Eastern Railroad Discussion > Last W84(784) to Skyland (NC)

Tonight was the last Skyland Coal Train to Duke Energy's Skyland Power Plant just south of Asheville NC.
The plant has been in the process of converting to Natural Gas.  They have been doing lots of work at the Plant for several years.  They were going expand a lot, but that got shut down by the NIMBY's in the area.  At one time they were going to put in a big pipeline from South Carolina to the plant, but that got scrapped. Then they were going to keep some coal And coal. It was hard to keep up with what they were going to do.  They are phasing out coal as this was billed as the Last train of coal to the plant.
Michael Reid
1 - Blue Ridge Southern crew on the last W84 getting ready to depart Asheville Yard.

2 - The crew hung a sign on the front to commemorate the Last Run.

3 - On their way to Skyland passing the 1.8 signal on the W Line(Saluda Line) towards Skyland.
 

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Photo three is a dramatic beauty.
Bob

Guess that’ll just about do it for the entire Saluda line.

What business is left for Blue Ridge Southern on this piece of RR?

A few customers in Fletcher and Henderson including a Kimberly Clark plant. Enough for an Asheville-Henderson turn to run most weekdays. I don't think this part of the line is in any danger. South of Henderson, of course, it's hopeless -- but BRS ends at MP W26. 

BLU still has a W44 that works M-F at night to Hendersonville with a fair amount of traffic.  A couple transloads around Arden and Fletcher plus a Kimberly Clark plant near Hendersonville keeps them busy.  The Skyland coal trains were only about one a week.  It's bad to loose any car loadings but they will survive.
RMR 

BRS uses the line south of Hendersonville for car storage.  There was talk about a month ago that they were going to re-open a mile or two of the Brevard branch for car storage.  It was in the local paper here in Hendo-nesia but I've not heard anything about it since.  Sad to see the coal trains going away.  I've been working in Saluda this week and was remeniscing about the times I'd watch them doubling the hill with coal empties on my lunch break.  Better times for local train watching. 

W44 runs M-F o/d at 1630-1700 in Arden. Definitely enough business to warrant a train each day. They have multiple customers between Asheville and Hendersonville, including cement to Fletcher, Naples (SCM), Kimberly Clark, occasional traffic to southern states (Naples), lumber loads etc.

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