Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSX Chattanooga Sub - "The Cut" - 29-Apr-2024

I absolutely LOVE "The Cut" on the CSX Chat. Sub - - don't ask me why....lol.....I just do.   I know it is not a remarkable engineering effort or anything like that - but I just like the challenge of "catching" something (in favorable light) - in the cut.
So, I was successful today - caught a NB and shortly thereafter - a SB....and I am happy with the results.    
For those of you that might not be familiar with access - - it is a somewhat easy .75 mile (one way) hike into the cut - along a ballast covered hunting access road from the Tantallon grade crossing (there is a parking area just to the east of the crossing).    Once you arrive at the cut - it is a very easy scramble up the rocks to a very nice perch.    Plenty of warning for NBs due to the grade crossings in the hollows.......SBs call the signals coming out of Cowan....so you have a heads-up of their arrival - but since they are coming downgrade - - SBs sneak up on the location.     There are several other "cuts" further north of this location - but it would require a large amount of time....and I did not have it today.    If you are going to shoot all the cuts - you will need to pretty much spend all day in the area.   

1-2.  CSX 7575 - NB - The Cut - 29-Apr-2024
3.  This image gives you an idea of how tight the clearance is.

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4, 5 and 6.   Mid-train DPU on a empty coal drag.  CSX 5436, CSX 3187 and 392.

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7-8.  CSX 373 - SB - The Cut - 29-Apr-2024.
9.  CSX 276 - trailing.

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Snippet of the location.....for "The Cut".

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Tight squeeze.  
jb

As JB just posted above, that be a tight fit. Hope no Vaseline was needed to get thru there. Great set of shots. Ben

What is the speed these trains operated at through the cut?   

That is certainly a tight squeeze for today's freight. Thank you for hiking in to capture and post it.
It reminds me of the Reading Company's Gwynedd Cut south of North Wales, PA. It is also a very tight squeeze. This cut was originally a long tunnel. At some point it was daylighted. This may have been when the Reading electrified their suburban service in the Thirties? I don't immediately recall that part of the Bethlehem Branch's history. When the Reading erected the catenary they cut "slots" into the banks of the cut to place catenary poles. It remains the same today and if you ride a Silverliner through that very long cut today, it appears the car you are riding in will scrape the rocks at any moment! They are close and very much taller than the car you are riding in.
Gonut

Milwaukee Wrote:
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> What is the speed these trains operated at through
> the cut?   

30 - - but it seems a bit faster from the top of the rock ledge.....lol.

Great series!  Hope they maintain the track well enough to keep cars from rocking even slightly.

Nice shots!

Good work!

 

Martin O'Toole
Marietta, GA