Nostalgia & History > Some Random C&O

Three shots taken on a C&O Autumn Leaf Special (ALS) excursion from Newport News VA to Clifton Forge VA and back.  We went westbound via the Mountain Subdivision, through Charlottesville and Staunton, and then came back via the James River Line through Lynchburg and Gladstone.  All shots in October 1973.   For those not familiar with the area, the Mountain Subdivision had then (and has today) regular passenger service in the form of the George Washington/James Whitcomb Riley (today the Cardinal), but the James River Line had not had regular passenger service since the 1940s (I believe), being primarily the low-grade freight line for coal. 

1)  Autumn Leaf Special sitting at the station in Clifton Forge, with Chessie GP-40 #4176 leading.   Note first car is a Western Maryland combine.
2)  Eastbound manifest train in Clifton Forge lined up to head east.  Not sure if this train would have gone to to Richmond and Newport News or to Washington DC. 
3)  C&O GP-7 switching in yard at Lynchburg VA on the James River Line as ALS heads back east to Newport News.
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/20 22:00 by dwatry.

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The first car was the Western Maryland combine #150 which actually was a steam generator car which was always used on excursions over the Western Maryland since they did not own any passenger equipped diesels in their later years.  The coach section of the combine still had seats in it.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

Thanks  - that had occurred to me, since the GP40s did not have steam generators.