Ashland, VA Railfanning August 3, 2025, Part II

#train #railfan #railway #trainspotting

While the clouds did their best to turn the sky into a featureless gray blob over Ashland on the evening of August 3rd, I swapped cameras to await the next train.

0:00 - Amtrak 90, Palmetto
The wait wasn't long. 30 minutes after the southbound Floridian, the Palmetto passed in the other direction behind ALC-42 305, one of a handful of units painted in Amtrak's Phase VI scheme.

1:15 - Amtrak 53, Auto Train
With nothing to block the view like the day before, Amtrak's southbound flagship rolled through town behind ALC-42s 364 and 322.

2:57 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 195
Hot on the heels of the Auto Train was Northeast Regional 195, led by P42 38. The train had quite a bit of passenger business to conduct before resuming its journey.

4:20 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 124
P42 187 showed off a healthy patina of road grime over its Phase VII paint as it led Northeast Regional 124 into the station. The Phase VII scheme is also making it onto the car fleet, as evidenced by the second and third coaches.

5:42 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 157
In contrast, Northeast Regional 157 had only a single Phase VII coach in its consist, led by Phase V P42 77.

7:58 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 99
The clouds finally relented in time for the arrival of Northeast Regional 99, led by P42 192. While part of me wanted to linger stubbornly in the hope of catching 'just one more' freight, my decision to head home after 99 departed turned out to be a wise one. The next freight didn't pass until well after 11.