Eastern Railroad Discussion > NS coal Drag on CSX

Another NS coal drag on CSX territory. James River Sub around lunch time today. CSX power - Dash 9\'s and NS Top Gon Coal hoppers and some old black NS 4 bays.

Steven Nicely
MP274.10

Some of this is just CSX using NS power. Today\'s D742 from Benning to Brunswick had pure NS power, first time I had seen that at Point of Rocks.

http://members.cox.net/dbdavies/news/news.htm

ddavies wrote:

> Some of this is just CSX using NS power.

I don’t think ddavies understood the original post. It was an NS coal train with CSX power. Where did you see this coal train? East of Balcony Falls or West of Balcony Falls (i.e. Glasgow)? For some time now, yet sporadically, NS has been interchanging loaded coal trains at Balcony Falls, VA to go east on CSX to both the Wheelwright power station and export at Newport News Terminal. I have seen many of these moves, both the loads and returning empties. Sometimes, the NS power stays with the train. Other times, CSX will pickup the train with their power.

I have also seen NS coal trains come into Clifton Forge from the west, then go east to Balcony Falls, then north on the NS towards Hagerstown. These trains come off of former Conrail and Virginian lines in West Virginia. For NS, it seems to be easier and quicker to route the whole train over to CSX than it is to take it to Roanoke, then north. I have also seen some of these odd trains go south at Glasgow as well.

Galen Wright
Lynchburg, VA
K4CnO

No, I didn\'t. That all sounds wierd. In the past it has been to keep it on your railroad, even if it goes 500 miles out of the way ;-)

I agree with Galen. The coal trains come off CSX going to NS or NS coal comes to CSX. And in this case the coal train is a U69413 with engines CSX 231 and 247 coming from Elk Run Kentucky. The cars are NS cars. The train is going to Norfolk Va. There is a second one holding in Hinton WV U69414 and his power is CSX 7815 and 601. So the answer to Galen\'s question of where did he see the train, it was west of Balcony Falls. Unless it was at Balcony Falls going around the wye there.

Seen this at the James River Bridge in Eagle Rock headed east. But it came from the west and it isnt the first time either. Just never posted the other ones.
Steven Nicely
MP274.10