The first train to traverse the Piney Creek Sub since a rock slide forced the closure of the west end of Raleigh Yard is halfway through the 1.5 trip on the New River Sub main from Quinnimont to Prince, where the train of 75 empty hoppers will begin the 22 mile run to Eccles, WV to load out the first of several trains to be loaded this week on this section of the C&O branch lines.
As time continues to pass, memoirs of the Chesapeake & Ohio continue to fade into history. A near-million dollar reservation is converting the Art Deco style station at Prince, built in 1946, to modern standards including ADA-compliant restrooms and an LED arrival screen. Meanwhile, signal crews continue to march their way east on the Russell-Clifton Forge mainline, with Prince and Quinnimont next on the list. Before long, all that will be left will be the rails themselves and the stories of trains past.
