Eastern Railroad Discussion > Fall Trip On The CNO&TP Day 1

After a group of us made a spring trip up to the CNO&TP we decided to make a fall trip and work our way farther north on the Rat Hole. Three members of the group, two from Florida and one from Virginia had already been in Harriman for a couple of days. I was the fourth member heading north out of Georgia on Friday morning and I arrived around noon local time. I managed to capture eight trains and the others had a count of eleven on Friday. During their first two days there traffic was very slow and the weather wasn't that great either! But Friday and Saturday's weather would be in our favor.

Friday on the way up out of north Georgia listening to radio traffic by the CT dispatcher (Chattanooga Terminal) it was confirmed what I had heard and read over the previous weeks. Operations in Chattanooga Terminal are stretched to the max!! With the closing of the hump operations at Knoxville's Sevier and Chattanooga's DeButts Yards earlier this year coupled with the consolidation of the Central Division into the Lake, Alabama and Illinois Divisions there are several factors contributing to the somewhat cluster of a situation. Where three dispatchers once managed this 334 mile line from Cincinnati to Chattanooga now two are assigned the coverage of the CNO&TP Rat Hole. The CT (Chattanooga Terminal) dispatcher covers from MP 338 to KD Tower at MP 176.7 with the Kentucky dispatcher covering the rest of the way north to Cincinnati.

The below series of photos covers the trip north into Spring City, Emory Gap and Harriman TN.


#1. NS 179 (BELLEVUE,OH – BIRMINGHAM, ALA) south bound into North Spring City TN.

#2. NS 52N solid NS grain train south bound at the east end of Emory Gap Yard.

#3. NS 177 (ELKHART, IN – MACON, GA) south bound at the east end of Emory Gap Yard.

...more to follow...

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

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#4. NS T36 ( EMORY GAP – DAYTON TN Turn) with a cut of cars south bound on #2 main South Waters MP 257.8

We were on our way to lunch and had to scramble back to Harriman JCT to capture this north bound surprise!!

#5. The Norfolk Southern #8114 leads NS 22A (NORFOLK, VA – LOUISVILLE, KY) north bound on the Knoxville District Oakdale Line approaching Harriman JCT at MP 51.3D

#6. The NS #8114 rolls north bound into Harriman JCT.

...more to follow...

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

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#7. NS 275 (SHELBYVILLE, KY-ATLANTA,GA) south bound on the #2 main just north of Harriman JCT.

#8. The second NS 177 ( ELKHART, IN – MACON, GA) of the day at North Oakdale MP 252.7

#9. On the single track south bound out of Emory Gap NS 229 (COLUMBUS, OH – JACKSONVILLE, FLA) at the beginning of the “Golden Hour”

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

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Nice pics!! It looks like you had a fun trip...

Great shots. Thanks for sharing. This is an area I'd like to visit.

Kim Heusel

You nabbed some dandy photos.
John

Which hotel did you stay in? I may be headed over that way, and I'm trying to decide where to stay.

Great Photo's

Thanks for Sharing !

Eddie Durnwald
Fostoria, Ohio

SOUCF25 Wrote:
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> Which hotel did you stay in? I may be headed over
> that way, and I'm trying to decide where to stay.

We stayed at the Day's Inn behind the McDonalds on the north or east side of the Interstate 40. We always get down and out rooms facing the tracks.
Other hotels to the south of Interstate 40 with internal access only, but have big windows on the north side facing the tracks.
Plenty of places to eat as well there in Emory Gap / Harriman TN.

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

Nice series! Love that local with the standard cab "digging" into the curve!

Thanks!!

Fab photos! Pic #7 - what's the deal with that siding switch//rail to nowhere ?

BrutusII Wrote:
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> Fab photos! Pic #7 - what's the deal with that
> siding switch//rail to nowhere ?


That is a different version of a derail. It needs a fresh coat of Orange paint.

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA