CSXT 1776 “Spirit of our Armed Forces” leads B451 the evening Rock Runner returning empties from Bladensburg, MD back to Millville, WV. Seen here crossing the well known wooden trestle thru Harpers Ferry’s Lower Town at about 1045pm on June 6, 2023. The GE built ES44AC-H engine combines the CSX dark blue and yellow colors on the front of the locomotive with gray camouflage on the sides and top. The paint scheme celebrates the five main branches of military service and features the CSX Pride in Service logo along with the logos of the program partners — Wounded Warriors, Blue Star Families, Operation Homefront and Operation Gratitude. A double exposure was used to capture both the night sky and lit up scene.

I did some minor railfanning south of Winchester, VA on Wednesday June 23, 2021. I was in town running a couple errands when I saw CSX D788 roll by the station on Kent and Piccadilly Streets. The evening rush hour was just beginning and I wasn’t able to catch up to it until it had dropped off a few lumber cars at Stephen’s City and watch it go by at the crossing. Traffic let up enough I was able to get ahead of it further south and here caught it just north of Middletown, VA. The location is where on October 19, 1864 that the surprise attack of 14,000 Confederate troops that had driven 32,000 Federal forces in the Battle of Cedar Creek halted. The Union Army later regrouped a couple miles to the north to mount a counteroffensive that would clear the field and the Shenandoah Valley of any considerable rebel force for the rest of the Civil War.

CSX train on the Shenandoah Sub between Harpers Ferry and Charlestown, WV

A 3000 series CSX locomotive is parked along a local road in Brunswick, MD which allowed me to painted the Boxcar Logo using a spotlight aimed at the ground to diffuse the light.

LURGAN HIGH LINE

“WEST HUMP” Twilight is falling around the CPL signals inside the Cumberland Terminal known as West Hump. The signals are in their own twilight as their fellow brother and sisters at Mexico and across the CSX system.

“MEXICO FALLING” In addition to today’s Class ! railroads and Amtrak, the Baltimore and Ohio CPL signals at Mexico at the east end of the Cumberland Terminal have seen a various degree of power pass by throughout the years including Chessie, Western Maryland, C&O, Wheeling and Lake Erie, Family Lines, Conrail, Norfolk and Western… the list can go on. Sadly, the signals end is near as CSX signal crews are actively working to upgrade the old generals here and at West Hump.

THE OTHER LURGAN, ALTENWALD, PA

“THE END IS NEAR” The B&O Sentinels time is running short as witness to the work being done on their replacements. L415 is making a cut to leave a shopped car in the yard. Q388 moves onto main one to make room and cut its train. In the distance, K676 and Q216 wait to depart the terminal.

WAITING ON A TRAIN

NEW FRANKLIN FIELDS

South Mountain looms in the background as CSX local D795 travels from Hanover, PA to Hagerstown, MD and drifts downgrade and into the Cumberland Valley on the former Western Maryland Railway mainline. Leading is CSX SD40-3 (affectionally known as Spongbob Squarecabs in the railfan community) 4084 a rebuilt Louisville & Nashville SD40-2 and formerly CSXT 8020. It was rebuilt in the CSX Huntington, WV shops earlier this year

“A SCENE SOON TO CHANGE” CSX Q216 passes by the closed Mexico Tower and the soon to be replaced B&O CPL signals as E705 patiently waits with a new crew to head westward.

CSX YARD

CSX D789 passes through Harpers Ferry’s Lower Town across the 1850’s wooden trestle built by the Winchester and Potomac Railroad. The train is taking 105 cars of wheat destined for Winchester, VA just after midnight on March 26, 2017. The structure was necessary to avoid the occasional high waters that rage through the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. It was shortened at it’s east end to rebuild the right of way in order to connect with the 1894 B&O bridge by using fill and a single deck bridge.

CSX train Q137 passes by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 1891 station in Brunswick, MD designed by famed architect E. Francis Baldwin.

GOT HERITAGE?: Sitting in the yard before being sent west to Cumberland on the nights D720 is the B&O F7 coming back from the event over the weekend in Spencer, NC. Although not a true B&O Heritage engine, the former BLE locomotive was painted into the Baltimore & Ohio livery in 2010 to honor the South Branch Valley’s 100th anniversary. Also pictured are two EMD GP40-2’s both of C&O heritage.

LIGHT ENGINE