WeilerPix

Norfolk & Western J-Class Number 611

One of the most amazing, and beautiful, steam locomotives ever built. This 4-8-4, number 611, was built in Roanoke Virginia by the Norfolk & Western Railway in 1950. It was only used by N&W for about 10 years, before being retired and parked in the Roanoke Transportation Museum. It was taken out in the early 1980s, restored, and put into service pulling special excursion trains. This picture was at Arthur Virginia and was made on good old Kodachrome slide film.

NS at Seneca South Carolina

Blazing through town in October 2010, touched up using Topaz Adjust.

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Here is the J again, pictured at one of my favorite places, coming out of Montgomery Tunnel near Christiansburg Virginia. Picture taken with good old Kodachrome slide film and scanned by ScanCafe.

Southern GP50 at Lawyers

This is one of my favorite diesel locomotive models in my very favorite railroad paint scheme. When this picture was taken in the early 1980s, the GP50s were new and were pulling the hottest trains. Shown here pulling a fast intermodal through Lawyers Virginia.

THe J at Lawyers

Same place, same day, but this time the J blazing through town.

GP50 in Later Years

This is the same model locomotive, the GP50, as pictured above when it was new. This time, in the mid-2000s, this engine is no longer pulling the hot trains. Instead, it is pulling the local junk freight in Duluth Georgia.

Southern in the Coalfields

I can't get enough of the classic Southern Railway paint scheme. This shot, of an SD40-2 running long-hood forward, was taken on the old Virginian Railway at Singer Virginia. Thanks to my friend Grant Carpenter for helping me remember where this was.

NS in Norcross

Old, but nicely repainted, GP38 locomotives blazing through Norcross Georgia in October 2009. 

UP Under Blue Skies

Union Pacific intermodal train, at the crossing nearest my house in Las Vegas, on an amazingly pretty day.

UP Coming Up the Hill

UP intermodal train straining up the hill and snaking around the S curves at Apex Nevada.

Amtrak in Santa Barbara

An Amtrak Coaster train, stopping in the beautiful town of Santa Barbara California. About to head south towards LA on one of the most-scenic routes in America.

Coal Train Snacking Up the Hill

Like a snake, this UP coal train is slithering up the hill at Apex Nevada, with the Las Vegas skyline in the background.

BNSF in the Canyon

One of many BNSF trains I would see this day, in Kingman Canyon Arizona.

BNSF in the Canyon 2

BNSF in the Canyon 3

Got Enough Power?

A heavy load of power on the front of this UP train, in Apex Nevada.

Meeting

Two UP trains meeting and passing at Kelso Depot, in the middle of the Mojave desert, in Kelso California.

Conrail in Christiansburg

Soon after the takeover of Conrail by Norfolk Southern (and CSX), this Conrail GE locomotive is pulling freight through one of my favorite spois in Christiansburg Virginia. I spent many hours, as a kid, at this station waiting to watch plain-black N&W locomotives pull coal empties and freights through here. Never would have guessed then that someday I would see Conrail blue here. Processed using Topaz Adjust for an artistic effect.

Color Position Signal

I took this picture of an N&W standard color-position signal at Whitethorne Virginia because I wasn't sure how long these old signals would be in use by NS. 

Blazing Through Norcross

Another favorite spot to watch trains is Norcross Georgia. It's also a great place to eat dinner, with a great restaurant just behind me in this picture (located in the old Southern depot).

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