Eastern Railroad Discussion > Norfolk Virginia By HRT Bus A Week Ago Thursday July 22 2021

In my quest to clinch Amtrak I rode the Newport News train 125 last week with the bus connection to Norfolk that night. I had all day Thursday last week to attempt to see as much of Hampton Roads area as possible by HRT bus. HRT does not make it easy, they are still running a modified COVID schedule with most buses running only hourly and the site has no system map and they provide no system map at their transit hub on the east side of downtown Norfolk. As I worked a lot of run-trades to do this and another trip next week I did not have the time to do extensive planning before the trip so part of the riding was guessing an making up stuff as I went along. I rode the Rt 2 to where the N & W crosses Hampton Ave. You can walk across a small park to look up the tracks from 21st street. I walked east on 21st and took pictures of the Colley Ave overpass which has N&W hamburgers embossed in the sides in concrete. A friend called on the phone who had tripped and really messed up his arm and shoulder on his trip to California. Being polite I didn't want to cut him off but heard the horn in the distance. I finally tried to run to where I could see an eastbound coal train, which of course at this point had circled around the east side Norfolk and is heading compass West. I ended up where there was a fence and stupid trees separating the tracks from a parking lot so no picture, such is railfanning by foot. I then walked to Colonial Ave and back on 23rd St to see the N&W style signal bridge at Colley Ave. Happily the eastbound signal for track 1 went from Stop to Restrictive so I was in business! I ran into Food Lion got a chocolate milk (breakfast) and came back out in time to get a the remaining five coal cars and three locomotives off a larger double stack train most of which had been tied down at Portlock Yard.
1-3) An urban scene here of the train going under the N&W style signal bridge with modern signals at Colley Ave.

Edit: remembered the Conductor said they left the rest of the train at Portlock Yard after seeing it in the running time thread below. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/21 17:41 by tq-07fan.

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I then rode the 2 to Terminal Ave at Hampton to get an 18 bus east. While waiting the Green Machine came across Hampton with a cut of cars for the Norfolk Intermodal terminal. The driver said she gets stopped a lot at the crossing, From there I attempted to ride the MAX express to Hampton but it was not to be. HRT like my system and a lot of other transit systems is short on drivers so one HRT bus didn't show up and the other one was late so I gave up and headed back toward downtown Norfolk with a stop look at he Monticello overpass. I realized that Amtrak 95 was getting close I rode the Tide over to the Amtrak Harbor Park station.
4) The Green Machine crossing Hampton. I took it from far away since the bus was close.
5) Amtrak 95 arriving at the nice new Harbor Park station.
6) Amtrak 95 leaving to turn around and park for the night.

Edit: Had wrong numbers on the pictures. I forgot I added picture 4.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/21 17:44 by tq-07fan.

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At Harbor Park a teenage railfan and his mom showed up. We were all excited about the next train to appear an NS and a NPBL unit running lite. I guess it was not meant for me to get to Hampton as the Greyhound I was supposed to catch was cancelled which resulted in an expensive trip plan change. So I got a little idea of Norfolk and will have to come back,
(6-9) A consist I think everyone can love! I almost forgot ask, is the tower at the drawbridge still manned?

Thank you for looking!

Jim

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tq-07fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In my quest to clinch Amtrak I rode the Newport
> News train 125 last week with the bus connection
> to Norfolk that night. I had all day Thursday last
> week to attempt to see as much of Hampton Roads
> area as possible by HRT bus. HRT does not make it
> easy, they are still running a modified COVID
> schedule with most buses running only hourly and
> the site has no system map and they provide no
> system map at their transit hub on the east side
> of downtown Norfolk. As I worked a lot of
> run-trades to do this and another trip next week I
> did not have the time to do extensive planning
> before the trip so part of the riding was guessing
> an making up stuff as I went along. I rode the Rt
> 2 to where the N & W crosses Hampton Ave. You can
> walk across a small park to look up the tracks
> from 21st street. I walked east on 21st and took
> pictures of the Colley Ave overpass which has N&W
> hamburgers embossed in the sides in concrete. A
> friend called on the phone who had tripped and
> really messed up his arm and shoulder on his trip
> to California. Being polite I didn't want to cut
> him off but heard the horn in the distance and
> finally tried to run to where I could see an
> eastbound coal train, which of course at this
> point had circled around the east side Norfolk and
> is heading compass West but I ended up where there
> was a fence and stupid trees separating the tracks
> from a parking lot so no picture, such is
> railfanning by foot. I then walked to Colonial Ave
> and back on 23rd St to see the N&W style signal
> bridge at Colley Ave. Happily the eastbound signal
> for track 1 went from Stop to Restrictive so I was
> in business! I ran into Food Lion got a chocolate
> milk (breakfast) and came back out in time to get
> a the remaining five coal cars and three
> locomotives off a larger double stack train most
> of which had been tied down at a different yard.
> 1-3) An urban scene here of the train approaching
> the N&W style signal bridge with modern signals at
> Colley Ave."

My trains here in philly are doing the very same, schedule gaps between trains are about 2-3 hours, unable to see certain CSX trains because septas dumb COVID schedule is REDICULOUS!

NICK

 

Photo #4 of the Amtrak train is real nice.
John