21-07-15 VIDEOS: A-Line Redemption

It's time once again for my yearly Amtrak round trip to Gainesville, Georgia and back. This used to be a super fun activity where I was closely collecting a high quality library of rear-facing still photos and video of the CSX RF&P Sub, CSX A-Line, former Southern H-Line and former Southern Main Line. Unfortunately in 2015 Amtrak decided to reverse its trainsets, placing the baggage car on the rear and blocking off the view.  This was especially galling because I had collected video of the entire RF&P Sub, but the segment from Alexandria to Quantico had suffered from an audio failure.  Well, as luck would have it, in 2021 Amtrak was having some staffing and equipment issues related to Covid and pulled the baggage car off of their Carolinian service restoring the rear facing view and I was able to collect enough video for its own special video post.

We begin with the aforementioned rear view from the back of Amtrak Train 79 as it runs from the Alexandria, VA Amtrak station to the Quantico, VA Amtrak station on the former RF&P Main Line. This was taken with my GoPro affixed to the rear vestibule window and replaces a previous video taken in 2015 that suffered from an audio problem. Note some of the preparation work for the third track, which I believe had already started back in 2015, is finally nearing completion.

Here we have a short video clip from the rear of Train 79 as it passes over the diamond crossing at Doswell, VA on track #2 in the southbound direction. Note the surviving RF&P bracket mast and HN interlocking tower.

Departing Richmond I wasn't careful enough and I got busted by the Richmond-Raleigh crew regarding my GoPro so I had to settle for stills. However I did steal this clip of Train 79 on track #1 overtaking a CSX hauled  Hergoz stone train on track #2 on the James River Bridge. The CSX train is led by a pair of AC4400's with #327 in the lead.

The more things change the more they stay the same. After tens of millions in capacity upgrades north of the Rocky Mount, NC station to prevent this very situation, my Train 79 had to pull in and then back out of the second main track to allow Train 90, the northbound Palmetto to pass. Heat restrictions on CSX had both trains running late and due to a variety of circumstances there was no ability for the two trains to pass properly as a CSX local was blocking the new second main track to the south. The same thing happened to me in 2010 at the old BATTLE interlocking located about a mile to the south of where this video was taken. The only difference was that the re-signaling effort now allowed a Restricting indication to be displayed immediately after Train 90's passage. In 2010 the old Seaboard signals could only display Stop, Limited Approach and Limited Clear. Total delay was only about 5 minutes for my Train 79. P42DC on Train 90 appears to be #11 or #17.



With the new crew on at Raleigh I was back in business so here is a rear facing video from the CSX / Seaboard S-Line from a little past the new station at Raleigh, NC to Fetner Jct, just short of the station stop at Cary, NC. The video is cut due to need to wait for an eastbound Piedmont Service train that got to Cary ahead of us. This section of track is shared with Amtrak's Silver Star train to Florida which stay on the S-Line at Cary.

In this video we have a rear view of the former Southern H-Line from a little past the stop at Cary, NC to Durham, NC. This segment includes the section between CLEGG and NELSON interlockings that was recently re-graded to improve speeds and eliminate grade crossings. Also included is D&S Jct, the main NS yard in the Durham area and junction with the former Southern D-Line.

Finally we have some nice 80mph speeds as my train runs from a little past the stop at Burlington, NC to Greensboro, NC. I was getting off at Greensboro for an eventual transfer to Train 19, the southbound Crescent.

I will finish this post off with a video of  my slightly late Train #79 led by P42DC #133 as it suddenly has some company in the form of a southbound NS double stack intermodal train being hauled by AC44C6M #4059, SD70ACe #1178 and C44-10W #7570. With both trains whistling for the Elm St crossing, Train 79 takes the lead despite being hobbled by a Diverging Clear signal indication at POMONA interlocking compared with the freight's straight Clear.

20-01-16 PHOTOS: Palmetto

So my dad's side of the family is pretty blasé about getting together and by 2020, despite absolutely no animosity, it had been over 25 years since I had last seen my dad's older brother face to face. Spending half of his year on a retirement island in South Carolina, I had always considered taking the train down to see him, but I figured the station would be too much of a drive. However upon actually asking my Uncle if it was possible, I learned that the Yenassee, SC station was only about a 30 minute drive from his house and he had no issues picking me up. My chosen mode of transportation would be Amtrak's Palmetto, Train 89 and 90, which traveled between New York and Savanah, GA in daylight via the CSX A-Line south of Richmond. While I was no stranger to the northern end of the A-Line traveled by Carolinian trains 79 and 80, this would be my first time south of Selma, NC. Although a rear mounted baggage car prevented any sort of line survey, I was able to get a full compliment of photos at the various stops. You can see all these photos here (mirror).

While waiting for Train 89 at the BWi Airport Rail Station a northbound MARC train with doubleheaded SC44's, #85 and #83, pulled up on the opposite track.

My Train 89 was going to be hauled to Washington by ACS-86 #643.

At Washington Union Station I caught ACS-86 #654 swapping with P42DC #96 from a northbound Regional.

#643 was swapped with P42DC #135.

 

The next available photo location was Richmond where I had some great light on #135.

CSX power in Acca yard with ES44AC #774, SD40-2 #8463 and a new ET44AC.

Passing Rocky Mount SD70MAC #4814 and C40-10W #5357 standing by to take a manifest freight south.

Still being the middle of winter, the sun was setting by the time my train reached Florence, SC. The old Florence station building is not home to a human resources outfit, while the current station is an updated take on the Amshack concept. The seat of one of CSX's divisional HQs, the Florence station once had 6 platforms and 7 tracks.

The sun had long ago set by the time Train 89 arrived at Charleston, SC. The station had been recently rebuilt with a brightly lit, extended length platform.

Train 89 departing Yenassee shortly before 9pm at night.

15-05-07 VIDEOS: Train 79 GoPro

So last week I threw up my videos from a vestibule ride taken on Train 79 between Alexandria and Selma. However thanks to my capitol upgrade I am now able to offer both stills and video taken at the same time. With a suction cup mount and sufficient batteries I can stick up my GoPro on the rear window and let it record as I shoot away with my regular camera or just sit in my seat using Amtrak's WiFi. On this run I was able to capture the entire RF&P Sub and about half of the A-Line between Richmond and Selma. I would have taken more, but GoPro cameras eat battery power like candy and despite having a total of 5 batteries they were pretty much drained by the time we turned onto NS.

We start off at Alexandria, VA, departing southbound as Train 20, the Crescent, performs its station work on the opposite track. Unfortunately I had another issue with a corrupted video file transfer and then a later file transfer that resulted in the loss of the original file so most of this video between Alexandria and Qhantico lacks audio. Look for the work on the new third track as the train approaches Quantico.



Continuing on from Quantico to Fredericksburg, the third track work continues down to about the location of ARKENDALE interlocking.



Between Fredericksburg and Doswell, VA we pass by additional third track work and the site of the new VRE Spotsylvania Station. Eventually we are forced to stop and wait at NORTH DOSWELL for northbound traffic as one track is blocked for MoW work. By this point I was making a better effort to get the radio chatter on the video.



Once we had the railroad again Train 79 crossed over the Doswell diamond and proceeded towards Richmond via the street running in Ashland, VA (where Train 79 does not stop).




If you read my trip report you'll remember that I mentioned how between Richmound and Petersburg I was all excited to have caught the Strates carnival train, but later discovered I had left the lens cap on. Well here is that video presented as an audio adventure. My recommendation is to run it in parallel with the video that lacks audio ;-)



Given battery constraints I wanted to be able to record coherent chunks of the route and there was just no way I would have enough juice to last the hour or more from Petersburg to Rocky Mount. So I decided to capture the chunk between Rocky Mount and Selma, but to help ease battery issues on future runs I also recorded the segment between Petersburg and Collier Yard. Note the new BX interlocking where the Amtrak Norfolk Regional branches off to Norfolk.





Starting up again at Rocky Mount we enter the South End sub and pass by the Rocky Mount Yard on the way to Voit Wilson, NC on the 2-track main line.



It's back to mostly single track in our last video of the day we head to Selma, NC where Train 79 turns off onto the former Southern Railway H-Line. I had a little problem with the battery dying just minutes before we reached Selma, so that's what the odd jump cut is about.



Hope you liked the videos. Look for more in the future covering the Amtrak Shore Line between Old Saybrook and Boston.

15-05-07 PHOTOS: A-Plus

For the last 6 years I have been making a bi-yearly trek down to Georgia to visit an old college friend who had wound up getting stuck down there. Ever since the first trip I have taken a somewhat circuitous route using Train 79, the Carolinian, to first travel to Greensboro, NC then transferring to Train 19 the Crescent. Well on the verge of having these trips go on hiatus due to a change in my friend's employment status I was finally provided with an opportunity to ride in the rear vestibule instead of having to shoot through two panes of glass. Sure I had been able to snag some quality shots here and there, but this would give me one last chance to survey a route that I have sort of surveyed to death, albeit in grainy and tinted form.

You can see all the photos from my ultimate trip down the CSX RF&P Sub and A-Line right here.

As always we start with a power change as ACS-86 #609 was replaced by P42DC #115 while workers load up a Viewliner II baggage car.


In a second first for this trip I discovered Viewliner II baggage car #61034 taking the place of the run down Heritage baggage car I had grown accustomed to.

At the opposite end of the platform Amtrak AEM-7AC #918 was hanging out in photographic distance from MARC HHP-8 #4912.

Passing the northbound Crescent Train 20 at Alexandria with P42DC #147 on point and Viewliner II baggage car #61021 on the rear.

Phase IV heritage painted P32-8W #515 and autoracks at the Lorton AutoTrain terminal.

The groundwork is being laid for the new VRE Potomac Shores station north of Quantico.

Nearby the RoW was being expanded for the third track project that will help alleviate congestion between CSX freights and passenger trains.

At Fredericksburg, FB interlocking was being expanded to handle the improved VRE service while a classic RF&P interlocking tower looks on.

VRE trains have always traveled about 5 miles beyond Fredericksburg to XR interlocking where the the layover yard is located, but that distance will be wasted no longer with the new Spotsylvania Station.

We were stopped for about 10 minutes north of Doswell to allow a pair of trains to clear a section of single track running between there and Elmont. The second train was a CSX stone run with SD40-2 #8376.

The tower and diamonds at Doswell.

High railer at ELMONT.

CSX road power, including C40-8W #7396 at Acca yard.

Remote control capable yard engine SD40-2 #8256.

14-10-11 PHOTOS: Southern Shift

For my Fall 2014 trip to Georgia the plan was to visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens with my friend and also get some photos of the relocated signal location on the CSX Abbeville Sub close to her house. This set also includes pictures taken at Washington Union Station during the northbound power change. You can find this set of photos here.

We kick off with Amtrak Train 19, the southbound Crescent, arriving at the Greensboro, NC station with P40DC #824 and P42DC #13. I think this is the first time I have ridden behind a P40 outside of the NEC.



Seven hours later the same Train 19 departs the Gainesvile, GA station on a Diverging Clear signal indication at MIDLAND interlocking. The old Southern cantilever had still not been replaced and as the train passes some hints to how the relay logic works was exposed.



The first of three trains I caught on the Abbeville sub was this doublestack intermodal headed by C40-8W #7705.

The engineer hits the horn as CSX C40-8W #7705 and AC4400 #457 passes through Bogart, GA at the former Abbeville Sub MP 510 signal location.



A pair of CSX AC4400's, #82 and #237, pass by the same location with an eastbound mixed freight.



When the light was a little better I opted for a still photo of CSX SD70MAC #4817 and ES44AC #912 with a unit grain train in tow.

The new MP 511.9 automatic signal lit up for an approaching train.

The new signal is adjacent to the previously existing "Athens" defect detector and a highway crossing. Hmmm...hope they don't run too many inboard bearing trucks on this line.

The approaching train was lead by a pair of Union Pacific road freights, ES44AC #7759 and C44-9W #9793, lead freshly painted CSX GP38-2 #2783. Here they whistle for the Cleveland Road crossing in Bogart, GA with a westbound mixed freight train. Hope it doesn't rain since some of the steel coil cars are uncovered. The detector marked the train length at over 5000 feet.



Something happened to the train shortly after it passed causing the 5120 signal to remain lit up at Approach. The TCS style signaling allow intermediate signals to "float" if another movement has not been lined. If you recall the old 5110 signal had a yellow lamp on its lower head for Y/Y Advance Approach due to a new interlocking being installed which created a short signal block. The new signal has a green lamp for Approach Medium indicating that the Athens siding has been signaled and extended to the "new" Pilgrims Pride interlocking. The re-signaling project also removed the MP 513 signal replacing three shorter blocks with two longer ones.

Heading back on Train 20 it was a foggy night at the Gainesville Amtrak station.

14-10-09 PHOTOS: October H-Line

Usually when I take my bi-yearly trips to Georgia I focus on the RF&P and A-Line portions of the trip as that always had the most interesting train traffic, signaling and history. When Train 79 turned off the ACL at Selma I usually went back to my seat and enjoyed the free Wi-Fi, because after all that portion was completely rebuilt about 10 years ago with all new signaling and the single track branch line almost completely lacked photogenic traffic.

Well with all the signals on the A-Line now thoroughly raped there was little purpose on collecting yet another set of the same old thing so this last time I sat on my hands for the first part of the trip and took up my position at the rear of the train for the second. It still wasn't super exciting, but it is something new.

You can check out the full set of photos from DC to Greensboro, NC right here.

We begin at Baltimore Penn Station where I got my first ride behind an ASC-86 with #607 pulling Train 79. The bad news was that my train was over 40 minutes late and wasn't helped any by being put behind a MARC local on the way to DC.



Here we are on the lower level of Washington, DC union station with a line of P42DC's ready to attach themselves to the front of through trains. Number 87 ahead of #112 and #7.

Here we see #607 being swapped out for P42DC #181.



On the road south of Fredericksburg we found a paid of CSX geeps switching cars in the yard with GP40-2 #6249.

A bit further on work has already started on the new VRE Spotslyvania Station which will result in the replacement of the old RF&P's XR interlocking.

South of Richmond Train 79 passes a slate of CSX power in Acca Yard including GP40-2's #6156 and #6152, SD60M #8761 and SD40-2 #8251.

RF&P's AY tower now serving as the Acca Yard office and control center.

A few SCL searchlights are still hanging on south of Rocky Mount.

Finally we turn onto the H-Line at Selma, NC.

The line was fully re-signaled around 2005 with signaled passing sidings. Unlike NORAC, the Southern signaling system requires a yellow on the third head (either R/R/Y or R/-/Y) for a Restricting indication.  This three headed mast at AUBURN interlocking uses the R/R/Y option.

13-09-19 PHOTOS: Darth A-Line

Twice a year I take a trip down to Georgia to visit a friend, but due to a variety of circumstances the spring '13 trip was canceled and so my trip in September of 2013 was my first time on the route in over a year. During this time CSX continued to carry out more of its re-signaling campaign on the A-Line removing more of the 1980's era ACL/SCL signaling.

Anyway you all know the drill. Train 79 from Baltimore to Greensboro, NC changing to Amtrak train 19 which would take me the rest of the way. All of the photos can be found here and check them out especially if you enjoy all the signaling stuff. I got pretty lucky being able to take one window rear facing photos instead of the usual two window dreck I have to deal with on Amfleets.

We begin at Amtrak Washington Union Station with a double headed Regional preparing to depart the lower level with AEM-7's #950 and #912 at the front.

Up on the upper level was Acela Express power car #2019 waiting for its next departure northbound.

The diesel power for my Train 79 was P42DC #43.

Amtrak heritage baggage car #1703 waiting for P42 #43.

Video of #43 running up through A Interlocking and then back onto the front of T79 coupling to baggage car #1703.



Lone railfan taking photos at the Fredericksburg Amtrak/VRE station.

CSX GP40-2 #6295 engaging in some flat switching at the Fredericksburg Yard.

Passing northbound Amtrak Train 94 near Massiponix just shy of XR interlocking where the VRE yard is located. 

Although modified some of the original RF&P signaling has been left in place :-)

Unfortunately the pneumatic switch machine equipped and RF&P signaled SOUTH MILLFORD interlocking has had the once over.

HN tower at the Doswell Diamonds.

Street running through Ashland, VA.



Train 79 and Train 92 side-by-side at Richmond Staples Mill Road station.

P42DC #43 at Staples Mill Road.