Virginia's Trunk Line

A CSX ES44AH and AC4400CW pair make up the power on M301-19 as he flies through the Featherstone Road grade crossing south of Woodbridge, Virginia, at 2:31 P.M. on Thursday, January 19th, 2023. A day of trains featuring the numbers three, zero, and one, Virginia Railway Express P301-19 was followed by CSX I031-19 and finally this freight, M301-19. The whole time, I thought M301 would be first! A rather average sized M301, today's train had 444 axles and consisted mostly of scrap gondolas and trash flatcars.

A lone ET44AH leads CSX M409-15 southbound through Alexandria, Virginia, at 2:34 P.M. on Wednesday, March 15th, 2023. Heading for CSX's massive Rice Yard in Waycross, Florida, this train will traverse almost the entire east coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. The largest commodity carried by this train, like most other RF&P manifests, is trash from the New York metropolis. These cars were picked up in Oak Island, New Jersey and are destined for either Collier, Virginia, or somewhere in South Carolina.

CSX ES44AH #952 grinds through the curve at CP Fleet at 7:22 P.M. near Franconia, Virginia, on the point of northbound manifest train M410 on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022. The sun was just starting set in this image and I was afraid I would run out of light before this train and two other freights would arrive. Thankfully, M410 made good time from Ashland and the photos turned out fine. This M410 was one of the longer ones I've seen with 622 total axles.

CSX northbound manifest M416-05 rolls under the Duke Street overpass in Alexandria, Virginia, at 4:49 P.M. on Monday, September 5th, 2022. Now that M416 doesn't work Fredericksburg, he is able to start running at a relatively consistent time on the RF&P Sub. It's nice to have a consistent afternoon freight train especially on a line where the only other consistent daylight freight is I031. Today's M416 had 74 cars yet was hauled by four engines on the head end and one rear DPU. A little overpowered wouldn't you say?

A solo ET44AH leads northbound M422-16 through Amtrak's Woodbridge, Virginia, station at 4:36 P.M. on Monday, January 16th, 2023. An average sized M422, this afternoon's run had 468 axles and was utilizing all of the track speed on its northbound trek towards its destination of Selkirk, New York. Note the brand new steel coil car directly behind the locomotive along with the three older coil cars. These cars may have come from the Nucor steel plant in Eastern North Carolina.

CSX I031-26 rushes through VRE's Woodbridge, Virginia, commuter station at 12:58 P.M. on Friday, November 26th, 2021. This was the first time I caught I031 after CSX's changeover of Q symbols for intermodal trains to I symbols. Note the geometry boxcar trailing directly behind #3243. These boxcars can sometimes be seen on I031 and I032 and can be identified by their "Do Not Hump" writing on the sides and the solar panels on the roof.

CSX I135-20 cruises through the Curve just south of Amtrak's Alexandria Station in Alexandria, Virginia, at 11:11 A.M. on Monday, February 21st, 2022. 148 cars of double stacked marine containers and three locomotives make up the consist of today's I135. The third locomotive is situated as a mid train DPU. This was taken atop the Duke Street overpass.

CSX I136-27 creeps under the Rippon, Virginia, VRE footbridge on Sunday, May 29th, 2022, at the unusual time of 2:12 P.M. This massive land barge, as it's affectionately known, had 654 axles today and was almost 12 hours late hence the uncommon daylight appearance. Unlike I136's northbound equivalent I135, this train almost always runs at night on this portion of the RF&P Subdivision. Something that might have impacted this trains struggles to make the schedule is that I136 and I135 had recently been extended to Chicago meaning more railroad had to be traversed increasing the possibility for delays.

*Nick A. Jobe Photograph*

As twilight approaches for the United States domestic coal industry, more and more coal fired generating stations are either converting to natural gas or shutting down permanently. This has led the railroads to shift their methods for shipping coal as coal prices and demand are much more prone to economic fluctuations then previously throughout history. This has led to to certain mines closing when economic conditions worsen while reopening when a profit can be turned once again. Due to this, mine contracts have been much more short term leading to some infrequent coal moves such as the one pictured here. CSX C377-17 is caught heading south through the Virginia Railway Express Rippon, Virginia, commuter station on Thursday, January 19th, 2023, at 1:04 P.M. with 104 loaded KGLX coal hoppers. Loaded at the Shaw Mines complex near Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, on the remainder of the former Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Salisbury Branch, this one off coal move is destined for the Crystal River Energy Complex at Red River Junction, Florida, via the Florida Northern Railroad. It will be interesting to see if anymore of these one off coal trains will run before any of the South Carolina or Florida generating stations close for good.

CSX ET44AH #3290 grinds through the curve at Alexandria, Virginia, at the head end of empty coal train E742-21 at 3:40 P.M. on Monday, February 21st, 2022. With a whopping 904 axles, this coal train is one of the biggest I've ever seen but surprisingly didn't have any distributed power. After taking this photograph on the Duke Street overpass, I walked back down to Alexandria Station and by the time I got to the building, the train was stilling passing by! With oil prices going up nationally thanks to the Ukraine War, coal trains like this E742 might start to run more frequently. Though, some of the coal exported from CSX piers at Newport News actually go to Ukrainian facilities so maybe not. 

As darkness begins to set, CSX E770-02 led by CSX ET44AH #3422 cruises through CP Fleet near Franconia, Virginia, at 8:23 P.M. on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022. Not a massive train with only 414 axles, this empty power plant coal train from the Chesterfield Generating Station south of Richmond, Virginia, had made good time from Ashland and came just before total darkness.

In a quite bizarre consist, CSX L133-03 is seen returning to Fredericksburg, Virginia, in a 2x0x2 arrangement with two locomotives on the front and two locomotives on the rear. Here we can see him heading south through the town of Newington, Virginia, at 2:52 P.M. on August 3rd, 2022, after working the industry on the left. That industry being Potomac Valley Brick & Supply also known as the "Brickman". Those two gondolas visible being the locomotives are MOW gons picked up at RO in Alexandria.

As the sun sets on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022, a pair of aging CSX ES40DC's pull empty trash train L157-03 through CP Fleet near Franconia, Virginia, at 8:05 P.M. . L157 is one of only two trains to run the former U.S. Navy line from Dahlgren Junction just north of Fredericksburg to the small town of Sealston, Virginia. At Sealston is a Waste Management landfill where this train originates. Monday through Friday, it's pretty easy to catch this train heading north around sunset. At one time coal trains could be caught on what is known as the CSX Sealston Branch but the coal power plant has since closed down. 

Loaded ballast train W089-03 rumbles past CP Fleet near Franconia, Virginia, at 6:17 P.M. on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022, with an ES44AH and CM44AC pair. I believe this specific train was running from the ballast quarries near Skippers, Virginia, to the Grafton, West Virginia, area though I may be wrong. This train has been making the rounds lately running on every single line in the DMV dumping ballast. 

Amtrak train 195, the Northeast Regional from Boston to Richmond, is seen decelerating at the Alexandria, Virginia, station at 3:18 P.M. on Monday, February 21st, 2022. This now 25 year old P42DC is still pulling trains across Amtrak's system and will continue doing so until Amtrak's new Siemen ALC-42's are finished. That however will be in more than a few years. This 195 had a healthy consist of 14 cars (56 axles) and there was quite a crowd of people getting on and off, especially for a Monday! Goes to show that people do in fact still ride the train.

Q031 creeps past the signals at CP Fleet near Franconia, Virginia, with CSX ET44AH #3278 in the lead at 3:58 P.M. on Thursday, August 19th, 2021. This image was captured on one of my first RF&P Subdivision excursions and man was it a pretty day. Not sure why, but Q031 was running at a reduced speed here and it took him almost ten minutes to clear.

In a rare turn of events, CSX #4814, a flared EMD SD70MAC is caught leading manifest train Q422 northbound through Franconia, Virginia, at 2:21 P.M. on Thursday, August 19th, 2021. Not very many flared SD70MACs are still on the road today making this catch that much rarer. Note the concrete ties on the nearest track. Upgrades have been ongoing at various points on the line to ease congestion especially between Quantico and Long Bridge in Washington D.C. This includes triple tracking the line as well as adding a fourth track north of Alexandria and a four track replacement for the aging Long Bridge built all the way back in 1904.