I live off the AS Line near Walnut NC. There’s a lot of work being done on the tracks but a lot still left to be done. I’ve heard NS is targeting March to get the daily 135/136 running again but there is a bridge on the TN side that needs to be replaced first. The track work is coming along. I do agree the best hope the Old Fort loops have is the ncdot wanting to extend state sponsored Amtrak service west to avl…
Thanks for this post. I travel to Asheville often. But I haven't been there since shortly after the flood to bring in supplies. It is amazing that 3 months after Helene there is still that much destruction. Given that intermodal traffic is important to NS, I expect NS will eventually salvage and repair most of those well cars. Obviously it will take some time.
@@DAL3294And if they’re put back in service (unlikely even before the flood) they would require roller bearing inspections and replacement of all the various brake valves and pistons. That’s federal regulations!
Sad. This same line was the same one that Norfolk & Western 611 traversed on not even almost half a decade ago. It is going to take a long time for that entire region to recover and even just rebuilding this line alone will take quite a while also. Same for CSX’s former Clinchfield Division which also get heavily damaged during Hurricane Helene.
If NS is clever, they fill out those empty cars wit concrete and make a "protection" against the river out of it. It wil raise again, someday... Not a single one was derailed by the force but the water did destroy heavier stuff.
I think if you compare the massive effort CSX immediately put into effect rebuilding the Nolichucky Gorge trackage, and compare it to the work, or lack thereof, on the NS AS line, it’s pretty clear that at best, Asheville will be the end of a stub end line from Knoxville. At worst………….?
From what ive seen its looking like they will reopen the whole line as they are now saying east of ashville all the way up until the loops will be open by march while the loops they still say is being evaluated. And as for the loops still kinda in the air but NCDOT last week put out a video about future plans for NCs rail network and they still mentioned wanting to expand to Asheville
I can't even imagine what the old Saluda grade looks like now after Helene. I have not had a chance yet to drive down Pearson Falls road yet to see what shape it is in now. Granted NS had already sought a buyer for the line to become a rail trail. I'm not sure if that deal has gone through yet but if it did, whoever takes over the line is going to have their work cut out for them.
The officially got it labeled as abandoned in November and plan to sell it and rip up the track. I doubt they have any need for it even still after the hurricane took out the AS line since traffic on the AS line was already dwindling The only thing the AS line really has going for it is NCDots interest in bringing Amtrak to Asheville unless NS starts using it for run though traffic again but the tight curves and grade of the loops makes that less than ideal to do
Thank you for producing this important video for Americans to see this abject devastation. Hopefully, the incoming administration will work light years faster than the outgoing administration. Unimaginable scenes; and we're sending $$ & fire fighting equipment from L. A. to where, Ukraine??!!
Cannot let such a foolish reply go unanswered. You must be another member of fantasyland where no one is to believe their lying eyes. President Trump is not even in office, yet. . .but you'd have people believe he's somehow accountable. Your guy, meanwhile, or whoever is running the country, has allowed the situation in western North Carolina continue for months, w/no relief in sight. Hold your fire until the adults have a shot at cleaning up the mess exacerbated by the rank amateurs still in office. So on that basis chief, who's really the one doing the dreaming, hmmm. I'm done.
If going to post a reply try to make it a serious one. Your guy chief, or whoever is running the country, has allowed the situation in western North Carolina to go on for months, w/no relief in sight. So on what basis is President Trump accountable when he has yet returned to office? Trump will address this mess he will inherit much quicker than sleepy Joe. So who's the one dreaming, hmmm??
A large share of the money in the aid bills for Ukraine is spent in the United States, paying for American factories and workers to produce the various weapons that are either shipped to Ukraine or that replenish the U.S. weapons stocks the Pentagon has drawn on during the war. One analysis, by the American Enterprise Institute, found that Ukraine aid is funding defense manufacturing in more than seventy U.S. cities. The vast majority of this money never leaves the US and instead supports American jobs. For the modest amount of around 68 cents per day per American the US helps Ukraine dismantle Russia’s military without a single American firing a shot or being shot at. The US can easily afford to support Ukraine, but it cannot afford not to. Putin must be defeated! More than $100 million in FEMA individual assistance has been approved for North Carolina households affected by Tropical Storm Helene. Unlikely that a corrupt sociopathic kleptocrat will be able to care about anything unless it benefits him or his billionaire friends.
Keep the videos coming. I was hoping that NS was making progress on rebuilding the AS line.
Keep us posted please . Great video .
I live off the AS Line near Walnut NC. There’s a lot of work being done on the tracks but a lot still left to be done. I’ve heard NS is targeting March to get the daily 135/136 running again but there is a bridge on the TN side that needs to be replaced first. The track work is coming along. I do agree the best hope the Old Fort loops have is the ncdot wanting to extend state sponsored Amtrak service west to avl…
Thanks for this post. I travel to Asheville often. But I haven't been there since shortly after the flood to bring in supplies. It is amazing that 3 months after Helene there is still that much destruction. Given that intermodal traffic is important to NS, I expect NS will eventually salvage and repair most of those well cars. Obviously it will take some time.
The well cars there were in storage long term, they're likely surplus and not worth recovering.
@@DAL3294And if they’re put back in service (unlikely even before the flood) they would require roller bearing inspections and replacement of all the various brake valves and pistons. That’s federal regulations!
Sad. This same line was the same one that Norfolk & Western 611 traversed on not even almost half a decade ago. It is going to take a long time for that entire region to recover and even just rebuilding this line alone will take quite a while also. Same for CSX’s former Clinchfield Division which also get heavily damaged during Hurricane Helene.
not the signals 😢
If NS is clever, they fill out those empty cars wit concrete and make a "protection" against the river out of it. It wil raise again, someday... Not a single one was derailed by the force but the water did destroy heavier stuff.
lol. Wow.
This is a joke right lol
I think if you compare the massive effort CSX immediately put into effect rebuilding the Nolichucky Gorge trackage, and compare it to the work, or lack thereof, on the NS AS line, it’s pretty clear that at best, Asheville will be the end of a stub end line from Knoxville. At worst………….?
From what ive seen its looking like they will reopen the whole line as they are now saying east of ashville all the way up until the loops will be open by march while the loops they still say is being evaluated.
And as for the loops still kinda in the air but NCDOT last week put out a video about future plans for NCs rail network and they still mentioned wanting to expand to Asheville
@@tux_the_astronaut the state of Nc can buy the loops
I wonder what they will do with all those rail cars?
They were destined to be scrapped before the flood happened.
How did they get the empty well train out of there?
They haven’t. Those cars have been there for years on the siding track in storage.
@ ohh I had no idea
It’s going to be a long time
That is the first video that I have seen were rail cars were on the tracks during the flood 😢
Those cars have been on that siding in storage for a few years. It is amazing they weren’t moved much, just pummeled with debris.
Should have kept Saluda open
I can't even imagine what the old Saluda grade looks like now after Helene. I have not had a chance yet to drive down Pearson Falls road yet to see what shape it is in now. Granted NS had already sought a buyer for the line to become a rail trail. I'm not sure if that deal has gone through yet but if it did, whoever takes over the line is going to have their work cut out for them.
Yep!
The officially got it labeled as abandoned in November and plan to sell it and rip up the track. I doubt they have any need for it even still after the hurricane took out the AS line since traffic on the AS line was already dwindling
The only thing the AS line really has going for it is NCDots interest in bringing Amtrak to Asheville unless NS starts using it for run though traffic again but the tight curves and grade of the loops makes that less than ideal to do
Saluda is use less
Thank you for producing this important video for Americans to see this abject devastation. Hopefully, the incoming administration will work light years faster than the outgoing administration. Unimaginable scenes; and we're sending $$ & fire fighting equipment from L. A. to where, Ukraine??!!
trump cares nothing for the state or the railroad , dream on buddy....
Cannot let such a foolish reply go unanswered. You must be another member of fantasyland where no one is to believe their lying eyes. President Trump is not even in office, yet. . .but you'd have people believe he's somehow accountable. Your guy, meanwhile, or whoever is running the country, has allowed the situation in western North Carolina continue for months, w/no relief in sight. Hold your fire until the adults have a shot at cleaning up the mess exacerbated by the rank amateurs still in office. So on that basis chief, who's really the one doing the dreaming, hmmm. I'm done.
If going to post a reply try to make it a serious one. Your guy chief, or whoever is running the country, has allowed the situation in western North Carolina to go on for months, w/no relief in sight. So on what basis is President Trump accountable when he has yet returned to office? Trump will address this mess he will inherit much quicker than sleepy Joe. So who's the one dreaming, hmmm??
See above comment for a serious reply.
A large share of the money in the aid bills for Ukraine is spent in the United States, paying for American factories and workers to produce the various weapons that are either shipped to Ukraine or that replenish the U.S. weapons stocks the Pentagon has drawn on during the war. One analysis, by the American Enterprise Institute, found that Ukraine aid is funding defense manufacturing in more than seventy U.S. cities. The vast majority of this money never leaves the US and instead supports American jobs. For the modest amount of around 68 cents per day per American the US helps Ukraine dismantle Russia’s military without a single American firing a shot or being shot at. The US can easily afford to support Ukraine, but it cannot afford not to. Putin must be defeated! More than $100 million in FEMA individual assistance has been approved for North Carolina households affected by Tropical Storm Helene. Unlikely that a corrupt sociopathic kleptocrat will be able to care about anything unless it benefits him or his billionaire friends.