Along the way I took time to explore the current rail and coal operations in the Beckley region. What I'm presenting is therefore includes many pictures of yards, buildings, subdivisions, and other indicators of current operations. There are also some quite lucky and interesting train photos. For any photo, click to view it full size.
Driving west on route 60, rather than the tedious I-64, I swing by Gladstone, VA, to get a quick look at the yard. I was lucky to find Q303 working the west end of the yard.
These two power sets were combined onto the train, as viewed from behind the rotten Gladstone station. The town of Gladstone seemed to consist of only about a dozen houses; I wonder if any rail employees still live there.
On I64 west an empty train was on the Buckingham Branch RR mainline. By the time I got of 64 it had gotten the signal to head into Clifton Forge yard.
The difference in maintenance between what CSX gave BBRR and their own mainlines is apparent from the start of BBRR track, which quickly turns into jointed rail.
As empties off of the BBRR move into Clifton, another train of BNBX empties waits on the James River line to come into the yard. Clifton was very busy when I stopped by, with 5 trains attempting to enter the yard.
The BBRR train of empties passes the rail museum and what looks like former yard trackage.
The middle of Clifton Forge yard, with cars of woodchips and kaolin that look to be related to the paper mill in Covington. The old shops are in the background.
Looking west from the center of Clifton Forge yard. The train in the foreground has cars of utility coal for the Richmond, VA area and was just arriving into the yard. A train of Newport news coal is on the adjacent track.
The train on the left has empty VAPX cars headed back to the mines. In less than an hour I caught it ascending the mountain near Moss Run.
An eastbound view of the west end of Clifton. Note the approach signal for yet another train into the yard.
It's quite stunning how much track is gone from the yard, or how little track space there is for such a major junction. Presumably the switch to unit coal trains and dramatic reduction in local industry is a cause.
At the west end of Clifton Forge I caught this rail train with a commemorative caboose. This is train #5 moving in and around the yard.
Looking west from the same spot, a coal train is also waiting to enter the yard. In total, within 20 minutes I saw two empty coal trains entering or waiting to enter the yard from the east, one loaded coal train pulling through the yard, an empty coal train just about to depart westbound, a rail train entering the yard, this coal train waiting to enter, and I soon found yet another coal train (TILX utility loads) waiting to enter behind this train. 7 trains! I was certainly surprised.
This is a zoomed in view of trackage at the Mead-Westvaco paper mill in Covington, which is just west of Clifton Forge.
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