The dynamic duo

This is about two beautiful heritage locomotives that were paired in Roanoke, Va., last month. The two have brought enjoyment to railfans across Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio for the last month. I know. I was one of them.

For me, it started on July 15th as I began my day at home. I knew the night before that the Reading heritage unit, a model SD70ACe, was in South Yard at Roanoke. I tentatively planned to photograph it if it departed leading a Belews Creek coal train. I received a call from a good friend around mid-morning saying the Central of New Jersey unit, a SD70ACe, had just passed the Roanoke Rail Cam and was supposedly going to South Yard. The wheels began turning in my head: "Could they possibly be pairing these two together?"

My good friend David and I met up and began heading toward Roanoke to try our luck. When we get close, another friend called  to say that train No. 746 had just departed with the Reading leading and the CNJ trailing. At this point, we were running a little behind, but we shortly caught up to them on U.S. 220 around Boones Mill, Va.

The picture above shows the train climbing upgrade in Ferrum, Va., around a sweeping curve, with afternoon light basking the scene. This line is referred to by railfans as the "Pumpkin Vine", because of the curvature and the way it twists and turns through the rolling hills. It is certainly gorgeous line nestled in a beautiful section of Virginia and North Carolina.

Further South, the train is pictured crossing the Mayo River near Mayodan, N.C., as a severe storm looms in the background. The train has nearly completed its journey across the Winston-Salem District with less than an hour to go before reaching the massive Duke Energy plant at Belews Creek.

Seven days later on July 22, another round of photography with the beautiful set of engines commenced as they traveled east across the Pocahontas District to Bluefield, W.Va. Gorgeous weather greets the train, as the units lug another heavy load of coal toward Belews Creek. The Pocahontas District is such a fantastic place to chase a train due to the steep grades and slow speeds allowing for multiple places to photograph them.

Late evening sun basks this scene at Huger, W.Va.,  as train Q46 emerges into daylight from the twin-portals as the locomotives begin their assault on Elkhorn Grade. Two pushers are shoving on the rear to assist the move to Bluefield. They are clipping along right now, but in less than 10-miles, will be down to a crawl while climbing toward the summit of the 1.4-percent grade at Elkhorn Tunnel near Maybeury, W.Va.

After a quick stop in Bluefield for a new crew to board the train, the engineer released the brakes and is rolling downgrade out of Bluefield as they head toward Roanoke on the Christiansburg District. Part of the town can be seen behind the train, as they approach the east end of the yard. The Bluefield yard office is located at the apex of the climb for both east and westbound trains entering the yard. Longer and heavier eastbounds have to stop at a location where their train is perfectly draped on the hill before a crew change.

Four days later on July 26, the pair returns and heads west from Roanoke to Bluefield on a picture-perfect afternoon. Several railfans were out on this trip, taking advantage of the pristine light for the chase across the Christiansburg District.

Towering mountains and great light greet train Q47, as they split the classic CPLs standing guard at Willowtown, W.Va. The train has just crossed into West Virginia about two miles to the east, as they start the long climb upgrade through the East River Valley to Bluefield. Making this spot even cooler is the fact the sound is awesome, with the sound of hard-working engines and the horn echoing throughout the surrounding mountains.

On Aug. 2, the pair returns to the Pokey once again on another 746 en-route to the Belews Creek power plant. Here, they are pictured roaring upgrade through the town of Iaeger, W.Va., on a pleasant evening. The engines are really struggling at this point, as they will travel another 15 miles to Farm before acquiring helpers for the remaining assault to Bluefield.

It has been awesome to witness these engines make several passes through my area, and to look at all the pictures of these engines on lines in four states. Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave your feedback in the comment section below.