CSX West of Russell Yard

Russell Yard, just west of Ashland, Kentucky on the Ohio River, and 142 miles east of Cincinnati, was the heart of the former Chesapeake and Ohio. The 29 miles between Big Sandy Junction where the Big Sandy Sub diverged from the main line and headed south to the western Kentucky coal fields, and NJ Cabin where the lines to Cincinnati and Columbus divide, is still mostly triple track and was the busiest part of the C&O. Original C&O signal bridges still guide the trains on this heavy-duty section of track. Russell Terminal, the largest yard complex on the C&O system sat in the middle of that section of track. This program shows over 24 hours of heavy duty action in October 2006 between RJ Cabin at the west entrance to Russell Yard and NJ Cabin where the lines to Cincinnati and Columbus divide. This two and three track main isn’t as busy as it was in C&O days, but still handles nearly 30 trains on a good day including locals and Amtrak’s Cardinal.