The conductor on Kopper Glo mine run 787 steps off the train before a cut of empties is shoved through the loadout before being filled with black diamonds.

NS mine run 787 begins loading coal at Kopper Glo's loadout in Clairfield, Tennessee. This is the last active loadout in the state, and it merely hangs on by a thread.

An empty for the Elk Lick loadout in Larado, WV passes the now idled Franco facility on a fittingly dreary spring evening.

With the Illinois Terminal heritage brightening up the consist, a mine run out of Weller begins loading the second cut of an 821 at the massive Consol complex near Oakwood, Virginia.

The last cars are being loaded with West Virginia black diamonds at the Cub Creek loadout with a former N&W shoving platform on the rear.

As seen from the comfort of my drivers seat, an NS mine run prepares to load a unit train at the Cub Creek loadout near Gilbert, West Virginia.

Two GEs begin loading a train with coal at the Cub Creek loadout in desolate Mingo County, West Virginia.

Storage cars rot away at the inactive Bates Branch loadout deep in the C&O coalfields.

A loaded coal train out of Martin, Kentucky wraps around a small single car loader at Lancer, Ky working its way up the Big Sandy Subdivision.

The conductor of C633 dismounts before the train shoves their 50+ car second cut through the loadout at Creech.

Having just shoved their second cut of empties through the loadout at Creech, C633 waits for shift change at the mine before loading the cars. The clouds are catching light from the sunset happeni... (more)

Making it's way through the frosty Glorieta Pass, Amtrak's eastbound Southwest Cheif has just exited Apache Canyon, climbing toward Glorieta proper.

Fog rises out of US Steel's Edgar Tompson plant as three Union Railroad MP15's shove a caboose into the mill.

Loaded coal for Brice, NC pulls from a stop at the South end of Towers siding in the Breaks Interstate Gorge on the route of the former Clinchfield. A very brief pocket of light opened up just in ... (more)

Loads of coal for Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tennessee roll through a beautiful scene near Gate City, Virginia with fall colors showing on the mountain backdrop.