Eastern Railroad Discussion > Branch Line?.........Not exactly

CSXT's line from Harpers Ferry, WV to Winchester, VA supports up to eight trains a day with stone and grain creating trains upwards of 15,000 tons. In this 11/7/19 scene we see  a daily aggregate train hauling stone to feed the voracious appetite of greater Washington, DC construction.  Unit trains of US and Canadian wheat feed a "spaghetti plant" in Winchester.  The trains tread softly over the wooden trestle as if in honor of John Brown.  An older form of transportation from the 1850's sits silently watching 4400 horspower diesels do today's bidding..

---

CHARLES TOWN, WV.....Here we have a 112 car train of Canadian wheat enroute to Winchester, VA to create all shapes and sizes of semolina pasta.   This nominal 17,000 ton train is crossing the Norfolk Southern main line on a new OWLS diamond at 10 mph.  This tonnage is entirely supported on the steel FLANGES of the wheels (not the treads) as they climb over the head of the NS rail without the harsh pounding a gap would create. 11/7/19

---

Love the framing of that first photo. Well done.

mp208 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CHARLES TOWN, WV.....Here we have a 112 car train
> of Canadian wheat enroute to Winchester, VA to
> create all shapes and sizes of semolina pasta. 
>  This nominal 17,000 ton train is crossing the
> Norfolk Southern main line on a new OWLS diamond
> at 10 mph.  This tonnage is entirely supported on
> the steel FLANGES of the wheels (not the treads)
> as they climb over the head of the NS rail without
> the harsh pounding a gap would create. 11/7/19

25 years ago, 4-axles only, and 1 train a day to Winchester, this train is eastbound.
Winter, 1994 Fujicolor print by Don French, WW Jenkins collection

---

While six axle power is used on the branch now, it must be radial truck six axle units.