Overview The North Mountain sub is a line originally owned by the C&O and now operated by the Buckingham Branch Railroad (shortline) and CSX. It is 124.2 miles running from Clifton Forge, VA to Orange, VA. Points Of Interest Clifton Forge is the main rail yard of the North Mountain Sub and Rivanna Sub. It served the C&O Coal Country and still is a major passage of CSX coal. A landmark in Clifton Forge is the C&O Heritage Center where J3a Greenbrier Class C&O 614 is located. Staunton, VA is where the Buckingham Branch does its daily Excursions. There is also a small yard there for the Buckingham Branch. Charlottesville is a historic city where UVA is located. It is an interchange with Norfolk Southern’s Washington District. (C&O engine crossing Southern RY Line in Charlottesville in the mid 70s) Orange, VA is the farthest east point of the North Mountain Sub. There is an interchange with Norfolk Southern there. (An interesting photo of the Orange, Va train station after a train derailed into it)
Continued… Locomotives CSX locomotive that commonly go on this route are GE ES44AH EMD SD70MAC GE AC4400CW The Buckingham Branch operates these EMD GP16 EMD GP38-2
Continued… Route Scenarios CSX runs coal and grain empties westward to Clifton Forge. I can recall seeing combination coal and grain on a single train a few times but lately, I have seen either coal or grain on the train with nothing else onboard. There are rare scenarios where they will reroute a manifest over the north mountain due to traffic congestion issues. The Buckingham Branch operates locals for industries all over the north mountain sub. They also operate twice daily excursions.
I saw Buckingham Branch and immediately thought of the (late) Rev. Peter Denny's classic model railway!
