After many years of service, the classic Norfolk & Western color position light signals between Salem and Christiansburg, Va., are falling to progress. Norfolk Southern has installed new Safetran signals at Arthur, Montgomery Tunnel, and Christiansburg, with the old ones currently standing beside them. These CPLs have been photographed by countless photographers over the years, and witnessed the era of mighty N&W steam locomotives like the Class A, J, and Y in regular service.
The CPLs at Montgomery are especially well known. Many railfans are very familiar with O. Winston Link and his fantastic and inspirational photography. He took one of his most famous shots at Montgomery, and this photo is personally one of my favorite images of his. The CPLs also witnessed steam excursions with N&W 2-6-6-4 No. 1218 and 4-8-4 No. 611 between 1982 and 1994.
Montgomery has always been a popular location for any nearby or visiting railfan. Its fantastic scenery with the double-tunnels, rock outcroppings lining the north side of the tracks, and of course, the CPLs made it a fabulous spot to shoot an afternoon westbound. It was always a location that screamed N&W, and listening to a train climbing upgrade was always impressive.
I’ve photographed many trains at Montgomery and seen plenty of unique sights there, from a Soo Line SD60, to new BNSF units, and Norfolk Southern’s own heritage units.
It’s sad to see the CPLs go as Montgomery won’t be the same without them standing guard, but the memories will never die and the location will remain legendary.
The CPLs just two miles to the east at Arthur were never quite as popular or photographed as much, but they stood in a beautiful spot between two rock cuts in the heart of the climb to Christiansburg. One of my best memories from Arthur was made on a cold and starry February night listening to a westbound piercing the nighttime air for at least 15 minutes while I took night images of the signal. One of the last trains I photographed at Arthur before the new signals were erected beside the CPLs was an eastbound intermodal train led by the Central of New Jersey heritage unit.
The CPLs at Christiansburg and Pelton are situated in a nice area called Cambria, which is basically in the heart of the town of Christiansburg. Two old stations are there. One is used for maintenance, and the other is privately owned as a toy store. The Christiansburg signals are at the apex of the 1.5 percent climb from Shawsville and an equally steep eastbound grade that starts 6 miles to the west at Vicker. Only three quarters of a mile separate the Christiansburg and Pelton signals; the reason is that back in the days when N&W passenger trains made stops at the depot, trains could depart on a clear signal after the stop instead of running restricted speed to the next signal to see the aspect.
Let’s look shots from Arthur, Montgomery, and Christiansburg and remember these locations, as they were just a few weeks ago and how they’re changing now.
A brand new Union Pacific SD70ACe leads eastbound double-stack train No. 234 downgrade through the control point at Arthur on a beautiful February morning. Dynamics are whining as the engineer brings the long and heavy train toward to the bottom of Christiansburg Mountain.
A beautiful blanket of snow coats the ground and trees as train No. 236 rolls through wintry scene, with the new signals now up and standing across both mainlines at Arthur. The CPLs are still standing for now, but not for much longer. The end of westbound manifest train 15T can be seen going off in the distance as it heads for Bristol and 236 heads for Roanoke and then the ports at Norfolk.
Some of the best lighting I ever got at Montgomery was on the evening of March 10, 2014, as train No. 825 emerged into golden afternoon sun while a long train of empty hoppers climbs Christiansburg Mountain heading for the coalfields of West Virginia. One of NS’s newer SD70ACes leads the way.
Oct. 1 was marked as the day the crew showed up to drop the new signals on the ground at Montgomery. The photograph above shows the crew preparing to unload the signal off their maintenance truck.
Later that day, train No. 189 crawls westbound out of Montgomery Tunnel on a beautiful autumn afternoon led by NS’s Interstate heritage unit as the maintenance crew prepares the area for the new signals. This day’s 189 was extremely heavy and the ground shook as the two ES44ACs roared by in notch-8 lugging the tonnage manifest upgrade.
On a pleasant afternoon, empty auto rack train No. 27V pops out of Montgomery led by the Illinois Terminal heritage unit. The new signals can be seen standing beside the old ones, and the hour glass is running short for the CPLs before being torn down. The rack train is bound for Bristol and will hit the Pulaski District 13 miles ahead at Walton.
On nice autumn morning, eastbound double-stack train 236 rounds a sweeping curve in Christiansburg, passing the CPLs at Pelton. Another maintenance crew can be seen prepping the area around the signals for new ones to be erected. The train has nearly topped the eastbound grade referred to as Charleston Grade.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog, and I wish you a great 2015!
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