Ashland, VA Railfanning August 24, 2024: A Tip Of The Hat

#train #railfans #ashland #virginia

I didn't go where I planned, but in the end I was right where I was supposed to be.

On what would be my third straight Saturday of railfanning, my mental ability to visualize a pre-dawn escape outpaced my physical willingness to put said plan into action. After becoming entangled in some midday errands, I compromised with a simple afternoon at the station in Ashland. For my scaled-back time trackside, Amtrak and CSX delivered - 14 trains in a little less than 4 hours, including 1 meet, 2 heritage units, heavier-than-expected freight traffic, and a shoutout from the engineer of Amtrak's flagship.

0:00 - Amtrak 80, Carolinian/Northeast Regional 153
It's definitely a good railfanning omen when the first thing you see is a meet. Northeast Regional 153 was calling the signal at North Ashland as the Carolinian approached, but my money was on the northbound making it to the station first. It was a wise bet - P42 22 and train breezed past in time for the baggage car to meet P42 77 just north of the College Avenue crossing.

3:22 - CSX I031
CM44AC 7209 and ES44AH 711 led a large I031 through town just 18 minutes behind Northeast Regional 153.

7:18 - Northeast Regional 158
No meet this time, just P42 205 and train taking care of business in town before resuming their journey north.

9:09 - CSX C747
ET44AH 3447, AC4400CW 434, and ES44AH 904 worked hard in the summer afternoon heat to keep 200 coal loads moving at a respectable pace, with assistance from ES44AH 828 and AC4400CW 415 in the middle of the consist.

14:30 - Amtrak 90, Palmetto
M415 would have been next, if it wasn't for the preceding traffic needing to clear out of the way first. While the big manifest cooled its heels at the North Ashland signal, Amtrak's northbound Palmetto scooted past the station behind P42 172.

15:59 - CSX M415
M415 finally got underway again shortly after 5, with ET44AH 3255 and ES44AH 3092 doing their best to impress. Watch for a pair of Pan Am Railways boxcars, one in blue/black and one in green.

21:48 - Northeast Regional 195
195 was a little on the late side as it arrived behind P42 23.

23:41 - CSX M416
On the other hand, M415's northbound counterpart showed up earlier than expected, with ET44AH 3446 and ES44AH 954 leading the charge.

29:07 - Northeast Regional 124
Phase IV heritage P42 164 led the day's edition of Northeast Regional 124.

31:51 - CSX M409
Nothing like fresh NYC garbage loads to stimulate the nostrils on a hot summer evening. ES44AHs 3160 and 3169, GP40-2 4401, and C40-8W 7792 had a large cut of the dreaded southbound Waste Management green containers on the head end of their train, followed by less fragrant mixed freight.

36:55 - Amtrak 91, Silver Star
I have seen many ALC-42s in service since they first started appearing on the Palmetto and Silver Service trains, but I was distracted enough by the 333 leading the southbound Silver Star that I completely overlooked Phase I heritage P42 161 behind it.

38:00 - Amtrak 53, Auto Train
The engineer at the throttle of P40s 835 and 817 leaned out the window and shouted 'FFV!' as the southbound Auto Train sailed past the camera. When you get a shoutout from Amtrak's flagship, you have truly arrived.