Trackside Log for Monday, March 13, 2006

The weather this morning was looking remarkably good. The forecast was for sun and clouds until some severe storms were to blow through in the evening. Since my photographs of the Sago mine CF7 from the previous day were brutally dark I decided to reshoot it this morning.

• 0734 Sago, WV - Sago mine switcher - SRPP 2500

According to the local news the mine was due to reopen that week after being shut down due to an explosion. After shooting the CF7 I returned to Buckhannon to the Appalachian & Ohio. My timing was off because I missed a southbound while stuck in traffic.

• 0813 Buckhannon, WV - A&O power - WAMX 5006-WAMX 5103-WAMX 50xx-WAMX 51xx
• 0813 Buckhannon, WV - A&O power - BAR 355
• 0813 Buckhannon, WV - A&O power - WAMX 5120

Next I headed for the West Virginia Central in Belington. Wow. Some of the roads I was on to get there were little more than tracks through the forest. On the way I encountered an old Baldwin switcher left for dead at the end of a coal siding.

• 0838 Teter, WV - Rawhide Mine switcher - Cheyenne Sales Company RT-10
• 0924 Belington, WV - WVC power - WM 67
• 0924 Belington, WV - WVC power - WM 303
• 0924 Belington, WV - WVC power - Bentley Coal Company 207
• 0924 Belington, WV - WVC power - WM 415

Sadly the Western Maryland BL2 was locked indoors and it didn't appear to be any work this day, so off to CSX in Grafton. There was an assortment of CSX AC4400's, an SD80MAC, and two NS SD70M-2's.

• 1030 Grafton, WV - CSX westbound power - CSXT 583-CSXT 517
• 1045 Grafton, WV - CSX eastbound power - CSXT 209-CSXT 3xx

It wasn't overly exciting so I continued my journey to Moorefield and the South Branch Valley Railroad.

• 1327 Moorefield, WV - SBVR power - SBVR 182
• 1331 Moorefield, WV - SBVR power - SBVR 80

When I signed my release to photograph at the SBVR shops the nice folks there told me that a southbound was on its way to Petersburg. I went after it but it beat me.

• 1412 Petersburg, WV - SBVR southbound - SBVR 181-SBVR 91 (it's front coupled)
• 1420 Petersburg, WV - SBVR yard - SBVR caboose 1892
• 1428 Petersburg, WV - SBVR power - SBVR 90

Next I took off for the Winchester & Western in Gore, VA with a quick stop at the Potomac Eagle.

• 1531 Romney, WV - Potomac Eagle power - VIA FP9 nose
• 1531 Romney, WV - Potomac Eagle power - CO 8016
• 1531 Romney, WV - Potomac Eagle power - PE 722
• 1620 Gore, VA - WW power - WW 498
• 1620 Gore, VA - WW power - ESHR 8066
• 1620 Gore, VA - WW power - WW 1007

It was getting late so I would be staying over night in Harpers Ferry, WV. I checked into the Comfort Inn and then headed down to the station to write up the day's log and see what trains would pass in the night.

• 1917 arr/1918 dep Harpers Ferry, WV - MARC P879 west - MARC 69/MARC 70
• 1948 Harpers Ferry, WV - CSX V102-11 east - CSXT 4835-CSXT 785
• 2039 arr/2040 dep Harpers Ferry, WV - MARC P883 west - MARC 62
• 2109 Harpers Ferry, WV - CSX Q400 west - CSXT 591-UP 4489-CSXT 8148
• 2139 Harpers Ferry, WV - MARC eastbound deadhead - MARC 7846 (cab car; MARC 62 power)
• 2142 Harpers Ferry, WV - CSX Q139 west - CSXT 5221-CSXT 5232

Also of note is that the Harpers Ferry B&O station is well into its restoration to approximately 1931 specifications.