VerMontanan MidlandMike I toured the area about 35 years ago, and my recollection is that I walked across the bridge. Looking at different websites, it seems that is no longer legal. Well, you can always walk across it on Bridge Day: https://officialbridgeday.com/ or just underneath it: https://bridgewalk.com/
MidlandMike I toured the area about 35 years ago, and my recollection is that I walked across the bridge. Looking at different websites, it seems that is no longer legal.
I toured the area about 35 years ago, and my recollection is that I walked across the bridge. Looking at different websites, it seems that is no longer legal.
Well, you can always walk across it on Bridge Day:
https://officialbridgeday.com/
or just underneath it:
https://bridgewalk.com/
A while back they did some work needed on the road side of the bridge at Thurmond. They added four little platforms along the bridge, allowing anybody walking across places to duck into in case of vehicles coming across the bridge, which isn't very frequent. Last time I was down there in 2019, I went across the bridge, getting some nice pictures and video from out on the bridge. I also noticed that previous signs prohibitting pedestrians on the bridge were gone.
Kevin
http://chatanuga.org/RailPage.html
http://chatanuga.org/WLMR.html
Lithonia OperatorI love the nose shape. This engine immediately moves to near the top of my favorites among old road-switchers. (My favorite is te Also RS-11.)
I agree. There is something about those high hood Alcos that give them a very muscular appearance.
I wasn't sure I was familiar with the SD9, so I looked it up.
That's a very cool engine! Maybe I'd never seen a picture of one before. ?? As always, I prefer high hood, short nose forward.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMD_SD9#/media/File:AWW_203_EMD_SD9.jpg
I love the nose shape. This engine immediately moves to near the top of my favorites among old road-switchers. (My favorite is te Also RS-11.)
Back in the early 80s, I went whitewater rafting on the New River. We pulled out right after going under the Fayetteville bridge. It was hard being in a group of "regular" people and not getting excited when a CSX freight went by with a B&O SD9 in the consist.
It is an impressive location. I remember back in 1982 getting pictures of the bridge from the state park overlook and also shooting the C&O a few hundred feet below me.
Mark Meyer
VerMontananThe next stop should be the New River Gorge bridge. With a good map, you can take shortcut from near Ansted, but it’s best just to stay on U.S. 60 east to the junction of U.S. 19, which is the road over the big bridge. You will want to drive over the bridge just to say you did it, but a good diversion into the gorge is the Fayette Station Road
Interesting part of drive starts at about 11:45.
I'll agree that you won't be chasing trains. If you want to see what the roads off the interstate are like, here's the drive from I-77 to Thurmond.
Second to last time I went down there, I came around a curve, and there were three large wild turkeys ambling across the road, ignoring my horn.
The drive is even more fun at night.
Remember driving US60 before I-64 was built. As I recollect between Charlottesville and Charleston there wasn't a straight stretch of road much over 100 yards in length. Was driving a AMC Gremlin with the 'fast' manual steering - my shoulders got a workout.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Mark, that is simply awesome! Thanks so much. So much great information!
We are going to be based at a VRBO rental in Fayetteville. Yeah, I'd pretty much determined there wouldn't be any chasing going on. My wife will be thrilled at that.
Thanks again, Mark. Wow.
Thanks, chatanuga! I WILL go there. Guaranteed.
Nice videos! Good camera work.
When I've been down that way, I love to visit Thurmond. Several buildings, including the station are still there, and there can be some surprises that show up like on my last trip when I got to see a CSX rail train unloading rail, something I've never seen in real life. On another trip, a coal train came up the branch to wait for an eastbound tanker train along with a westbound intermodal. While waiting, I was able to get a great picture of the station with the head end of both trains on either side of it. Thurmond is also one of the main filming locations of the 1987 movie Matewan.
Pretty sure C&O 614 is still in Clifton Forge...
Lithonia OperatorAnd, Balt, how many freights will run each day? Hopefully some in daylight.
New River and the area you are talking about was not part of my territory. This is historically C&O territory and it was assigned to the Florence Division in CSX. In the past this was a route for coal moving to Tidewater and empties returning to the mines. How much general freight traffic was handled - I have no idea.
We are now pretty heavy into planning our June trip, and making reservations. Our Amtrak parts are booked. (BTW, we tried to book online, jumped thru all the hoops; then when it was time to click Complete Purchase, it froze up. Tried three times, struck out. BUT, when we got hold of a humanoid, he could have have nicer, more professional, or more efficient. Then we made a change by phone, and that young woman was just as good as that guy was. So just forget the damn website!)
Anyway, we are going to spend five nights in the New River Gorge area. In RR terms, we will be poking around between Charleston and White Sulphur Springs.
I'm up for any suggestions for RR photo locations. I tend to prefer man-made stuff, so I'm mainly interested in places with interesting stuff trackside. It doesn't have to be directly RR related, but it needs to be old, maybe funky, Americana. And of course I'm most interested in any railroad-related stuff.
But locations which feature great natural settings will interest me too.
I'd greatly appreciate any suggestions.
And, Balt, how many freights will run each day? Hopefully some in daylight.
Still in training.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.