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Words can’t describe how it felt to feel cold for the first time in months after a summer of record heat in Virginia, but this cool August morning in the heart of Appalachia allowed us to briefly escape the 80 and 90 degree temperatures.

Empty Limestone train 69Q winds through the New River Valley in Willowton, WV as it approaches the junction to the Princeton-Deepwater District.

Virginia Division Local V34 with Admiral Cab SD40-2 #3264 leading waits for Intermodal 277 to pass before following the train up the Christiansburg District.

As it often happens, clouds moved in right before the train passed and cleared after it was done. Nonetheless, I’ll take a decent drone picture of the first NS AC44C6M in any conditions.

NS ET44AC #3657 leads the charge with Intermodal 277 in tow as the train reaches the summit of a 12-mile incline, 10 miles of which are at a 1% grade or higher.

Newly rebuilt AC44C6M #4798, rebuilt from D9-44CW #9643, leads Manifest 18W east on the NS Christiansburg District on one of its first trips on the open rails.

One of the New River Valley’s longest trains, Intermodal 277, passes by the old Norfolk and Western Christiansburg Depot as it winds through the curves and hills of the Christiansburg District towards Bluefield, WV.

NS ES44AC 8132 is seen leading westbound 119 past the closed Appalachian Power Company coal fired power plant in Glen Lyn, VA on an overcast November afternoon. Dating back to 1919, the plant closed for good in 2018.

A dash 9 brings hopper train NS 821 west through Elliston, VA.

A pair of Canadian National motors, the leader being an SD70am-2, lead NS 61U west through Wabun, VA along the NS Christiansburg district.

NS 9701 leads an NS 51Z empty grain train through the farmland of John Farm in Shawsville, VA.

NS 288 heads east toward Christiansburg, as the train attacks the sharp curves heading into town.

NS 51Z led by NS 9701 charges west on the NS Christiansburg district, as the train exits the Montgomery, VA tunnels located at the N 284.6.

After reciving a heads up of 279 going past the Webcam we knew we had to shoot it climbing the grade at Shawsville.

NS 19W heads west past John Farm in Shawsville, Virginia as the train heads through the beautiful mountains of Virginia.