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E207 is passenging the Buckingham Branch station at Goshen and the crew has a straight shot to the fuel pad at Clifton Forge. It was a pretty good afternoon
In the golden hour on a stormy evening, CSX E207 clears HN Tower at Doswell, Virginia and heads west on the Buckingham Branch with empty coal hoppers for Clifton Forge and points beyond. This spot, where the old C&O crosses the RF&P, is still a busy place for the railroad. 207 held for 3 Amtraks and a southbound loaded train before proceeding west across the diamond. The vintage tower still stands as a relic of the past, and a contrast to the modern railroad.
Ahhh the Saw by… a strategy for meeting trains that was east with cabeese or extensively staffed passenger trains. Today the little blinking box can’t protect a shove so the strategy is rare. Then comes along the N&W 611 and its inability to go through the turnout at the east end of the North Mountain siding. CSX E207 is one of a couple CSX trains that runs over the Buckingham Branch’s ex C&O line that goes between Richmond and Clifton Forge. This line was a more gradient heavy and longer route that went via multiple larger towns. C&O’s main route followed the James River to the south. It was used primarily as a passenger route, but in a post 71 Amtrak world, passenger routes are rare. The passing sidings are all horribly short for this reason even for the standards of prePSR. Buckingham Branch took the line over a few years ago to handle local traffic while CSX uses it to send west bound empties and grain. No EB CSX trains run this route. Amtrak also runs the Cardinal 3 times a week. E207 came up on the line up early Sunday morning, so we headed east to intercept. Something was odd though, they were crawling. Empty buckets and 4 units shouldn’t have been that much of a problem, until the train came into view at the Little Rock Tunnel with a Smokey leader. The engineer opened his window and called out “The Turbo went!” Welp… 611 then dialed up the dispatcher and the meet was set at North Mountain. The BB dispatchers really proved how good they are at lining up these meets as the moment we heard the E207 blowing for a distant crossing at the west end switch, 611 came around the corner. The two trains had a rolling meet and as soon as the tail of the excursion came into the siding they stopped. E207 cleared up, 611 backed out with help from the diesels on the rear, and they continued east. This is a train meet no railfan, foamer, or casual spectator could have imagined seeing in the modern day, but it happened, and it was one of the coolest things I’ve seen.
To complement a previous photo of the train meet, here’s the predecessor image. CSX E207 entered the Buckingham Branch in Richmond early Sunday morning. Our goal was to intercept them and chase them back towards 611. We got to the tunnel for this train that should be 20 minutes out. So we waited, and waited… and then waited. We heard them rumbling and grumbling for miles and after over an hour the headlight shined on the rail heads. The train came grumbling by at under 10 miles per hour with the leader spitting and spatting smoke. Then the window flies open, uh oh… “THE TURBO WENT!” Came from it. Well that explains that. They slowly passed until the leader got into the Blue Ridge Tunnel and they started down grade. The BB dispatcher then got on the radio and told the 611 excursion they had the railroad to north mountain where the meet would be set…
Four big GEs tug 200 empty coal cars through the reverse curves at Afton on the Buckingham Branch RR. This is the old C&O grade over the Blue Ridge.
The last of this year's Fall colors clings to the trees on the east slopes of the Blue Ridge. Just 6 or seven miles to the west, the western flank of these same mountains are virtually bare of leaves.
Last weekend found me just south of Richmond at the Keystone Truck and Tractor Museum. After a great afternoon spent there, I headed into Richmond to enjoy an amazing late lunch at ZZQ. As I was wrapping up my meal, E207 got a track warrant out of AM Junction, and as luck would have it, Doswell is actually on my way home. After the evening Amtrak parade, E207 toned up the BD Desk and got the signal at West Doswell to proceed across the diamond. Standing behind them is HN Cabin, the tower original to the RF&P and C&O, which are the heritage roads of these two CSX lines that intersect at this diamond. In beautiful golden hour lighting, CSX 3130 with an extremely friendly crew took their empty hoppers across the diamond, heading back to the coal fields of West Virginia.
With only about 25km to Regua, E207 is near Vila Real with the 4.38pm Chaves - Regua "Directo". 16 September 1974.
92-0364 (cn 1249/E207) McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Bwlch Exit, Mach Loop, LFA7, Wales _30A4919
Metre gauge Mallet 2-4-6-0T No. E207 on the 07.05 mixed from Regua to Chaves which I think is arriving at Abambres. 16 September 1974.
Mallet 2-4-6-0T No. E207 nearing Tourencinho on the 4.38pm Chaves - Regua "Directo" passenger train. 16 September 1974.
Mallet 2-4-6-0T No. E207 returned to Regua on the 16.38 Chaves - Regua "Directo" which is near Vila Pouca de Aguiar on 16 September 1974.
30th January 2009. Metre gauge 2-4-6-0T built by Henschel for the Caminhos de Ferro do Estado Minho e Douro in 1922, works no. 19870, plinthed outside Guifões Works.
Thunder Only Happens When It's Raining: Steve Nicks said it best, and on Saturday afternoon, I was given a reminder how prescient the lyrics of "Dreams" truly are. As I wrapped up a delicious late lunch of brisket at ZZQ in Richmond, I saw that E207-11 was getting a warrant for the Buckingham Branch. Knowing that the late evening light at Doswell would be spectacular, I quickly wrapped up and hustled up there. It wasn't long before 207 toned up the control center, made their way across the diamond, and began the trek west. I was so wrapped up in the chase and getting ahead of the train, I failed to notice the various weather warnings, and the supercell thunderstorms coming towards me. As I stood in Beaverdam, I realized someone shut my sun off, and the low rumbles of thunder were becoming NUMEROUS. I was grateful when the headlights of E207 rounded the curve in this beautifully pastoral scene in rural Beaverdam, Virginia. I quickly retreated to my car, and not soon after, heavy rains moved in sucking the last rays of sun out of the sky. Fine by me, I got what I came for, and made it home in time for a cold beer.
The NYC unit heads up a four-unit GE consist on a 200 plus car empty coal train over the Buckingham Branch RR to Clifton Forge. Thank you, Jack & Zach, for the heads up!