Virginia Railfanning March 29, 2025: Information, Please

#railfans #train #railroad

The spring thaw is finally here. On March 29th, I was able to secure transportation for the day and get trackside. The temperatures were reasonable and the chance of rain was low - that didn't mean the clouds weren't going to try their best to meddle in the affairs of railfans, though.

0:00 - Ruther Glen - CSX I032
A few changes had taken place along the RF&P Sub since my last visit in January. With work proceeding on the Howard Street tunnel clearance project in Baltimore, intermodal hotshots I031 and I032 have had their routes temporarily cut back to terminate there, which means they are now free to carry doublestacks. I032's consist reflected the change as the train swept through the curve in Ruther Glen, led by ES44AH 973 and ET44AH 3368.

1:15 - CSX I135
The northbound version of the RF&P Sub's other resident stack train followed just 10 minutes later, led by ET44AH 3375 and SD70MAC 4539.

4:34 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 194
Amtrak broke the day's first lull with Northeast Regional 194, led by P42 25.

5:10 - CSX L134
Local L134 had gotten the jump on me when GP40-3 6536 and GP40-2 6490 ran light northbound earlier in the morning, but I was ready when the pair returned later with a short train in tow.

6:03 - Doswell - CSX I031
Hesitating to move south to Doswell cost me a shot of L134's departure with an even longer train, so my first catch instead was I031 behind ES40DCs 5463 and 5216.

7:58 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 153
Northeast Regional 153 followed close behind I031 - albeit one track over - with ALC-42 362 on point.

8:39 - Ashland - Amtrak 80, Carolinian
It was no surprise that I was not alone in my pursuits after arriving in Ashland. Amtrak's northbound Carolinian passed among its admirers a few minutes before 3, with Phase VII P42 138 in the lead.

9:38 - Amtrak 40, Floridian
Be careful what you wish for? The much talked about and much anticipated train information system was installed earlier in the week, and while the dot-matrix screens are what I'd hoped for, I'm not so sure about the robotic and obnoxiously loud voice making announcements through PA speakers mounted on the same poles. In such a small station, is that really necessary? As the northbound Floridian approached, the PA blared forth with a reminder about Amtrak's carry-on bag limitations - for a train that doesn't stop in Ashland. ALC42s 365 and 310 had the honors.

10:53 - CSX C750/Amtrak Northeast Regional 158
Peace and quiet would have to take a number and wait their turn. Ashland was preparing for a celebration of Secretariat's birthday, and in between the trains and eagerly unhelpful messages from the station PA, we were regaled with musical selections from the soundcheck on a stage being set up in the college parking lot across from the station. The soundcheck drowned out by the passage of loaded coal drag C750, with ET44AHs 3431 and 3379 and CW44AH 513 on point and CM44ACs 7018 and 7238 on DPU duty. The passing hoppers masked the arrival and most of the departure of Amtrak's Northeast Regional 158, led by ALC-42 327.

16:13 - Amtrak 90, Palmetto
Lulls in the train activity pass quickly when you're tangled up in conversation. It fell to Amtrak again to break the quiet streak, this time with the northbound Palmetto led by ALC-42 364.

17:04 - Amtrak 53, Auto Train
The southbound edition of Amtrak's flagship cruised through town 20 minutes later, led by ALC-42 357 and P40 817.

19:08 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 124
19 minutes after the Auto Train passed, Northeast Regional 124 arrived behind ALC-42 317.

20:37 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 195
The evening Amtrak rush wrapped up just after 6 with the arrival of Northeast Regional 195, led by P42 19.

22:33 - CSX M370
A couple of recent additions from the bubbling soup of CSX train symbols are M369 and M370, operating between Chicago, IL and Rocky Mount, NC. The southbound 370 roared past the station a little before 7, led by ES40DC 5267 and CM44AH 7084. CW44AH 592 and ES44AH 972 provided an assist as the DPU.

27:43 - CSX M407
Another pair of new faces on the RF&P Sub are Cumberland, MD-Florence, SC M407 and 408. Southbound M407 wrapped up the evening in fine fashion with a lashup that featured SD70MAC 4744 in the lead, with BNSF ES44C4 6698 and ES44AC 5797 pitching in.