CPLs and Heritage Units - 4

Hi, Here are the remaining CPLs we photographed.  Our first location in Roanoke (on 10/6) had CPLs to the east.  We photographed 15T arriving off the Shenandoah Valley line with the stacks of the car shops in the background and then

with the old N&W office building as a prop.

Later #757 arrived off the Winston-Salem line with the LV heritage unit third out.

Our last train of the day was of stack train #217 at Montgomery Tunnel.

Our next pictures of CPLs were obtained on 10/7 at Ada, WV, just east of Bluefield, featuring #272.

Later in the day we caught a WB empty hopper train at Willowton, WV.

On 10/8 we photographed #185 at Bluedfield, VA.

We were back at Willowton, WV on 10/9 for an eastbound and then

at Farm, WV with helpers shoving an EB grain train.

That concludes the CPL portion.  Since it is short I thought I would start on my favorites from the trip.  Here a WB stack train is passing the Christiansburg, VA station.

Later in the day an EB coal drag soars over Oakvale, WV on former Virginian trackage.  In about 3 1/2 miles it will join the former N&W main at PD.

The next post will contain the rest of my favorites.  I hope you enjoyed the photos.

CPLs and Heritage Units - 3

Hi, This will be the final post with heritage units.  All of the photos were made on 10/13.  After checking Bluefield Yard, as was our practice, we headed west to see what we could find.

Between Falls Mills and Yards we spotted eastbound coal train #762 with the Interstate unit stopped.  we headed back to Falls Mill for our first location.  Note the CPLs on the right.

From Falls Mills we just beat it to Bluefield, VA and then

to the yard at Bluefield, WV where the train stopped for a crew change.

We got it one more time at Ada, WV, a few miles east of Bluefield.

Then we went back to the yard where the Pennyslvania and N&W units were sitting waiting for an assignment.

While we were photographing an empty hopper train departed.

We then returned to Bluefield, VA where we learned a coal train was coming with the Southern unit as part of the helper and facing the rear. We photographed the train and then

moved to the west side of Bluefiled, WV.

From the radio we learned that the helper set was being sent to Iaegar, WV where it would tie up so we gave chase.  Our first shot was back at Bluefield, VA.

From there we easily beat the set to Northfork, WV.

Our last photo was at Welch, WV.

We went to Ieagar but somehow missed that the helper set had been turned back to Bluefield so this ended our photography of the heritage units.  I hope you enjoyed the photos.

CPLs and Heritage Units - 2

Hi, On 10/9 we stumbled on the Interstate Ry heritage unit sitting in Bluefiled, WV yard ready to go east with a loaded coal train.  We caught it leaving the yard,

at Ada, WV,

at Cox's Cutoff, WV,

Willowton, WV,

Glen Lyn, VA, and

between Glen Lyn and Narrows, VA

before ending our chase where the coal train took the connection from the former N&W to former Virginian trackage at Narrows.

Later in the day we encountered the DL&W heritage unit trailing on an eastbound coal train.  The train was waiting for a helper at Farm, WV.

While the loads waited an empty hopper train headed west.

The afternoon of 10/10 we were surprised by an empty hopper train at Landgraff, WV.  A chase of the train proved fruitless.

Finally, close to dusk we photographed the Lehigh Valley unit, again running as second unit on a coal train.  This was at Coopers, WV.

We did not see any units on 10/11.  On 10/12 toward the end of the day we came across the Pennsylvania and N&W units pushing an 11,000 ton manifest eastbound up the Elkhorn grade.  We photographed the helpers at Northfork, WV,

Elkhorn, WV,

Ennis, WV, and

Coopers, WV.  This photograph was taken at ISO 6400 with noise reduction on high.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

CPLs and Heritage Units - 1

Hi, I traveled with friends Bill Kalkman, Jeremy Beck, and Rodney Peterson in the hopes of photographing NS heritage units between Roanoke, VA and Iaeger, WV from 10/6 to 10/14.  We were fortunate to catch 6 units either leading trains or pointing to the rear on helpers.  Also, we photographed 3 units in trailing positions and one just sitting in the Bluefield, WV yard.  In  addition, this was my first opportunity to really use my new camera/lens combination.  In August I received a Nikon 24-120 F4.0 zoom lens I had ordered and just before the trip my new Nikon D600 arrived.

In thinking how to present the photos I thought it might be most interesting to begin with heritage units, add the CPLs we found (there were a number still in service) and then finish up with a few of my favorite photos of NS black locomotives.  Below are heritage unit photos from the first 3 days.

Our first encounter was in Roanoke where a recently arrived train #822 sat in South Yard.

After #822 was recrewed we photographed it off the Blue Ridge Parkway at Niagara.

By the fading light of the second day we caught the Southern heritage unit helping a coal train at Bluefield, WV.

The third day brought a surprise.  When we passed Shaffers Crossing on 10/6 we spotted the Virginian Unit sitting.  We were surprised on 10/8 when is showed up on a light power move, here at Oakvale, WV.

We photographed it again at Hardy, WV, and

Ada, WV

before it arrived at the Bluefield, WV yard.

Also, present in the yard were the Southern and Conrail heritage units.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.