Trip to Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina - 8

Hi, This was the best day of the trip and as a result it is the longest post.

The day was devoted to the Blue Ridge Southern.

Just after 8:00 AM the Waynesville Turn was switching the west end of the Canton, NC yard. It is shown here crossing the Pigeon River with the Evergreen Packaging plant in the background.

All of the power we saw was painted in this, the WATCO corporate scheme. This photo was taken off Waitsel Road on the east side of Clyde.

Continuing west we photographed the train on the west side of Clyde.

Entering Waynesville the train passed the Evergreen Packaging plant. It would switch here on its return east to Canton.

However, first the train continued west to switch Giles Chemical

and then ran around its train (above and two below).

Returning east the train passed a park

before reaching Evergreen Packaging (above and five below).

The Asheville Turn went on duty at noon on this day. About 12:20 it headed for Asheville shown with the Evergreen Packaging plant in the background (above and below).

There is a large trestle about a mile east of Canton along US Route 23.

We caught the train four more times (above and three below) before it reached Asheville).

In Asheville we photographed the train eastbound and

westbound crossing the French Broad River.

On the way out of Asheville the train passed Louisiana Avenue and then

the Vulcan Materials Quarry in Candler (above and below).

We photographed the train three more times east of Canton (above and two Below) before breaking off the chase.

Thanks for looking.

Trip to Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina - 7

Hi, Wednesday, October 17 was our day on the Second District of Norfolk Southern's Central Division, The Rathole. I was really looking forward to this day because, in spite of being an active railfan since 1971, I had never rail fanned here.

We started our day at Elgin, TN and worked our north to Burnside. At Elgin a northbound "bare table" was sitting at the signal.

Shortly a train with auto racks and a former CSX C40-8 leading came south.

Moving north from Elgin we caught a southbound manifest train at Pine Knot, KY, and

another southbound manifest at Marshes Siding,

Continuing north our next stop was the Shelton Road bridge in Burnside, KY. A rail replacement project was underway here and this piece of equipment was moving two welded rail strings from outside the gauge to inside the gauge.

While we were there two northbound trains passed, including this intermodal, as well as

this southbound manifest.

Moving further north the state route 751 bridge in Burnside provided the background in this photo of still another southbound manifest taken from a grade crossing just south of the highway bridge,

and a tank train passed under Cave Spring Rd., also in Burnside.

At Burnside a stack train was waiting to change crews,

an auto rack train crossed the Cumberland River (above and below),

and changed crews.

As the auto rack train prepared to continue south a grain train arrived.

The grain train passed us at Garland Rd. in Tateville, KY.

Our final shot of the day was of a stack train with a former BNSF SD70MAC at Cedar Grove Rd. in Somerset, KY.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Trip to Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina - 6

Hi, We spent Tuesday, October 16 photographing the Tennessee Southern. This is a Patriot Rail operation located southwest of Nashville.

After spending the night in Columbia, TN we headed to the Railroad's HQ in Mt. Pleasant, TN. There we learned that there would be only one train that day and that the crew was working back in Columbia.

After some searching we finally got to the front of the train stopped at a grade crossing where a new crew was coming on duty. From the crews we learned that after some switching in Columbia (above and four below) the train would go to Mt. Pleasant where it would switch some more and then head for Lawrenceburg, TN where the crew would tie up after some more switching.

While the train slowly made its way to Mt. Pleasant we headed there for some roster shots. This neat paint scheme was the reason we included the Tennessee Southern in our itinerary (above and below). However, only on unit in this paint scheme was included in the train's power lash up.

After awhile we moved to the north end of town.

The only place to legally photograph the train the yard switching is a grade crossing at the south end.

Before the crew continued south they dropped two of their four units at the yard. Note that the blue units were all sub lettered for leasing companies.

At Summertown the train passed a unit that had been set out earlier (above and below).

The next stop was Ethridge (above and below).

Four cars were delivered to customers in Lawrenceburg before the crew tied up for the day (above and three below).

Thanks for looking.