Southern Railway 2-8-0 No. 630 visits Asheville

Few mountain crossings in the eastern United States are as fascinating as Norfolk Southern’s twisting, climbing route between Old Fort and Ridgecrest in the western North Carolina mountains. Its amazing engineering to gain 1,000 feet of elevation via 13 miles of track using loops, seven tunnels, and numerous bridges; the incredible operations that get trains safely up and down the mountain’s 2.2 percent grade; and its magnificent southern Appalachian forest backdrop make it irresistible to anyone interested in railroading. And it’s about to get a lot more interesting for a few days.

This weekend, Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century Steam visits Asheville for two sold-out trips daily (carded for 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.) behind Southern Railway 2-8-0 No. 630 (and diesel helpers) between Asheville and Old Fort. With the steam locomotive visit, the loops will be amazingly busy with steam trains, regular freights, and with spectators eager to witness the first steam power on this line in 19 years.

This is also a homecoming for the 1904 product of Alco’s Richmond Works. No. 630, which was based at Asheville during the last part of its career in regular freight service (including service on the famous Murphy Branch), is back there for the first time since Southern dieselized and sold the locomotive to the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina short line in 1952. After Southern re-acquired the engine for excursions in 1968, the Consolidation roamed the main line and many portions of the SR system, but the engine never visited Asheville during its 1968-1977 stint as a Southern Railway public relations ambassador.

Now that is going to change, thanks to Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, which owns and operates the locomotive that was restored in 2011. It’s completing a 2-month tour that took it as far east as Norfolk, and now it’s heading home to Chattanooga.

For first-time visitors to the area, you need to know that between Asheville and Ridgecrest, U.S. 70 and Interstate 40 parallel the tracks that follow the Swannanoa River to the eastern Continental Divide, elevation 2,535 feet. You can catch the train leaving Asheville, climbing the hill out of Biltmore, but then your best bet is to head for the Loops and avoid the small town traffic of the communities of Swannanoa and Black Mountain. You should also know that Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the eastern United States at 6,684 feet, overlooks the region.

At Ridgecrest, the train will disappear into 1,832-foot-long Swannanoa Tunnel to begin its descent to Old Fort, 3 air miles away, but 13 miles via rail. The train will be going slow on the descent, but the roads that provide access are even slower, and a bevy of chasers will further complicate things.

Mill Creek Road is the narrow, twisting road that starts as the paved section of old U.S. 70 and continues as a dirt road down the mountain to Andrews Geyser. Be warned: If it’s dry, this road will become dusty and following a string of chasing railfans will be all about riding blind into a cloud of red clay dust; if it’s wet, the road will be muddy, possibly to the point of miring you axle deep and requiring a tow truck. Think if you decide to chase.

For your own safety and for the best photos, I suggest you find a spot early to watch the steam train; stay there and let the train come to you; and let the road warriors suck up the dust or mud. The signature locations for the S-line are in the Round Knob area close to the landmark Andrews Geyser that the Western North Carolina Railroad built in 1881 to honor Col. A.B. Andrews, its chief engineer and the man responsible for this railroad engineering feat. The traditional images to seek show the train with the geyser, crossing Mill Creek, and soaring across High Fill, 205 feet directly above Dendron, where the tracks are two miles rail distance apart. Other excellent locations that are easy to reach from public property are the east portal of Swannanoa Tunnel, coming into Old Fort next to the restored 1890 station, and by hiking along old U.S. 70 (now Point Lookout Trail) to vantages for the short tunnels near the top of the grade (such as Bergin and High Ridge).

During the day, the 141-mile S-line between Asheville and Salisbury can also see manifest trains, unit chip wood trains (for the paper mill on the Murphy Branch at Canton), unit rock trains (also from Enka on the Murphy Branch), and unit coal trains heading for Duke Power Co. steam plants.

Norfolk Southern’s operations on the Loops are a daily miracle of the spectacular genius of the men who designed and built this railroad more than 135 years ago and those today who understand this difficult piece of railroad and run it well. I hope to see you in the Loops next weekend as we enjoy this rare treat of a genuine Southern Railway steam locomotive on this remarkable piece of Southern Railway track in the Land of the Sky.