Classic “good ole boys” radio chatter and their expert train handling makes me proud to be from WV and before the time of computer controls, just man and machine

This is a great film and features some "good railroading". I'm glad the radio discussion between the pusher and head end was included and really enjoyed the scene of the pusher cutting away on the fly.

I always did like those Chessie locomotives, that horn sounded pretty good too 😊😊

Those oldheads knew how to railroad

An absolutely awesome video! Love that Chessie paint scheme and the nice Nathan K5LA Air-Horn! Also love the classic SD50’s and the loaded coal trains!

Classic mountain railroading in my Great State of West Virginia!

Great old vid!

My favorite video on KZfaq! My favorite locos, SD50s, my favorite railroad, man I wish I could go back in time!! There was just a purity to railroading ( and life in general) back then that has just seemed to fade a lil over time.

These Chessie Sd50's sound Great! I've seen this video mulitple times and love it every time!

Very enjoyable. That is the first time I have seen a pusher uncouple from a train, I have often wondered how they did that. Thanks for sharing, I loved every minute of it.

My how that helper engineer does ramble on! LOL. Thank you Ross for the trip back in time for a bit!

The engineer on the pusher sounds like Boomhower from King of the Hill lol

WOW!! That has to be the best you tube train video I've seen. You can contact CSX online about heritage schemes. Myself and others already have. The more people we get asking for it the better the chance of seeing some fresh Chessie paint again!!

Nice to see these in action. Thank you and thanks for the memories,

Makes me wonder who the 11 dislikes are... How can you possibly dislike this trip down memory lane?

Good catch. A little "poetic license", if you will. That's the one place where I used a "stand-in" train because I couldn't be on both sides of the tunnel for the same train. It is the same pusher on both trains.

I like that you included that radio chatter! Excellent video!

this is better than Pentrex ever put out. The radio chat makes the video.

Great video! I love the human element...especially the scanner chatter at the beginning!

Thank you for posting this video (and part II). Some of the best footage I have seen of Chessie SD50's and the radio exchanges were a great touch!

I worked up there for a few weeks after hurricane katrina and its VERY pretty country. Not much in the way of Chessie System stuff anymore but theres a large C&O presence. If you have anymore Chessie System videos p;ease post them. This one was excellent!

The 80s were good times. Plenty of work with good pay, and a lot younger.

I wish I was around when the chessie system was operating that's been my favorite railroad since I was 7 years old

Now THAT'S mountain railroading! Great clip, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the comments. I edit video on a Macintosh. The program I used is iStabilize. One of these days I'll redo and stabilize the whole video.

Beautiful classic American railfanning in the "Almost Heaven" state.

Thats Alleghany Tunnel, and the one the train is passing through is the old one, the newer one being on the left. Great video!

Sounds like Squirrel has a sick motor. LOL

Awesome video. I love the way the pusher cuts away on the fly! Happy railroading!!!

This is back when the good old boys just got shit done, worked hard, plenty of work to do, and the company wasn't breathing down your neck about wearing a reflective vest or tying your shoelaces the right way

Nice to know that C&O 8572 became CSX 8572

RIP the sleeping cat

Wow! I did'nt know that George Strait was a helper engineer before he made it big. It is a small world afterall.

Great Video! Just spent two days in that area following the line from Clifton Forge, Va. back to Thurmond, Wva. Like seeing the old Chessie units. Thanks Again for sharing.

thats a nice horn!

Dang ol boomhaur , dang ol 8 and sand.

Great video for 85!

@ble643 Sounds like the generator on the pusher would not go into "feild weakening" or "transition". Its basicly an electrical version of changing up a gear but without the gears! and happens, or should happen atomaticly as speed rises. On alot of loco's this happens at 25 mph (ish), and again farther up the speedo. If it wont transition or go into weak feild its like someone pulling the plug on the generator and she'l lose power.

Great video. Not much out there of " in-era " Chessie System video`s. Nice getting the radio chatter in there too.

Excellent clip of old school railroading at its best.

I did and remember it as a kid when trains still ran on it.

What a GREAT video! Thank you.

Excellent footage! Always loved the Chessie. Liked the way the pusher breaks away on the fly.

cutting off on the fly 😎🤙🏻

Sure wish, they still used cabooses. What a shame, to do away with the Chessie paint scheme. It was great.

Great old video. Love the radio chatter.

@formidable38 a common problem with SD50s, as well as crank case related issues.

Outstanding! If you have any more old Chessie movies, git'em on here.

This is a really great video, I only remember seeing chessie in and around Chicago when i was a kid but this is great I love to see helper videos.

Dang a chessie engine? In 2023 it’s now extin- Gets reminded of csx: nvm

That horn😍

Nice catch from 85. I wish I heard more K5LA’s like that in person, but typical 2023 doesn’t have many of those. One’s CSX and NS have don’t sound the same.

If I remember correctly, I think the smaller tunnel is newer. I think the larger tunnel was originally double tracked and when C&O went about improving clearances on the line, they built the smaller tunnel, moved one track over there, and single tracked the former double track tunnel, moving its line into the middle of the tunnel where the roof is taller so bigger railcars could go through. I think that's the story I read in Thomas Dixon's C&O Allegany Subdivision book.

ty for posting.

Man that radio talk!👍👍

Well that's good... it must have been from the video compression. I was going to say, it's pretty unusual to find a meathead engineer. Most of the B&LE guys I film are usually up to something when they go by!

i missed those old cabooses

I do have some more video from that same day and I'll post them as soon as I can get them edited.

I really enjoyed this video!! The scanner conversation was cool and seeing the helper cut off at the end on the fly was a first for me. I miss seeing Chessie engines I wish CSX would come out with some Chessie heritage engines!!!

Truly the 11th hour for the Chesapeake and Ohio as an independent company, before they and the other Chessie railroads (and Seaboard) were folded into CSX.

Love it...especially the good ole K5!

Very Cool - especially the scanner chat between the lead engine and the helper! Also neat to seen the helper cut-off on the fly like that. Now all I need is a way to do that in HO scale!

Appalachian railroading at it's best.

Last days of the caboose 1985-1988, in Virginia at least

Last new locomotives ever built for the Chesapeake & Ohio Ry.

Look at that old Nathan K5 on top of the engine! Perfect match for an SD40-2

Nice video.

Thank you, sir. I'll have to see if they have the same (or similar) program for Windows Vista. Your videos are great. About once every 5 years, I get enough time off to explore the area around the VA/WV border of the (now CSX) main east west line. So much of that area remains untouched over the last 50 years, it seems....just more vegetation each time I go back. Later!

Ronceverte (with an 'e' on the end) is French for Greenbrier, the river nearby.

I think it was 92 the last time I saw the old yellow Chessie System locomotive in person after that they were strictly CSX and they were changing over to the locomotives used today

WOW GREAT!!!! love Chessie System! what was that smoke from at the begining? ANd taht was a great END!!!!! Funny conversation too! 5***** and a definate FAV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CSX's paint schemes look so bland compared to Chessie.

Great video, Ross. Thanks for sharing!

Coolest video!

that's quite the power

You are correct. I wish I could fix that typo, but I'd have to remove and re-upload the video.

Great video, but please tell me the engineer wasn't giving us the finger as they went by...

What's so rude about that? My guys honk, bell or click the lights when they go by, they're pretty cool. Only jerk I ever ran across what a maintenance guy at the B&P yards. I was standing on the pedestrian walk way of the rt68 bridge and he was giving me grief. Engineers all waved though.

One of the guys quotes Robert Dinero at 3:07

@640Radio I think you have to go out of WSS on State Route 311 toward Va. top of the mountain.

similar to the horseshoe curve

Excellent video. I'm curious, what program did you use to stabilize the hand-held video (6:45)? It seems to work pretty well.

This is great. Miss the Chessie.

Great old time railroading cvgeeps

Ole boomhower Havin engine troubles!!

Guy kinda sounds like Boomhauer from King of the Hill

@arrowguy173 no kidding only 20 years ago in 1991 was it still common to see Chessie Seabord system and grey Family lines engines and B&O/C&O but not anymore

I just noticed something. Where in the mix did they change cabs? When they left they had a northeast style cab and then when the helper cut off it was a wideivision.

Beautiful K5LA

Without doing some research, I don't know the tunnel dates. The top of the ridge is the Virginia-West Virginia state line just east of White Sulphur Springs, WV . The smaller tunnel is the original, the one on the larger one is newer. You might check with the C&O Historical Society for more information. The last time I was at the location, no homes were above the tunnels. Look on Google Earth 37 44' 51.13" N 80 14' 24.46" W

What tunnel goes where? Did they renovate the tunnel (at 5:33) on the right? I see in other videos renovation, and homes built up on top, is this the same spot?

NICE!!

Love the Chessie, what horn did they use on the lead unit?

SWEET!!

Anymore of these old videos you still need to upload?

Awesome horns on those units! I think the SD-50 was the last nice looking EMD model. How did they change cabooses during the push? LOL

I wonder what the engine's issue ended up being

Was that smoke from those Passenger cars coming from a steam locomotive

That is correct.

It' s a K5la