Eastern Railroad Discussion > Tennessee Train Counts Needed

A family trip to Tennessee is close at hand.  Need average daily train counts for the following railroad segments:

• CSX between Nashville & Chattanooga on Chattanooga Sub (Tullahoma, TN)
• NS between Knoxville & Atlanta on Knoxville West End District (Cleveland, TN)
• NS  between Memphis & Chattanooga on the Memphis East End Sub.
• NS in the Bulls Gap area on the Knoxville District Bristol Line and the Appalachia District.

Thanks in advance for your help.  And yes, I know that averages are made from extremes, just as in weather.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/23 11:49 by cinder.

cinder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A family trip to Tennessee is close at hand. 
> Need average daily train counts for the following
> railroad segments:
>
>

•  
• CSX between Knoxville & Chattanooga on
  > Knoxville West End District (Cleveland, TN)
  >
• 
  > Thanks in advance for your help.  And yes, I know
  > that averages are made from extremes, just as in
  > weather.
  
  I know of no CSX line between Knoxville and Chatanooga???

cockaboose Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I know of no CSX line between Knoxville and
> Chatanooga???

Actually the CSX System Map shows operating rights for CSX on the NS line between Knoxville - Chattanooga. 

If you look at a post of mine in this old thread, you will find that the rights were specifically for coal destined to a TVA plant at Bridgeport AL:

. (trainorders.com)

I'd be surprised if the traffic still moves..

I suspect the original poster would be interested in both the NS line between Knoxville and Chattanooga and the CSX line between Knoxville and Cartersville GA.


 

I stand corrected.  I actually meant the NS line between Knoxville and Atlanta.  I have corrected my original post.

See numbers with each in bold.  I must ask, did you intentionally exclude the CNO&TP between Chattanooga and Harriman, TN and points north?  That's the busiest NS line in the state.

Mike Derrick


cinder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A family trip to Tennessee is close at hand. 
> Need average daily train counts for the following
> railroad segments:
>
>

• CSX between Nashville & Chattanooga on
  > Chattanooga Sub (Tullahoma, TN)  
• 10-12
  >
• CSX [as others pointed out, this is for NS] between Knoxville & Chattanooga on
  > Knoxville West End District (Cleveland, TN)
• 8-10 (count much higher between Chattanooga and Ooltewah, TN where the Georgia Division splits off)
• >
• NS  between Memphis & Chattanooga on the
  > Memphis East End Sub.
• 12-14 (higher west of Sheffield, AL)
  >
• NS in the Bulls Gap area on the Knoxville
  > District Bristol Line and the Appalachia
  > District.
  >
• I don't know, but guessing 6-8
  >
  > Thanks in advance for your help.  And yes, I know
  > that averages are made from extremes, just as in
  > weather.

Thanks for the info Mike.  Yes, I meant to leave the "Rathole" out.  I have fanned this line several times.

One thing to add-- CSX and NS run together from Wauhatchie, TN to Stevenson, AL. You can add the CSX to Nashville and NS Memphis counts together in that stretch. It is also some of the best scenery on those lines with a higher train count. That stretch would get my vote on where to send a visitor (Chattanooga is home for me).

Mike

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/23 13:33 by ShortlinesUSA.

I agree with you Mike about the scenery.  And I've already mentally added the CSX & NS train count.  Any suggestions as to particularlly scenic venues?  Here is a picture taken in 2020 just south of the TN/GA state line south of Chattanooga.. The CSX auto rack is crossing over US11 and the NS, headed for the Wauhatchie yard.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/23 19:05 by cinder.

---

That's a nice spot.  It's the yard lead, so you miss anything not going into/out of Wauhatchie, and then that's the NS line to Birmingham with that dreaded 8-10 count that seems so common on most of our lines.  Just north of there, the Wauhatchie interlocking nets you a lot more trains, but not that great view in the photo.

I'd personally recommend the stretch from Hooker, GA to Shellmound, TN as the area on which to focus.  Take the GA 299 exit from I-24 and follow that north.  Then take TN 156 west toward New Hope.  Shellmound is the spot where the road is paralleling the tracks along the banks of Nickajack Lake.  Too many shots to list off, and I know everyone's preferences vary, plus you've been at this long enough to know a good shot when you see one. ;-p 

For just a few general pointers, working west (railroad north for CSX) from Hooker, there are a few grade crossings as the tracks climb Raccoon Mountain, so the westbounds are quite slow as a rule.  There's the old tunnel beside the line at Whiteside, TN (right at the Hamilton County line, you'll see a little pull in off of 299, this is a morning eastbound shot), the high bridge over Running Water Creek and I-24, and pretty much any composition you can come up as the trains run along the lake.

Mainline frequency is 161.370 for both CSX and NS trains.  NS trains will be identifying themselves with Z-symbols assigned by CSX.  If you're interestd in foreign power, BNSF is most common, as NS hosts it on the Powder River coal trains to Plant Scherer in Juliette, GA (near Macon) and the 283/284 (these will be Z-something or other) JB Hunt stack trains headed to/from the Memphis Gateway.

I'm happy to entertain some more specific questions if you have any.  All the spots I list are easily accessible by car and do not require any hiking, drones, or scuba diving certification.  A great area to watch and photograph trains.
 

Gosh Mike (ShortlinesUSA) ..... Thanks for the "trreasure-trove" of useful info.  I hope to spend about three hours in that area.  Good stuff.  I may start at the junction shown below:

---

That spot will definitely net you some trains. Only thing you'd miss there is anything on NS headed to the AGS South (Birmingham) as opposed to being just up the line at Wauhatchie. 

One thing to add, if you're sitting here you'll want 160.740 in your radio for NS.  That's the Chattanooga Terminal frequency, so you'll know what's coming at you from the east.  161.370 is good for CSX both sides of Wauhatchie, and NS will be on it west of there.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/23 12:10 by ShortlinesUSA.

While you're in the area, be sure to check out CSXT's KD Subdivision between Corbin, KY and Etowah, TN.  It goes right by University of Tennessee's campus in Knoxville and crosses the Tennessee River via the large orange bridge.  Not sure what current train counts are, but likely a dozen or so.

crazy_train_999 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> While you're in the area, be sure to check out
> CSXT's KD Subdivision between Corbin, KY and
> Etowah, TN.  It goes right by University of
> Tennessee's campus in Knoxville and crosses the
> Tennessee River via the large orange bridge.  Not
> sure what current train counts are, but likely a
> dozen or so.

You might get a dozen trains if you stay two or three days.