Clifton Forge, VA on CSX (Busy or not so much?)

[Doublestack]

It looks like Clifton Forge would be where the CSX line from Hampton Roads/Norfolk joins the line from DC to Chicago (route of the Amtrak Cardinal). 

Would the majority of the WV coal traffic pass through Clifton Forge?

Any other traffic of note (Baltimore/Philly - Chicago intermodal?)

[nanaimo73]

The Buckingham Branch operates the 200 mile Clifton Forge-Charlottesville-Richmond line under a 20-year lease with CSX, starting in December 2004.

I would love to see an article in Trains comparing the CSX and NS coal lines from WV to Newport News and Norfolk. 

[Big Ed]

Doublestack,

I'm not sure of the number of daily movements across the CSX North Mountain Sub (Clifton Forge to Charlottesville, VA), but I can tell you that all empty coal movements heading back to West Virginia and beyond route this way.  They use the CSX Piedmont Sub through Doswell-Gordonsville-Charlottesville-Clifton Forge.

The CSX James River Subdivision (Clifton Forge-Gladstone, VA) sees more trains as far as I know.  All loaded eastbound coal movements go this way as well as unit grain and molten sulphur trains.  CSX also has two daily manifest freights through Clifton Forge...Q302/Q303 between Richmond and Cincinnati.  The Amtrak Cardinal leaves NS rails at Charlottesville for the CSX North Mountain Sub to Clifton Forge and vice versa on the eastbound movement back to DC.

The intermodal lanes are to the east and north on the CSX such as the Q130/Q139 which are Chicago-Porstmouth intermodal trains using the RF&P Sub in Virginia (DC-Richmond) and also on the Metropolitan and Capitol taking intermodal into Baltimore and then NB to Philly.

[RudyRockvilleMD]

Amtrak's Cardinal switches to the Buckingham Branch RR (former CSX) at Orange, VA instead of in Charlottesville, VA. There is no direct interchange between NS south and the Buckingham Branch RR west in Charlottesville.