Page 5 - May June 1998

RAILROADING
A Moonshine Safari with Mike Martindale
scheduled trains, coal extras and second sec- tion manifests. Follow US31 east out of Nashville to find many good locations all the way to Gallatin. These subdivisions connect at Amqui, whose interlocking tower was bought by singer Johnny Cash in the 1970’s and is now the House of Cash Music Shop.
From the west the Memphis Sub., 228 miles long, enters Nashville. This former N.C & St. L. mainline sees 8 scheduled daily trains plus UP and SP powered run-throughs. Leave Nashville on US70 West, which is alongside the tracks for miles. The Kingston to Pegram section has good curve locations.
Subdivision Four is the South and North Alabama Sub. (CSX’s title, not mine!) This sees 16 scheduled trains per day and is followed by Wilson Pike South out of Nashville, to Brentwood, where the old Nashville to Decatur Al. (N&D) branch to Columbia turns off. US31 South follows the tracks down to Columbia where CSX interchanges with Tennessee Southern RR.
From the south, the Chattanooga Sub. enters Nashville with 16 scheduled daily trains, the tracks closely followed by US41-70 South from the Davidson/Rutherford County line through Lavergne, Smyrna and on to Murfreesboro.
Nashville’s Yards...
CSX Radnor Yard located south of downtown Nashville off US31 South is one of their major hump yards, with 100 miles of trackage over 800 acres. 80 trains a day are handled, and 49 locos serviced. Good views can be had from Harding Place Overpass off US31 South.
Four staging yards in Nashville include:
South Nashville Yard, the interchange with the Nashville & Eastern RR, located behind the Children’s Museum on Negley Boulevard.
Next East Nashville Yard which is now a pri- vate industry yard.
West Nashville Yard is the Ford Automotive Glass Plant facility and...
Kayne Avenue Yard, located on 11th Ave. off Broadway, is a crew change point for run through piggybacks, unit coal and grain trains. On the far side of this yard is the L&N Union Passenger Station, now a hotel.
CSX radio frequencies:
Channel 1 - 161.370 Mhz, dispatcher
Channel 2 - 161.520 Mhz, trains
Rand NcNally produce an excellent city map of Nashville at a scale of 0.67 miles per inch (I kid you not!) Only they can do it*.
Other Railroads in Nashville...
Nashville & Eastern connects with CSX at South Nashville yard - runs to Monterey Tn, plus the old Hickory and Carthage branches, 108 total length, operating 11 locos, viz. U28B, U30B’s, U36B, and GP10’s. Reporting Mark NERR. Radio 160.365, 160.560, 161.070. They also run an E8/E9 powered “Broadway” dinner train, located at Nashville’s River Front Park, junction of Broadway and 1st Ave.
Central of Tennessee Railway and Navigation Co. is a big name for just two locomotives. Runs 19 miles from Nashville to Chapmansboro using a SW900 #5 and a GP7 #4286. Reporting mark CPTN. Radio on 160.635. The geep is normally held at
Chapmansboro while the switcher is parked at the corner of 11th Ave North and Herman St.
BEWARE - to photograph this unit you will be in Nashville’s Twilight Zone. I strongly advise against stopping your vehicle if members of the local com- munity are present on the street - you have been warned! Go in fast and come out faster.
Chattanooga Area...
Chattanooga lies 129 road miles south of Nashville, on I-24, and has three railroad yards. CSX has Wauhatchie about 5 miles north of town, with the mainline running alongside I- 24 around the base of Lookout Mountain. Norfolk Southern’s Debutts Yard is just south of downtown, while what was Cravens Yard in the town centre is now CSX’s terminal yard area. This is a definite no-go area for railfans - police action is immediate! I have safely used the following photo locations on the advice of local railfans.
US Highway 134 - for mountain railroading try US134 off I-24 west of Tiftonia. Watch both CSX and NS haul trains over the Racoon Mountains. US134 follows the tracks for some miles and numerous good photo locations can be found. US134 runs into US156 along Nickajack Lake at Haletown.
De Butts Yard: Take North Chamberlin Ave. and turn left onto Wilder St. Drive to the bridge but do not cross over. Turn left onto the gravelled area next to the tracks, then walk onto the bridge for good angles of both CSX and NS mainline action, plus switching moves in De Butts.
Lightfoot Mill Road. Leave De Butts parking area with a right turn into Wilder St. Follow it to Campbell St. then right into New York Ave. This becomes Lightfoot Mill Rd., at the junction with Tunnel Boulevard. Proceed down Lightfoot Mill Rd., cross the CSX mainline and park on the left. Here you can photograph Tennessee Valley RR trains while waiting for CSX freights doing their 40 mph run-bys.
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum: Exit I- 75 at US 153, drive north to the Jersey Pike exit. Turn left onto Jersey Pike then right into Cromwell Rd. Immediately after passing NMRA HQ building, turn right into the Grand Junction station area of the TVRM, whose trains give a 3 mile ride over high bridges and through a tun- nel into East Chattanooga. Here there are more exhibits to photograph plus, if the train is steam hauled, the turntable in action.
Back at Grand Junction you can get good shots of CSX mainline trains passing behind the depot on their way into Wauhatchie Yard. Leave enough time to call into the NMRA HQ, where staff will be delighted to meet you.
Lovell Field Airport - on leaving TVRM, turn right into Cromwell Rd., go to the end, turn right into Wilcox Boulevard. Turn left into Airport Rd., and park in the airport parking lot. Here CSX trains roll past at 50 mph. Between trains you can watch the aircraft!
Other Areas...
In 1995 we had two hours to kill and a choice of visiting Gracelands or watching trains. No contest - my wife toured Gracelands while I found Johnson Yard, Memphis (there are lim- its!) From Gracelands go north on Elvis Presley
Boulevard, turn left into Brooks Drive, cross Third St., - you are now in Nonconnah Rd. Drive to the end, turn right in front of the scrap yard, and just over 200 yards on the left is an entrance to Illinois Central’s Johnson Yard. Ask permission to photograph trains and you should have no problem.
By asking first I have been invited into no less than three yard towers and given permission to drive freely around the yards.
Knoxville Area:
If visiting the Great Smoky Mountains area leave Pigeon Forge on US441. At Sevierville turn left onto US441-411. Alongside the road is NS mainline, mostly unit coal trains for Tennessee Valley Authority power plants.
Bell Buckle: A delightful place to visit - the entire town is either preserved or restored to original appearance, full of antique stores, country stores, plus a great restaurant with good country cooking. Just so happens that this eatery’s front door looks out onto the grade crossing of CSX mainline from Nashville to Chattanooga but be ready to run when you hear the first sound of the horn, as CSX runs at 50 mph plus through here.
Other Tennessee Railroads (with four or more locos.)...
Kentucky West Tennessee connects with CSX at Bruceton to Murray, Ky. were it joins with Hardin Southern RR. 50 miles long with a GP7, two GP9’s and a GP18, reporting mark KWT and radio on 161.145 Mhz.
Mississippi Central connects with NS at Grand Junction through Holly Springs to con- nect with B.N. and on to Oxford Miss. 56.5 miles long using two GP7’s and two GP9’s. Reporting mark MSCI and radio frequency 160.635 and 161.220.
R. J. Corman RR operates from Zinc through Guthrie to South Union. 9 locos include GP16’s and GP9’s. Reporting mark is RJCM and radio on 160.455 and 161.385.
Sequatchie Valley RR (Rep. mark SQVR) con- nects with CSX at Bridgeport Ala. to Dunlap Tenn. 37 miles hosts 8 locos including FP7A #600, F7B, SW1200’s, an NW2, a GP30, and a U18B. Radio is on 154.600.
Tennessee Southern RR connects with CSX at Godwin (Natco) to Florence Ala. plus a branch from Columbia to Pulaski. 108.4 miles total length sees 15 locos including GP7’s and 9’s, a GP18, hi-nose GP30’s, and 2 ex ATSF CF-7’s. Reporting mark TSRR and radio 160.755 (if you want to photograph this road, check with me - it is almost my second home!)
West Tennessee RR connects with NS at Lawrence, and runs 43 miles to Kenton. At Humbolt it connects with CSX. An all Alco road it runs 4 RS-11’s and an RSD-12. Rep. mark is WTNN and radio is on 160.245, 161.070 and 161.475.
Well there you have it, by no means a definitive list as there’s a whole lot of Tennessee I’ve not been in yet. Anyone thinking of a trip and needing further information on any aspect e.g. motels, tours, places of interest etc, please give me a call. My friends in Columbia will be only too please to provide all the information you need, and then some.
Did I hear, “Where’s the Moonshine?”. I know, but I ain’t telling!
(*Also the SPV RR Atlas “Ap- palachia and Piedmont”, and some of the excellent Green Frog
CSX Series videos cover much of this area, including “Atlanta to Chattanooga”, “Chattanooga to Nashville”, & “Nashville to Louisville”. Ed.)
JUNE 1998
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