NS #5820 brings P87 to the top of the Old Fort Loops at Ridgecrest, NC.

NS #8326 brings westbound train 135 to the crest of the Old Fort Loops at Ridgecrest, NC

CEFX #1007, a rare leader for NS train 135 as it crests the top of the Old Fort grade at Ridgecrest, NC.

NS #9934 leads train 135 at the top of the Old Fort Grade at Ridgecrest, NC.

NS 135 leads a train up the steep grade through the loops near Old Fort, NC. In half a mile the train will finally reach flat ground as it continues on towards Asheville, NC.

My pre-dawn departure from Durham was looking more and more like waste of time as I drove past Greensboro, Statesville, then Hickory in a constant drizzle under overcast skies. As I neared Old For... (more)

As a stiff breeze from an approaching cold front blows the lingering clouds off the continental divide revealing the stars above, the trailing headlight of the helpers on a loaded eastbound coal t... (more)

Westbound 135 tackles the final stretch of the climb to the continental divide at Ridgecrest on a bleak fall afternoon in western North Carolina.

Eastbound out of Asheville NC starts the assault over the Blue Ridge Mountains via a massive loop between Ridgecrest and Old Fort

Autumn Leaf Special from the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer to Asheville and return.

Brakes are squealing as the North Carolina Transportation Museum "Blue Ridge Special" is eastbound back to Spencer, seen here exiting one of several tunnels on the west end of the loops.

For the past hour, NS 135 has been on its hands and knees battling mother nature, climbing the rugged Blue Ridge mountains on a cold and rainy fall day. In a scene perfectly suited for Halloween, ... (more)

Passengers on the Southern Loops! For the first time in a dozen years, a lucky group of passengers is on their way to Asheville by rail, traversing Norfolk Southern's S-line. From this aerial view... (more)

Southern GP38-2 #5129 leads a mix of power and a freight train at Ridgecrest, NC in 1986.