Well they probably weren’t really racing but it sure looked like it. 2 eastbounds nearly neck and neck.
Enjoy, Tom
That is always a spectacular place from which to watch trains–and just as good to ride through. A ride through the New River Gorge in a dome car on Amtrak in 1972, over immaculately-maintained C&O track, is the standard by which I measure all train trips.
Not too far upstream (east) from here is Thurmond, which was nicely featured in the October issue of Trains. And nothing but gorgeous scenery the entire distance (pun not necessarily intended).
A while back, there was a thread about sharp mainline curves. The one to the extreme left in this photograph is probably the sharpest anywhere on the former C&O.
Thanks for posting this shot, Tom–maybe things are still good down there!
Wow I wish I had a layout area big enough to recreate that scene.
…I thought the same thing as Carl about the curve at the left end of the bridge in the one photo…Sharp…!
The view from up over the Gallitzin tunnels is a good one. Personally have been on that street bridge to oberserve traffic in and out of the double track tunnel quite a few times.
Found it–that curve is nearly ten degrees (the one for the same track on the other side of the bridge is five-something).
For those not familiar with the area, these two tracks are one main line. Further up the river, at Sewell, the track on the right crosses the river to rejoin the one on the left.
Speaking of movements in the same direction on parallel tracks reminds me of a story heard years ago when I worked as an operator at Athens, Alabama. L&N had double track between North Athens and Decatur Jct, anout 12 miles. One night, a northbound freight train had trouble of some kind, and to avoid delay, northbound passenger train No. 4 was run on the southward track to get around the stalled freight. As it happened, though, after No. 4 pulled away from Decatur Jct., the freight solved its problem and started moving, and pretty soon the two northboung trains on parallel tracks approached the station at Athens. There was a non-employee, one of the town’s hangers-on, who liked to meet the trains at the station. Of course, he was the town’s expert on railroad operations, and always ready to demonstrate that expertise to any one who happened to be at the station. When he saw the two trains approaching, with two headlights brightly burning, he announed with a voice of knowledge and authority, “Here comes No. 4! Looks like she’s double-heading tonight!”