Eastern Railroad Discussion > NS's Lamberts Point (VA) coal loading facility

On a recent trip down to Norfolk, the family and I decided to take a harbor cruise on the Elizabeth River. Our nautical trip would take us past NS's Lamberts Point coal loading facility and can best be described by saying it is both a huge and awesome facility. Research on this facility turned up the following information. It is considered the largest and fastest coal loading facility in the northern hemisphere. The facility's rail yard can accommodate 6,200 loaded hoppers. Pier 6 is 1,850 long while the Elvia is a mere 755 feet in length. On the NS website, it states "Twin tandem rotary dumpers feed the ship loaders for a combined dumping capacity of up to 8,000 tons per hour."
Photo 1: Two boats carrying Navy Seals pass by the Lamberts Point facility on a training exercise. In the background can be seen some of the loaded NS hoppers.
Photo 2: Shows the Malta registered bulk carrier Elvia being loaded at Pier 6.
Photo 3: Note the two NS loaded coal hoppers on the right hand side of the image.

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Nice images. The cars in the third shot are actually empty at this point. The rotary dump is to the extreme right of the image. Once dumped the cars head slightly downhill towards the river with enough speed to go through the spring switch, go up the ramp and clear the switch and then return east to the empty storage yard for a return trip to the coalfields. The trip post the rotary dump is all gravity controlled, so grades are a key factor.

NSTopHat



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/12 17:08 by NSTopHat.

Very informative...thank you.

I had seen old pictures of operations like that, but didn't know there were any still left - let alone at Lamberts Point. Thanks for sharing that third picture!

-Eric

NSTopHat Wrote:
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> Nice images. The cars in the third shot are
> actually empty at this point. The rotary dump is
> to the extreme right of the image. Once dumped the
> cars head slightly downhill towards the river with
> enough speed to go through the spring switch, go
> up the ramp and clear the switch and then return
> east to the empty storage yard for a return trip
> to the coalfields. The trip post the rotary dump
> is all gravity controlled, so grades are a key
> factor.
>
> NSTopHat

it's a double double unloading process handling 4 cars simultaneously with 2 cars being unloaded in each of the side by side twin dumpers

My sister in law lived about ten blocks or so from the throat of the yard, always liked hearing the yard power switching while visiting her.

coal is still loaded into ships at Newport News across the harbor and Curtis Bay in Baltimore, both CSX, and at Canton in Baltimore, NS and CSX both serve it. NS runs at least two 130 car coal trains to Canton every day.

Future of export coal is very bright!