Trackside Log for Sunday, August 6, 2006

Vacation 2006 Day Nine

This morning I was meeting up with Kevin Foy in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I've been trading slides with him for several years but we've never met. I left the hotel and at Kevin's advice stopped by Mullins to see if any Carolina Southern power was there. Sure enough a train was parked at the east end of town.

• 0856 EDT Mullins, SC - Carolina Southern eastbound - CALA 9163-CALA 6622-CALA 2613

After a few photographs I continued on to Myrtle Beach. Kevin then led me through South and North Carolina's shortlines. First we stopped off at Red Hill to see an old derelict Southern B-unit.

• 1032 EDT Red Hill, SC - SOU 960602 heater car

We then began hunting around Conway for more Carolina Southern power. First we examined some passenger equipment in the area though.

• 1043 EDT Conway, SC - stored passenger equipment
• 1056 EDT Conway, SC - Waccamaw Coast passenger car
• 1102 EDT Conway, SC - Carolina Southern westbound - MRR 958-CALA 950

Next stop on the Carolina Southern hunt was Chadbourn where quite a few units are stored.

• 1210 EDT Chadbourn, SC - Carolina Southern power - BLA 87
• 1212 EDT Chadbourn, SC - Carolina Southern power - CALA 100-CALA 951-WCLR 943
• 1221 EDT Chadbourn, SC - Carolina Southern power - WCLR 88-CALA 48-CALA 9158

Our next destination was Parkton on the CSX where an old Fairbanks-Morse sits.

• 1343 EDT Parkton, NC - NCPR 1801-B&O 6929
• 1352 EDT Parkton, NC - CSX northbound - CSXT 4809-CN 5430-HLCX 6129

Next we went hunting for the Aberdeen and Rockfish. Unfortunately we didn't find any power that was photographable, but I did photograph two cabooses in Aberdeen.

• 1447 EDT Aberdeen, NC - Aberdeen and Rockfish caboose - AR 309
• 1449 EDT Aberdeen, NC - Aberdeen and Rockfish caboose - AR 303

From Aberdeen we started following the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western looking for anything we could find. We struck gold in Candor.

• 1528 EDT Candor, NC - Aberdeen, Carolina and Western power - ACWR 9538-ACWR 703-ACWR 9582
• 1543 EDT Candor, NC - Aberdeen, Carolina and Western power - ACWR 9556
• 1554 EDT Candor, NC - Aberdeen, Carolina and Western power - ACWR 1721

We continued along the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western to home base in Star.

• 1616 EDT Star, NC - Aberdeen, Carolina and Western power - CEMR 4081-NREX 1601-NREX 6064
• 1620 EDT Star, NC - Aberdeen, Carolina and Western power - TBRX 4444
• 1629 EDT Star, NC - Aberdeen, Carolina and Western power - ACWR 3802

It was getting late in the day so we turned back south toward Myrtle Beach and stopped off in Hamlet for a look at what CSX had parked in the yard.

• 1731 EDT Hamlet, NC - CSX power - CSXT 5209-CSXT 7311
• 1802 EDT Hamlet, NC - former Seaboard station

Continuing on we got to Laurinburg where a northbound CSX was waiting for a meet and the Laurinburg & Southern stored its power.

• 1844 EDT Laurinburg, NC - CSX northbound - CSXT 7867-CSXT 7615
• 1853 EDT Laurinburg, NC - Laurinburg & Southern power - GORX 9528
• 1854 EDT Laurinburg, NC - Laurinburg & Southern power - RSNR 104-LRS 118-LRS 150-LRS 11?
• 1855 EDT Laurinburg, NC - Laurinburg & Southern power - GORX 9525-GORX 9573
• 1906 EDT Laurinburg, NC - Laurinburg & Southern power - LRS 109

The light was fading by now and we had a productive day so we returned to Myrtle Beach for the evening. It was great to finally meet Kevin and share a day of railfanning.

Trackside Log for Saturday, August 5, 2006

Vacation 2006 Day Eight

It rained the night before and the morning was humid and hazy. I drove down to the Carolina Piedmont yard to see what was there. Unfortunately the 3899 was unshootable but everything else was reasonably open.

• 0808 EDT Laurens, SC - Carolina Piedmont power - CF&E 3881
• 0810 EDT Laurens, SC - Carolina Piedmont power - TNMR 2053
• 0811 EDT Laurens, SC - Carolina Piedmont power - CPDR 8379

My next goal was the Lancaster & Chester in Chester, South Carolina. Shortly after I arrived I found a loaded grain train just about to leave.

• 0947 EDT Chester, SC - Lancaster & Chester eastbound - GMTX 2661-LLPX 2029-GMTX 2664-LC 3819-LC 3821-LLPX 2036
• 0959 EDT Chester, SC - Lancaster & Chester eastbound - GMTX 2661-LLPX 2029-GMTX 2664-LC 3819-LC 3821-LLPX 2036

I headed out ahead of the grain train in Richburg.

• 1020 EDT Richburg, SC - Lancaster & Chester eastbound - GMTX 2661-LLPX 2029-GMTX 2664-LC 3819-LC 3821-LLPX 2036

Once again I drove ahead and found a feed mill that turned out to be the customer so I took the opportunity to photograph the location.

• 1057 EDT Fort Lawn, SC - Lancaster & Chester switcher - LC 91
• 1115 EDT Fort Lawn, SC - Lancaster & Chester eastbound - GMTX 2661-LLPX 2029-GMTX 2664-LC 3819-LC 3821-LLPX 2036

While setting up for the photo of the grain train I was attacked by fire ants. Let me tell ya, those things hurt! Since the Lancaster & Chester would be switching for a while I left it behind and searched for the South Carolina Central. Before I found them I discovered a steel mill remote control switcher working.

• 1406 EDT Floyd, SC - Nucor Steel remote control switcher - Nucor 05

Then it was over to the South Corolina Central.

• 1415 EDT Floyd, SC - South Carolina Central power - SCRF 2027
• 1421 EDT Floyd, SC - South Carolina Central power - CPDR 3890

When I'd finished photographing in Floyd I turned toward Marlboro, South Carolina and the Pee Dee River.

• 1543 EDT Marlboro, SC - Pee Dee River power - PDRR 1764-PDRR 1797
• 1544 EDT Marlboro, SC - Pee Dee River power - PDRR 1842

The weather was turning ugly so I packed up and left for the Fairfield Inn in Florence, South Carolina. I had just checked in when the skies opened up and the lightning began. Good timing!

Trackside Log for Friday, August 4, 2006

Vacation 2006 Day Seven

I truly chose an excellent week for this trip. The morning was another bright, sunny and hot one. My first goal was to find the Georgia Woodlands in Washington, GA. When I arrived I found that the day's run to the CSX was under way. I didn't need to chase long before I could smell diesel exhaust.

• 0910 EDT Ficklin, GA - Georgia Woodlands southbound - OMLX 4433
• 0932 EDT Sharon, GA - Georgia Woodlands southbound - OMLX 4433

After waiting for 4433 to lift its train from the interchange in Barnett I photographed the northbound.

• 1016 EDT Barnett, GA - Georgia Woodlands northbound - OMLX 4433
• 1116 EDT Little River trestle, GA - Georgia Woodlands northbound - OMLX 4433

After sweating profusely while waiting for the northbound at the Little River I was happy to be in my air conditioned truck headed for the Hartwell Railroad.

• 1330 EDT Airline, GA - Hartwell Railroad power - HRT 4556
• 1331 EDT Airline, GA - Hartwell Railroad power - HRT 3021

With the Hartwell Railroad behind me so too was the state of Georgia. I was headed for South Carolina and the Pickens Railroad.

• 1505 EDT Gluck (Anderson), SC - Pickens Railroad power - PICK 9504-PICK 9500

Next up was the Pickens shops in Pickens, South Carolina.

• 1616 EDT Pickens, SC - Pickens Railroad shops - RMGX 5046
• 1617 EDT Pickens, SC - Pickens Railroad shops - CLCX 5118 parts
• 1619 EDT Pickens, SC - Pickens Railroad shops - YDC 3
• 1626 EDT Pickens, SC - Pickens Railroad shops - stripped frame #5321-B-59 (ex-GORX 8314; ex-ICG GP10 8314; nee UP GP9B 188B)
• 1627 EDT Pickens, SC - Pickens Railroad shops - CLCX 5119 parts
• 1628 EDT Pickens, SC - Pickens Railroad shops - PICK 2

I had fun with the variety of derelict equipment and looked forward to the Pickens' facility in Honea Path.

• 1813 EDT Dosheno (Honea Path), SC - Pickens Railroad power - CSXT 9501
• 1813 EDT Dosheno (Honea Path), SC - Pickens Railroad power - PICK 9503
• 1815 EDT Dosheno (Honea Path), SC - Pickens Railroad power - PICK 9507
• 1817 EDT Dosheno (Honea Path), SC - Pickens Railroad power - PICK 6

The day turned out very nicely. The next day would begin with the Carolina Piedmont so I drove to Laurens, South Carolina for the night.