Trestles, CPLs, and Coal Trains on the Norfolk Southern Altavista District

Raitt Mountain Media takes you to the Norfolk Southern Altavista District that runs between Roanoke and Abilene Virginia. This important piece of railroad was built by the Virginian Railway to compete with the nearby Norfolk and Western mainline to bring Appalachian coal to the coast for export. Today, this line is owned and operated by Norfolk Southern, but it still holds true to its original purpose.The Altavista District runs in tandem with the ex-N&W Blue Ridge District mentioned previously. NS prefers this route for it's heavier trains. Although it is a longer trip, it does not have any major grades to climb, eliminating the need for additional horsepower. In more recent times, NS has tested their limits with train length vs number of locomotives as we will see in one scene. In this video, we traverse the majority of what's left of the VGN Mainline, beginning at "South Yard" in Roanoke. Here we see NS 810 pull up and stop for a crew change with the Central of Georgia Heritage Unit leading the way. We will see this train a few more times as we travel east. The next location we see is the massive trestle at Smith Mountain Lake. The first train we see is 40N. This train is a combination of two different trains-a grain and a coal train. Coming in a 190 cars and nearly 30,000 tonnes, this train puts the three locomotives to the test as they make their way to Norfolk. The next train we see here is the 810 from earlier with the CofG Heritage Unit. Continuing east, we see one of several tunnels on this line. 776 is seen approaching the tunnel from the opposite side, then through a rock cut. Note the slide fence on either sides and overtop the tracks near the tunnel. There is a rumor that the construction crew was a few feet short on wire, so they sacrificed a shovel to finish the wire fencing. The next few spots are all located within a few miles of each other in the Town of Altavista- the town that this piece of railroad is named after. This small town plays a huge role in the railroad, as this is where the Altavista District, and Danville District meet. At the time these videos were filmed, this town had four examples of classic color position light signals installed by the Norfolk and Western when they took over the Virginian Railway. These signals are known on the railroad as control point Altavista, and Dogwood. Unfortunately, these important pieces of railroad history have since been removed and replaced with modern signals. The only thing that remains is the cantilever support that once held the single track side of CP Altavista. While in Altavista, we will see a few different meets, a few different types of trains, and a number of friendly crews as they greet the camera. Just outside of Altavista is a set of CPL intermediate signals at a location once known as Mansion to the railroad. This type of set up has been nicknamed "lollipop signals" for obvious reasons. The next location we visit is the former passing siding at control point Seneca. The siding was removed in 2020, but the signals still stand as a reminder of how busy this piece of railroad once was. At one point in time, this location also sported a water tower and a coal wharf for the Virginian Railroad. One of the locals that lives here is a descendant of one of the crew members that worked in the wharf, and was kind enough to show me some pictures of this location's heyday. Continuing east, we reach control point Brookneal. This is the only active siding between Altavista and Abilene. Although the railroad is relatively flat here, there are several tight curves that prove to be a challenge for these heavy trains, especially if one of the locomotives is not performing properly, as we can hear with NS 1833. Here, as well as the final location we see, 1833 lets us know how hard it is working as its turbo charger spools up and screams the rest of its way east. Thanks for watching!