Eastern Kentucky Coal

[Music] [Music] [Music] deep in the hollers of the Appalachian Mountains coal remains king the region's railroads transporting coal to market provide us with scenic and exciting railroad action Cole tipples like this were once a common sight in the hills of Eastern Kentucky and throughout the Appalachians these old timber coal tipples were located everywhere this one's had most of its tin siding stripped off by scavengers years ago if you were to follow lightweight jointed rail up a winding holler you'd have been sure to find one today there are very few of the old tipples left standing and almost none in operation the coal boom of the 70s saw many new modern tipples built to replace them this one at sassafras on the cars for French out of Hazzard Kentucky is an example of a small modern tipple although not working on this day once a week a unit train is loaded here for Kentucky utilities some loaders are not connected to a mine at all they are transloading operations where coal is brought in by trucks and loaded into rail cars this one at jeff kentucky ships out several car loads of coal daily a fred end loader works as a locomotive pushing hoppers along the track more than likely those old tracks twisting up a holler have been replaced with heavy rail lead up to a massive operation like this one located at sapphire kentucky on a Rockhouse Creek branch the golden oak mining company's massive facility rivals those of the Powder River Basin in Wyoming a unit train is loaded here once a day a pair of mine owned locomotives shoves the hoppers under the loader once a portion of the cars are loaded the mine critters as they are known shove the loads down to a holding track [Music] [Music] [Music] the critters bring the remaining empties back up to the loader unlike Western Bowl loaders there's no room in the tight confines of Eastern Kentucky to build glute tracks where an entire train can be loaded intact the reporting marks on the cars at this unit train LFX indicate that it belongs to electric fuels corporation of florida the trains power lays over on a holding track while the crew takes rest Eastern Kentucky in the heart of Appalachian coal country is covered by numerous rail lines tapping the vast coal reserves CSX lines are the most numerous with both former lnn and C&O rails reaching into the coal fields in the far eastern corner of the state where West Virginia Virginia and Kentucky all meet the Norfolk Southern taps into the coal rich countryside a mine run out of Williamson West Virginia heads toward a coal preparation plant near Coleman Kentucky [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Moose's are not unusual online runs as there are often many backup moves [Music] ice clings to the rocks as the Train climbs up the holler with 30 empties in tone [Music] [Music] [Music] arriving at the prep plan the train takes the empty hoppers to the storage tracks and SW 1500 is busy loading cars at the tip of the critter was once owned by a West Virginia short line the Winifred railroad slowly the hoppers are moved a little at a time under the tipple to ensure an evenly loaded car the preparation plants job is to clean shale out of the coal and reduce the lumps to a specifically requested size buyers need different sizes of coal depending on how it will be used the unit's head to the other end of the yard to wait for the rest of the cars to be loaded the crews said that when they leave here it will take 120 loaded cars with them their destination will be the big yard at Williamson West Virginia this massive yard is home to the crews that work the coal branches into Kentucky the state line runs along the tug Fork of the Big Sandy River on the far side of the yard this is Norfolk Southern mainline railroading and intermodal trains as well as general merchandise phrase mix freely with the cold rags [Music] [Music] the old roundhouse is now used as a car shop a trackmobile takes a spin on the turntable the former siendo lines enter from the north on the big sandy sub as the line heads south that spreads out across the cold producing areas yards are located at Martin and shelbiana CSX has a massive classification yard located at Russell near Ashland Kentucky at Elkhorn City Kentucky the former siendo Big Sandy sub ended at milepost 128 and the Clinchfield Railroad continued on south today it's the same railroad CSX and Elkhorn City is merely the meeting point of two divisions a signpost marks the spot where the two divisions meet north of here at shelbiana a yard has kept busy with coal movements a northbound empty train has come up the Clinch field and enters the yard it's unusual to see three engines in the same paint scheme on CSX the three SD 50s are in the unpopular stealth paint so-called because of the lack of any bright colors one can imagine that on a foggy morning they would be nearly invisible [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the cars are mostly company hoppers and many different types and paint variations are present reporting marks for the Fallen flags that make up CSX are still common a time will come when they will be only memories at the other end of the yard the power has cut off and moves over to the engine terminal for servicing a set of light engines heads off down the main they're on their way to the yard down at Martin [Music] the yard engines a jeep 30 slug in its mother unit jeep 40 - to switch and cut up loaded hoppers the conversion of the jeep 30s to slugs is away CSX plans on getting more useful years out of its older locomotive fleet the unit's lack of prime mover but retain a complete control stand a fuel line has been attached to the mother unit so that the fuel tank of the slug can be utilized jeep 35 s have also been converted jeep 40 mother units have been specially modified for use with his life [Music] at Beaver Junction the ENB V branch splits off the MAME alight engines arrived from Shelby [Music] after passing through the junction the engines reverse direction to head out the branch to Martin [Music] [Music] a northbound loaded train heads down the Big Sandy toward Russell a general electric you 18b looks good in the new CSX paint the middle unit is one of the new slot [Music] [Music] [Music] at Martin under the old coaling tower units await their next assignments a mother 40 - tubes with slugs our common power here one of the jeep 35 salons is president a mine run gets ready to depart the yard several miles up the line we set up for the run by as the train heads out the branch [Music] out at the end of the E and BV branch before the creation of today's CSX the C and O's rails ended at a place called Dean the Ellen ends tracks coming down the ek subdivision ended near the same spot both railroads actually serve the same mind but there was never a connection between them with the creation of CSX a connector track was installed and today a significant amount of traffic passes through the new connection the spot is marked by a signpost noting the change of operating divisions the Huntington and the Corbin [Music] [Music] [Music] a train of empties heads up the Beaver Valley branch over the hi Arnold pork trestle near Dean [Music] the cars on this train belonged to the South Carolina Public Service Authority the train has come up the old Clinchfield and onto the CNO it then passed through beaver Junction and up the branch [Music] [Music] rounding a large curve the train slows to a stop at the division meeting point a former N and W I nosed SD 35 is on lease from electro-motive [Music] [Music] the Santa Fe C 30-7 zoran Lee's from general electric the conductor calls on the company phone to get permission to enter the Corbin division the train soon departs and rolls across the old boundaries like they never existed [Music] [Music] the lnn taps the coalfields with two subdivisions from the north the EK sub drops down from Winchester through Ravenna Jackson and Hazzard it spreads out at the south end over several branch lines to get at the Black Gold yards are located at Ravenna and hazard the yard at hazard is a collection point for coal shipments traditionally crews worked out of here on mine runs taking empties up to the mines and returning with loads although this type of railroading continues unit rains have surpassed this method of operation at the east end of the yard a bind on returns with their loaded hoppers [Music] [Music] [Music] the cool mind here is of low sulfur content its bituminous coal which is preferred for steam plant operations however the coal mine here is more expensive to extract than Western coal underground mining is far more expensive than strip mining strip mining is done here but it too costs more as the terrain is more difficult to work and the seams of coal are not as thick a good sized coal seam here runs six feet in the Powder River area a good sized hole seam can run more than 20 feet thick and is buried just under the topsoil the future is good for Eastern Kentucky's coal as it is clean and closer to major users on the East Coast the latest figures show that Wyoming has surpassed Kentucky as the number one coal producing state but CSX remains as the top railroad in tons of coal haul at Jeff Junction a mine run takes a string of empties up the cars fork branch a tired old you 30c is a good catch as these older GE units are not expected to last much longer [Music] [Music] this train is headed for the sassafras loader reporting Marx tell us that the Train belongs to Kentucky utilities and when full will go to the power plant at Brown Kentucky on the Norfolk Southern Railroad north of Danville the old Ellen n caboose is a welcome sight and a reminder of the history of these rails [Music] [Music] [Applause] at the crack of dawn outside of Jackson Kentucky a loaded train exits O&K junction tunnel most of the EK sub runs downgrade more loaded trains from the tipples to the large yard at Ravenna major exception is an elk otama hill just outside of Jackson both trains have helpers added for the shove over the hill [Music] the train grinds up l katawa hill nearing the summit [Music] [Music] the crest of the hill is inside Chanel we tunnel with most of the Train over the summit the helpers are cut off on the east side they used to cut off on the fly but with no cabooses the helper brakeman must place the rear end device into position after uncoupling [Music] job done the helpers returned to Jackson to assist another train [Music] back at Jackson another loaded train approaches [Music] [Music] the helper crew has gathered a string of 15 empties which they will take with them on this Bush the helpers will not cut off this time but will remain with the loaded train to work a coal loader a few miles west of Hell katawa Hill the headend has stopped short of O&K junction tunnel so the helpers and tie on the Santa Fe c30 seems out of place here [Music] [Music] since the helpers will be staying with the Train this time we set up on the west end of chinoe tunnel listen as the big GES worked through the tunnel [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] ravenna is a major yard on the EK sub asset of power leaves the service area to take a loaded train west [Music] ravenna had been a coal classification yard in the past but today is used mostly for car storage and crew changes trains are held here until either sufficient power or crews become available to move them air tests complete the train proceeds out of the yard [Music] at the same time this train departs another loaded train arrives from the coal fields [Music] [Music] [Music] the power cuts off the train will head over to the service area there are three magnificent trestles on the EK sub located between Winchester and Ravenna the first and smallest one is located six miles east of patio yard the next one also the next in size is the Howard's Creek viaduct finally the granddaddy of them all is the massive Red River viaduct an empty train heads toward Ravenna [Music] [Music] on another day we get a view from below the trestle a train of empties belonging to the Mississippi power company comes up from Corbin and takes the Y off the CC sub it's headed out the e K sub toward Ravenna and the coal fields south of Hazzard [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] past the first trestle the train approaches the fourteen hundred and forty footlong Howard Creek viaduct the track level is 225 feet above the water [Music] [Music] [Music] the largest of the three bridges and the largest on the former lnn is the Red River viaduct it's 2,200 feet long and is 233 feet high a northbound coal drag works its way up 2.4% grade toward patio [Music] the diminutive X seaboard coastline you 18b adds interest to the locomotive contest [Music] [Music] korban the Division Headquarters is home to the fleet of diesels assigned to the coal fields the yard has been completely rebuilt and is of a modern and efficient design a new locomotive shop has been built and there's always plenty of power waiting for routine maintenance the days of older broken-down units clogging the shops are nearly over as CSX has been adding scores of new locomotives to its fleet the era of the u 30 C is rapidly closing this former Atlantic coast line unit was one of the first for you 30 seas manufactured it rolled out of the Erie plant in early 1967 very few were built in the u 28 C type body an enclosed service rack has been added so that engines can be fuelled and serviced out of the weather the ready tracks have an abundant supply of power waiting for their next assignments the yard has worked with sets of SD 35 and former sdp 35 units this X seaboard coastline SD 35 as a strange partner in the form of a leased santa fe GE at the south end of the yard a pair of the aging six axles pulls out a long cut of hoppers [Music] [Music] [Music] running south from Corbin the K and a subdivision crosses into Tennessee and must climb over the mountains to reach Knoxville this line was not built to handle the heavy traffic it sees today as most coal in the past was shipped north now however the KN day is a very busy piece of railroad [Music] an empty train had stored Corbin at Williamsburg Kentucky the train runs through town and past the old station [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] near the state line a southbound train makes good time on the level track the tracks cross into Tennessee and follow the course of Hickory Creek as the rails climb toward Death Mountain [Music] there is more than coal traffic on the K and a sub a southbound grain train exits tunnel one it crosses over Hickory Creek [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the e.l.f train pops out of tunnel number two when the rails once again cross over hickory creek [Music] - intermodal trains ply these rails northbound train number 142 heads toward Corbin [Music] [Music] the lnn called these totes and today that name is still used around here [Music] at tunnel number three southbound loads head for one of Georgia utilities power plants [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] helpers are generally added for the climb over Duff Mountain or some unknown reason there was no crew on duty this afternoon the two big SDS wait the call to action near the old coaling tower nothing more than a cement shanty the crew headquarters is decorated with flags the florida bound elf train grinds its way up Duff Mountain without assistance the three SD 50's work hard as they cross over the trestle near Habersham Tennessee [Music] out of Corbin the CB sub runs east into the Cumberland Valley with numerous branch lines heading up this holler and that one to reach the coal tipples a large yard is located at loyal near Harlan Kentucky unlike the EK sub which was a dead end before CSX put in the Dean connection the CV sub has a backdoor outlet over the only mainline switchback in the united states will visit Hagan switch back later for a detailed look at its operations at daybreak eastbound empties out of Corbin head out the CV sub on their way to the big arch of Kentucky Lynch number to my near Cumberland [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the Lynch train doesn't bother stopping it loyal as it hustles its string of empty hoppers toward the mine loyal yard is a major coal gathering point where cuts of hoppers from smaller loaders are built into trains unit trains are held at loyal until either locomotives or crews become available on this day the yardmaster mentioned that he had six trains ready to go but lack the horsepower to move them over at the engine facility power weights the next call to duty helpers for the run-up to Hagen's and on to the Norfolk Southern work out of here the X other SD 45 is a lease engine from AMD a Tennessee Valley Authority train has just completed loading at the high/low tipple the lead unit a former Ellen n SD 40 sports of make-do CSX logo on its nose [Music] [Music] [Music] half the cars were loaded earlier and set out on the main the rest of the train is pulled out from the loader and will also be set out on the main the noise in the background is the blower which bends the mine shafts the old L&N station remains standing at Evarts the TVA train soon arrives on its way to loyal yard [Music] another relic from the past is this interlocking tower located between Harlan and loyal yard it hasn't been used in over 50 years and it's a wonder that it still stands [Music] [Music] [Applause] the TVA train will stop for a crew change rather than going over Hagen switchback this train will continue on to Corbin its destination is the bull run steam plant here Oak Ridge Tennessee a train off one of the branches near Pineville works its way into the yard the four axle power is common for mine runs [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] as the mine-run pulls into the yard a train of empties down from Hagen switchback arrives [Music] trains heading south out the back door at loyal must pass through Hagen's tunnel and over the famous switchback the tunnel was the longest on the lnn and is six thousand two hundred forty-four feet long exiting the tunnel trains pull up into the South tail track of the switchback at smiley the remainder of the cars that won't fit are shoved on to a holding track by rear end helper engines until the entire consists clears the switchback turn out the helpers then back up the lower switchback lead to clear the holding track switch thrown the helpers ease forward to wreak uppal up to the Train the entire train then backs up the lower leg of the switchback and into the middle tail track to clear the upper switchback turn out its then off to points east as the entire train pulls up hill to the old CV main above Higgins tunnel and onto Big Stone Gap Virginia there CSX has trackage rights over the Norfolk Southern to reach its former Clinchfield tracks to the Carolinas the old CV no longer goes through west of here but is used as a stub end sighting for meets at the switchback a set of helper engines comes down the lower leg of hagun switchback [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the brakeman aligns the lower switch back at smiling and two helpers take off down the main toward the tunnel and loyal yard [Music] a loaded train exits Hagen's tunnel [Music] [Music] switchback operations date back to 1930 when the first train passed through Higgins tunnel the connection was considered a temporary arrangement until financing could be generated to build the line through to a Clinchfield connection temporary became permanent over the years with no problems until the unexpected coal boom of the 1970s the switchback continues to be a bottleneck but improvements over the years have made it as efficient as possible [Music] the train comes to a stop as the lead engines have reached the end of the tail track after the remaining cars have been uncoupled the helper engines shove them up into a holding track [Music] [Music] [Music] in the meantime an empty train has arrived up top and pulls down the old CV main to wait for its turn to traverse the switchback the loaded train is backed up into the middle tail track begins to climb up to the main [Music] [Music] [Music] as an interesting note this is a meet between the same two train both are South Carolina Public Service Authority train [Music] [Music] [Music] the helpers will stay on until the train reaches Watkins 30 miles south on the Big Stone Gap Virginia on the Norfolk Southern [Music] the empty drain wastes no time in getting underway backs out of the siding [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] switch thrown the train pulls forward heads down raid to the middle tail trap [Music] [Music] [Music] down at smiley we catch the cars backing round the lower switchback lead and into the tail track [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the remaining cars and the powernow backup on to a holding tract included the lower switchback turnout [Music] [Music] [Music] having pulled ahead the power shoves back on to the remainder of its train back together now the train moves out [Music] empty hoppers return once again to Eastern Kentucky and will be refilled with more Appalachian black gold there's enough coal in these mountains to last hundreds of years it's good to know that while some railroad operations have banished the coal fields of Eastern Kentucky will provide exciting and scenic railroading for many many years to come look to Penn tracks to bring you more interesting stories of railroading across America

Channel: Jonathan Vanover

Views: 361,017

Rating: 4.8571825 out of 5

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Id: b5RgQVNnBP4

Length: 76min 33sec (4593 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 04 2020