The former Atlantic Coast Line main from Richmond, Virginia, to Jacksonville, Florida, has always been the busiest and fastest route for both passenger and freight trains between the Northeast and Florida.  Nicknamed “The Speedway” in ACL days for its long sections of straight track and one-time one hundred mile-an-hour limit for passenger trains, and later the “A” Line for its ACL heritage, this once double tracked line is CSX’s and Amtrak’s main line from the Northeast to Florida and is best known today as the I-95 Corridor for the interstate highway that it parallels.  This program first shows over twenty-four hours of action in August of 2017 around Ridgeland, South Carolina, thirty-two miles north of Savannah Georgia and then daytime action at Pembroke, North Carolina where CSX’s I-95 Corridor crosses their line from Hamlet to Wilmington.  And all of this action takes place five months after the late Hunter Harrison took over CSX and drastically changed the railroad’s operations, closing eight of twelve hump classification yards including Hamlet and running fewer but longer trains.  Unfortunately, four months after our visit to CSX’s I-95 Corridor, Hunter Harrison suddenly died.  Two of his protégé’s are now running the railroad.   CSX I-95 Corridor in the Carolinas is 61 minutes in length and can be watched with and without narration.

The former Atlantic Coast Line main from Richmond, Virginia, to Jacksonville, Florida, has always been the busiest and fastest route for both passenger and freight trains between the Northeast and Florida.  Nicknamed “The Speedway” in ACL days for its long sections of straight track and one-time one hundred mile-an-hour limit for passenger trains, and later the “A” Line for its ACL heritage, this once double tracked line is CSX’s and Amtrak’s main line from the Northeast to Florida and is best known today as the I-95 Corridor for the interstate highway that it parallels.  This program first shows over twenty-four hours of action in August of 2017 around Ridgeland, South Carolina, thirty-two miles north of Savannah Georgia and then daytime action at Pembroke, North Carolina where CSX’s I-95 Corridor crosses their line from Hamlet to Wilmington.  And all of this action takes place five months after the late Hunter Harrison took over CSX and drastically changed the railroad’s operations, closing eight of twelve hump classification yards including Hamlet and running fewer but longer trains.  Unfortunately, four months after our visit to CSX’s I-95 Corridor, Hunter Harrison suddenly died.  Two of his protégé’s are now running the railroad.   CSX I-95 Corridor in the Carolinas is 61 minutes in length and can be watched with and without narration.

This Program shows over twenty-four hours of action in August of 2017 on one of the more historic main lines in the southeastern United States – the former Southern Railway, now Norfolk Southern, Washington to Atlanta main line just south of the Virginia border.  Although today almost all of the traffic on this line runs via Hagerstown, Maryland, not through Washington, D. C., Norfolk Southern’s Piedmont Division Main today sees more tonnage than ever before in its storied history thanks to the acquisition of part of Conrail including ownership of the Hagerstown to Harrisburg Line.  This acquisition has greatly increased traffic on this line since our last look in 1998 just before the Conrail split.  As you will see, the Piedmont region of North Carolina is far from level, and there are few straight sections of track in this rolling country between the coastal plain and the Blue Ridge that was once home to many textile, furniture and tobacco related businesses, few of which remain.  This line carries all of NS’s traffic between the Northeast and the Southeast with all carload trains terminating or originating at Linwood Yard, 41 miles south of Greensboro.  NS former Southern Railway North Carolina main is 68 minutes in length and can be watched with or without narration.

This Program shows over twenty-four hours of action in August of 2017 on one of the more historic main lines in the southeastern United States – the former Southern Railway, now Norfolk Southern, Washington to Atlanta main line just south of the Virginia border.  Although today almost all of the traffic on this line runs via Hagerstown, Maryland, not through Washington, D. C., Norfolk Southern’s Piedmont Division Main today sees more tonnage than ever before in its storied history thanks to the acquisition of part of Conrail including ownership of the Hagerstown to Harrisburg Line.  This acquisition has greatly increased traffic on this line since our last look in 1998 just before the Conrail split.  As you will see, the Piedmont region of North Carolina is far from level, and there are few straight sections of track in this rolling country between the coastal plain and the Blue Ridge that was once home to many textile, furniture and tobacco related businesses, few of which remain.  This line carries all of NS’s traffic between the Northeast and the Southeast with all carload trains terminating or originating at Linwood Yard, 41 miles south of Greensboro.  NS former Southern Railway North Carolina main is 68 minutes in length and can be watched with or without narration.

The Clinchfield Railroad, now part of the far flung CSX system, which runs through the Appalachian, Valley and Ridge, and Blue Ridge geological provinces of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina rather than around them, is considered to be one of the best engineered rail lines in this country and certainly one of the most spectacular in the Eastern half of the U. S. CSX’s Blue Ridge Subdivision, the southern half of the former Clinchfield, extends from the former headquarters of the Clinchfield at Erwin, Tennessee, to Spartanburg, South Carolina, a distance of 137 miles. Half of that distance is spent ascending and then descending the Blue Ridge. This video shows portions of four days and one night along CSX’s Blue Ridge Subdivision between Erwin and Sevier on both sides of the Blue Ridge including the famed “loops”, in November of 2011. Once a bridge route for Florida perishables into the Midwest and a route for locally originated coal to get to power plants in the Southeast, today this heavily railfanned line with some of the best scenery in the East is a corridor for coal from mines in Kentucky and West Virginia to power plants in the Southeast. The Blue Ridge sub is also CSX’s testing ground for distributed power or radio controlled slave unit pushers as all unit trains over 75 cars utilize distributed power, the only part of CSX where DPU has replaced manned pushers as of the fall of 2011.  Length = 1 hour and 45 minutes.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.

The Clinchfield Railroad, now part of the far flung CSX system, which runs through the Appalachian, Valley and Ridge, and Blue Ridge geological provinces of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina rather than around them, is considered to be one of the best engineered rail lines in this country and certainly one of the most spectacular in the Eastern half of the U. S. CSX’s Blue Ridge Subdivision, the southern half of the former Clinchfield, extends from the former headquarters of the Clinchfield at Erwin, Tennessee, to Spartanburg, South Carolina, a distance of 137 miles. Half of that distance is spent ascending and then descending the Blue Ridge. This video shows portions of four days and one night along CSX’s Blue Ridge Subdivision between Erwin and Sevier on both sides of the Blue Ridge including the famed “loops”, in November of 2011. Once a bridge route for Florida perishables into the Midwest and a route for locally originated coal to get to power plants in the Southeast, today this heavily railfanned line with some of the best scenery in the East is a corridor for coal from mines in Kentucky and West Virginia to power plants in the Southeast. The Blue Ridge sub is also CSX’s testing ground for distributed power or radio controlled slave unit pushers as all unit trains over 75 cars utilize distributed power, the only part of CSX where DPU has replaced manned pushers as of the fall of 2011.  Length = 1 hour and 45 minutes.  This DVD has the option of being watched with or without narration.

I will be videotaping in the Southeast for about one month.  Locations and times will be determined after I have explored the various places that I would like to videotape.

Spring 2011 Trip Plan
 
Weather permitting, below are the plans for my 2001 spring trip.
 
Monday, 3/28/11.
            Leave home late morning and drive to Ashland, Virginia.
 
Tuesday, 3.29/11
            Videotape CSX and Amtrak at Ashland from late morning until ~5 p.m. on Wednesday. Videotape at night at the Gwathmey Baptist Church parking lot. Drive a couple of hours towards Front Royal, VA when done.
 
Thursday, 3/31/11.
            Explore NS Hagerstown District between Front Royal - Riverton Junction and Shenandoah Junction looking for a place to shoot at night.
 
Friday, 4/1/11
            Videotape NS between Front Royal and Shenandoah Junction from ~8 a.m. until ~11 a.m. on Saturday. Then drive towards Erwin, TE on the former Clinchfield.
 
Sunday, 4/3/11
            Explore CSX Blue Ridge Sub between Erwin and Marion, NC. Looking for places to move around without missing trains and a place to shoot at night. One possibility to shoot at night is a parking lot along the tracks at North Poplar, MP 148.2 May hike into Nolichucky Gorge and shoot a train or two. 
 
Monday, 4/4/11. 
Videotape Blue Ridge Sub for 24 hours, probably south of Spruce Pine and then catch several trains around Erwin or Marion or both, not worrying about missing trains. Tuesday afternoon, drive to Williamson, WV.
 
Wednesday, 4/6/11
            Get up early. Check out Webb, WV Baptist Church parking lot for shooting at night if not done the previous day. If not okay do some more exploring heading north towards Pritchard. If okay, begin videotaping at Williamson. Videotape NS Kenova District for ~28 hours. Then drive home over Thursday night, sleeping as needed.

Ever wonder which railroad has the fastest trains.  This video shows the fastest freight trains in the U.S. and Canada during the 1990's.  Many of the changes in freight train scheduling will be shown, and the schedules will be compared to the timings for previous decades.  137 minutes.  2 DVD-R, 1 tape set

Ever wonder which railroad has the fastest trains.  This video shows the fastest freight trains in the U.S. and Canada during the 1990's.  Many of the changes in freight train scheduling will be shown, and the schedules will be compared to the timings for previous decades.  137 minutes.  2 DVD-R, 1 tape set