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 Streamliners at Spencer - 2

Hi, On Wednesday, May 28 we returned to Aberdeen, NC so we could follow the Aberdeen, Carolina & Western back toward Candor.

As the ACW crew had not yet arrived from Candor we decided to check out the Aberdeen & Rockfish, a few blocks away.  Soon after we got to their engine house a crew started #205 and went to work switching a few cars (above and two below).

About 9:00 AM the ACW crew was pulling and the chase was on.  CSX track is to the left.

The train slowly moved through downtown Aberdeen.

After Aberdeen we found an open area at Pinehurst.

Another open spot was along a back road at Eagle Springs.

We followed the ACW back to Candor and then headed back south.  At Southern Pines we caught K760.

Returning once again to Aberdeen  we found Q742

which we caught at Southern Pines for a second shot.

Thanks for looking.

Trip to Streamliners at Spencer - 6, The End

Hi, These images were taken on the morning of May 31.  Dale and I elected to leave at noon as the afternoon activities seemed to duplicate what we had already seen and by doing so I could get home that evening.
 

As we drove into the museum that morning we noticed the FT AB set still sitting where it had been spotted for the previous evening's night photo session.  We managed a few photos before the set was moved.

We then spent the next couple of hours shooting while a few of the locomotives were moved around and spotted out in the yard.

This GE 25 ton locomotive was used to move units that were incapable of doing so themselves.

In addition to the trains, a small car show was held near the entrance.

This FPA4, a former CN locomotive now owned by the Monticello Railway Museum in Illinois (they also own the Wabash F unit present), powered the day's photo freight.

While the photo freight was operating the shuttle train was set up with the CB&Q E5 on one end.

The observation car Sandy Creek, originally used on the New York Central's 20th Century Limited was present (above photo on the right and below).

Amtrak sent their exhibit train powered by their Veterans Unit.

Thanks for looking.