Railroaders' Nostalgia > AFT Maps South Charleston to Cumberland

June 28, 1976
The route was a mix of C&O, B&O, and some WM all under the Chessie System name. I'm unclear as to exactly were one became the other, so I don't have a mileage breakdown (roughly C&O to Potomac Yard, B&O to somewhere near Cumberland where it became WM- I think that's about right). 533 miles. Coal&water at Hinton, Clifton Forge, Charlottesville, and Potomac Yard. Coal came from a B&O gondola added to the consist behind auxiliary tender. (B&O 370772, if you were going to ask) RR met the train with a clam shell crane at each service stop. Additional stop to change pilot crew at Brunswick. P/U press at Hancock. Diesel helper between Hinton and Charlottesville. Site still exists.

HELP! Does anyone know exactly how we passed through Wash DC? Did we go through Union Station or somehow go around it?
After taking the night shot in Pot Yard, I went to bed and missed it!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/14 17:36 by BoilingMan.

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BoilingMan Wrote:
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> HELP! Does anyone know exactly how we passed
> through Wash DC? Did we go through Union Station
> or somehow go around it?

If you didn't have any clearance problems (the tunnel didn't allow for dome cars, for example), you probably just followed the route the Southern Crescent used into the lower level of WUS, then out via the B&O main.

If there were clearance problems, the train could have used the other B&O route through the District that crosses the Anacostia River and into Maryland. That would have required the train to change directions in the Cheverly, MD, area.

I doubt there were clearance problems. I'm told the T-1 had the same profile as a GG-1. But the T-1 in the long tunnel approaching WUS could have been an issue, unless we were towed through. Either route is possible, I'm hoping someone was there (and, unlike me, was awake) and can tell me for sure what happened.
SR

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> But the T-1 in the long tunnel approaching WUS could have
> been an issue, unless we were towed through.

Both routes through the District feature a tunnel (1st St. into WUS, Virginia Ave. into Maryland).