Welcome to Trainscapes. Each week, we will feature train content including videos of trains and behind the scenes action of trains and locomotives!
It’s an end of an era. After receiving word from a local railfan that train 135 would be taking on the Southern Railway Loops for the final time on May 8th, 2020, Delay In Block Productions decided to make the long trek back north. At Old Fort, North Carolina, about ten other railfans and a local family gathered together to watch the train roll by the depot one last time. Some railfans even traveled all the way from New Jersey to witness this historic event.
The power from the Thursday’s 123 was added to 135’s consist, including GoRail SD60E no. 6963. It was incredibly ironic that a locomotive dedicated to promoting freight rail transportation in the United States was on the last two through trains over the Southern Railway Loops.
It was hard to describe the emotion surrounding this event. For many railfans and railroaders alike in western North Carolina, this was a heartbreaking end of an era. While NS still serves the region with local freight service, going forward, Asheville will resemble a mere shell of its former glory without the presence of through trains.
Though this change of service in an age of Precision Scheduled Railroading hard to accept, there is hope for the future, with rumors that Norfolk Southern may sell the S-Line to a shortline carrier.
We hope this video will serve as a reminder that all good things come to an end and that it’s very important to document day-to-day railroad operations – because one day, it might not be there.
Categories: Trainscapes Stuff
