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"Big New Santa Fe"---
That was the term my friend Steve Patterson came up with when BNSF was created as a result of merger between the AT&SF (Santa Fe) and Burlington Northern. On April 2, 2008, two bright orange BNSF units lead an NS empty unit train at Sunbright, Va. The two-lane highway used to be US 23 until the four-lane stretch across the "Devil's Racepath" was opened in the early 70s.
Extra 8152 North passes the Interstate's Fourth Mine Run at Appalachia, Va. on August 31, 1985. The Interstate crew was in the clear on the "new connection" until an eastbound Southern Yuma Turn passed. After that, the crew would follow the turn to the transloader with 60 "yellow ball" loads.
CSX 517 South was tied down for some reason at the south end of the yard at Dante, Va. on October 28, 2001. The sun was out, however, and it just made a "pretty picture."
Relief, N.C. in better days: A southbound coal train with ELFX loads is grinding upgrade on September 22, 1990. "Relief" got its name for being a short stretch of flat running between a point just north of MP 155 and just south of 156. That's Brummet's Creek bridge just ahead of the train.
Displaying green for a following section of train 864, new L&N SD40-2 3567 rolls northbound through Big Stone Gap, VA
The Interstate's Second Mine Run has taken the north leg of the wye at Kent Junction, Va., and is head for several mines on the Roaring Fork Branch. The date was October 13, 1985. The steel section houses on the left replaced an earlier large wooden structure constructed on the side of an embankment below the Christian Church at Appalachia.
This slide was not labeled (must have been an extra that was separated from the collection), and the stamped month and date aren't quite legible--except for "December." This is the former L&N station at Jackson, Ky., on the EK Sub, and that strange machine on the main is a Loram rail-grinder. The two units clear of the passing track on the south side of the old depot were assigned to the Elkatawa Hill pusher job. It appears the depot was being razed at the time, That pile of rubble in the left foreground was all that was left of the wooden freight station.
CSX 8222 North--the "Yeller Dog"--crosses Copper Creek Viaduct on November 19, 1999. The jumbo chip cars are destined for loading at Moss, on the Fremont Branch.
The only practical way to reach this photo spot is to climb to the top of south bridge abutment and walk across the bridge to the other side. Even though there's a walkway, I would caution anyone not to do it. In this case (and a few others), I had contacted the yard office in Kingsport to get a line-up (from the dispatcher) to make sure I had more than enough time to get there without getting caught on the bridge by a train. In this case I had more than 30 minutes to walk across before the "dog" got there and then waited to get two more northbounds. After they passed, I knew nothing would be there for at least an hour--so I hustled back to the other side and climbed down. Again, this isn't recommended, particularly because "inside connections" and knowing where the trains are good to have, but without an official photo release and permission, it's taboo.