Coal Over the Buckingham Branch

Hey Guys!

I was staying at Ashland, Va this weekend and I heard about a great spot called Doswell, Va just North of there so I decided to head up. To my surprise, when I got there, there was a NB Coal Train sitting there on Track 3, parked lights out. A Buckingham Branch crew came over by us at the station and said that that train came down from Sealston, moved South of Doswell, then ran his engines down to Elmont and then back North of Doswell to hook on the front so they would be pointed North. The CSX cew was not qualified to pull it onto the connecting track onto the Buckingham Branch so the BB crew had to walk down there and pilot them up to the West Side of the Diamond. The CSX guys then got off the train and the BB guys who piloted them off the RF&P and onto the BB asked for a track warrant and proceeded to Clifton Forge, VA. This train also in the process announced that he was NB U793-01 and then WB U793-01 turning onto the BB. He called with a grand total of 98 empty cars in tow.

While that all occurred Saturday night (9th), the next day (today the 10th) we returned to Doswell after such a good experience. We soon heard a train call "CSX 760 West East Diamond" and filmed him go over the diamond. He called that "CSX 760 West <Location>" numerous times down the line and he was lead engine 760. I always really try to get a symbol for my train so I know and I was wondering if anyone here can help me as to what range of symbols or a wild guess at what he might be or what he has recently been, I just like to stick an at least probable symbol to each of my catches. To describe it, this train had Eng. 760 leading and 769 as the second engine, facing backwards towards the first hopper. The train was solid CSX hoppers, with a good proportion Black with gold text, and all the rest being the CSX Gray ones with black text. The train was empty and had an even 150 cars after looking back at my footage and counting. He came from "AM Junction" in Richmond, VA where we first heard him and he was cleared up to "BOB" near Gordonsville, VA where he was told to wait until 1:15pm and he could grab a bite to eat. His lead unit passed us at 10:05 and his last car cleared us at 10:15 as he was calling his entry into the next block or twc section down (whichever you call it).

Any help would be greatly appreciated and if you need me to clarify a detail of the train to help identify what it might be I would be more than happy to!

Thanks in advance for your time and help to whomever may know,

Davis Strench
Riva, MD

Westbound BB moves are empty hoppers. Loaded coal trains move over the James River line.

The U793 you observed was a empty movement from the Sealston, VA power plant. The normal delivery of this train is through the Bank and/or #4 track from North Doswell. Running around the train between Elmont and Doswell and delivering it through the C&O Connection at Doswell indicated that the Bank/#4 route was blocked, most likely with at ballast train either load or empty. Ballast trains are loaded at Verdon which is about 2 miles West of Doswell on the BB.

The Sealston Power plant receives about one coal train a week. The loaded move in the Richmond area originates from Fulton Yard, goes through ACCA Yard to Fredericksburg and then goes on the Dahlgren Branch to the Sealston power plant. The loaded trains operate with a locomotive on each end of the train and a engineer on each locomotive. With track time being at a premium around Fredericksburg with VRE-AMTK and CSX movements, the manned locomotive on each end permits the loaded train to operate to Dahlgren Jct, stop North of the switch and then be lined onto the Dahlgren Branch with the trailing engine now in the lead.

Hey mmi16,

Thank you very much for the information! I can say that there was some MoW equipment sitting on the BB Tracks and I didn't look over on that side of the wye but it looked pretty crowded so that part most likely was indeed blocked as you suggested. I have never seen Verdon, is it a large facility and also do they ship rock to anyone that you know of or is it purely BB use? Also, on that Sunday I watched a fuel truck drop by and fuel up three BB engines (on what they said was a trial contract) and these engines had come down over the course of the weekend, not sure exactly when though, I was back and forth between Ashland and Doswell a lot.

Thank you for also explaining the Sealston moves, that makes a lot of sense and sounds like a pretty efficient operation. Probably one of the only moves of its type in the area. Does the branch solely serve the Power Plant or is it also a line that some freight uses. It must be pretty important because CSX has its own page in the Engineer's Timetable just for that branch, which is uncommon for spurs and other non-mainline infrastructure. Also, would you happen to know what range of symbols Westbounds have been using on the BB recently?

Thanks a bunch for your help!

Davis

I am not familiar with the assignments that the BB actually operate. As you know, the BB has leased and operates CSX's former Piedmont Sub. CSX Crews still operate over the BB between Fulton Yard (Richmond) and Charlottesville. A CSX crew is called to move the Sealston empties from Doswell to Clifton Forge.

The quarry at Verdon, in addition to supplying ballast to CSX, supplies stone for at least two regular 'Rock Runners', the destinations of which I don't know.

There are several industries on the Sealston Branch that are serviced by a local that originates from Fredericksburg Yard. In addition to the power plant, there is also at trash handling plant at Seaston. Q705 originates at the Trash Plant M-F and takes empties from the Trash Plant to the USA Waste plant at Jessup, MD and then returns with loaded trash cars from Jessup to Seaston. Several years ago there was a Sand Train movement between a plant on the Sealston Branch and Benning, DC - that movement is no longer operating.