Eastern Railroad Discussion > A moment at Martin, TN

Made a once-in-a-while trip down to Fulton, KY expecting to get the West Tennessee Railroad's Jackson, TN-Fulton, KY turn, to interchange cars with the CN. Usually I get the train as it arrives into Fulton, but today I went 10 miles inside Tennessee, down to the first city south of there, Martin. Glad I did as this train I got today only went as far as Martin before going back south.

Was even better, this train had the #4081, one of the WTNN's ex-CR B23-7's as sole power. Always a treat in 2015 to still see a -7 in regular service.
And WTNN has them a plenty (also of SP and CSX heritage), including two ex-BN C30-7's.

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More of #4081 shuffling cars.

To those "newbies" here on TO, this trackage thru Martin was originally IC, part of their gateway to Birmingham, AL (and was the routes of the City of Miami and the Seminole). Sold to NS in June 1988, who leased it to WTNN in 2001. 

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Cool pics!! Thanks for sharing.

Was just down in Martin, spending the night there Saturday.  Have you noticed the ICG (former PRR purchased used) caboose in the park there?

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

MaryMcPherson Wrote:
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> Was just down in Martin, spending the night there
> Saturday.  Have you noticed the ICG (former PRR
> purchased used) caboose in the park there?


As a matter of fact, finally did find it while I was there. Needs a LOT of TLC...

The caboose in Martin, in the park behind the post office. There is a similar ex-PRR hack at the joint ex-GM&O/C&EI depot in Tamms, IL.

And another ICG caboose (a Centralia built ICG genuine article, #199513), this one privately owned, off of Stover Road north of town. Needless to say, I stayed in my vehicle for this...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/15 19:36 by bodkin6071.

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At one time, didn't NS have a few run through trains between Centralia and Fulton via IC trackage rights that used this line? What happened to all that?

Posted from Android

Yep they did. NS eventually got fed up with IC delaying their trains and pulled out. I am sure the IC's single tracking frenzy in 1990 further exacerbated the problem.

cashfare Wrote:
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> At one time, didn't NS have a few run through
> trains between Centralia and Fulton via IC
> trackage rights that used this line? What happened
> to all that?
>
> Posted from Android

cashfare Wrote:
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> At one time, didn't NS have a few run through
> trains between Centralia and Fulton via IC
> trackage rights that used this line? What happened
> to all that?
>
> Posted from Android

That would be trains 123 southbound and 124 northbound.

Through the late 80s the usual power on these trains was a quartet of Geeps, most often GP38s but on occasion you would find a 30, 35 or 50 in the mix.  By the early 90s six axle power had become more the norm.

I think the trains moved back to an all N.S. route in 1995.

One interesting thing I noticed is that the trains tended to have a higher horsepower per ton ratio than the I.C. trains.  I used to go camping along the Centralia District in the late 80s on Cobden Hill around milepost 318, and the N.S. trains always seemed to be making better time up the hill.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions