NS 214 eases to a stop in Kannapolis, NC to meet southbound Amtrak 73. In charge of the train is NS 7203, built in January 1996 as Conrail 4105. 7203 is one of only 30 SD80MACs built, and one of only 29 remaining. Up until a couple years ago, the 80s were predominately held captive in coal service in Pennsylvania. After the acquisition of 100 former UP SD90MACs and a sharp decline in coal demand, most of the 80MACs are now used in system-wide service.
