have the appeal of classic signals like the CSX Big Sandy Sub across the river, the volume of trains and mutiple tunnels on the line make up for it.
The new Tennessee, Alabama & Jawja heritage unit, NS #4851, leads Atlanta bound train 29A over Braswell Mountain in northwest Georgia.
NS 1131 and 4552 serve as rare headend power for this BNSF coal train (C-ATMCRD0 49D) heading southbound bound for the Coronado Plant in St Johns, AZ as they pass through Colorado Springs during morning golden hour.
As the sun gets higher, NS 1131 leads BNSF’s Antelope Mine to Coronado Plant coal train rolling past Fountain, CO at track speed.
NS AC44C6M 4312 catches an opening in the shadows as it leads a loaded coal train south on the Kenova District, passing under the color light signals at milepost 28 south of Saltpetre, West Virginia. The tree covered hillsides of the Tug Fork river valley rise high above the tracks and Route 52, still holding on to some late fall colors.
====Info====
NS Kenova District
Saltpetre, WV
Unknown Symbol (Coal Loads;)
NS 4312 AC44C6M Ex. NS 9135 C44-9W, NS 9135 C40-9W Blt. 1998
NS 7533 ES40DC Blt. 2005
(DPU) NS 1046 SD70ACe Blt. 2011
Shortly after the preceding picture, 121 got their warrant west out of Jackman to Boundary, and is seen crossing the Pat McKinney bridge heading towards Canada. Canadian Pacific's Hapag-Lloyd unit, the 8781, is leading a CN AC44C6M as they curve around Wood Pond, with the town of Jackman barely visible on the other side in the distance.