On November 10-11, 2012, the final Norfolk Southern steam trips of the 2012 season were operated out of Chattanooga, TN. On Saturday, Southern 630 headed south to Attalla, AL (on the Birmingham line), and on Sunday, she pulled an excursion north on the CNO&TP to Harriman, TN.
For years during the original NS steam program, fall trips out of Chattanooga operated north to Emory Gap, TN (just below Harriman), then later north to Oneida after the Emory Gap wye was removed. Birmingham to Chattanooga trips typically closed out the operating season, so this weekend was a bit of a throwback to the “good ole days”.
Perfect weather with wall to wall sunshine (well, except for the pea soup fog at the TVRM’s Grand Junction station) was the rule for Saturday. On Sunday, a front was rolling in, so good weather in the morning slowly gave way to cloudy skies by the afternoon.
Enclosed are a couple of pics from the fastest 2-8-0 in the south!
Kevin
