NS railroad lines

If I am not mistaken, the Norfolk-Southern "S-Line" railroad track carries about 14-18 trains a day, but what about the BL Line, that goes from Leadvale up to Bulls Gap and to Va?

Don't really know how many trains go up the BL line. I do know that there are 2 unit coal trains that go that way, 1 loaded, 1 empty.

Too bad they don't have the caboose on them anymore. Also, it's too bad we don't have passenger service through here such as Amtrak.

I wonder why the RR Crossing on Main St has only cantilever signals, but no gates? The railroad crossing, down behind the Clayton homes plant has signals and gates.

The crossing at Main St. has never had gates. The traffic light is connected to them. It will stop traffic going east but will remain green for awhile to allow any west bound traffic to clear the crossing. The crossing near the Clayton homes is fairly new. It use to only have the crossbuck signs.

Well, I barely remember when the main street crossing had only mast signals, then sometime around 1992, the cantilever signals were put up, sans gates. I also wonder why they don't have Do Not Stop on track signs posted at that crossing? I've seen people stopped on the tracks when the light was red.

Ben wrote:

Well, I barely remember when the main street crossing had only mast signals, then sometime around 1992, the cantilever signals were put up, sans gates. I also wonder why they don't have Do Not Stop on track signs posted at that crossing? I've seen people stopped on the tracks when the light was red.

Have no clue why there is no signs saying do not stop on tracks. I guess that if your that dumb to stop on the tracks, you may just get what your looking for, a train....lmao

Speaking of trains, I saw 3 today in Morristown on the main line. While one coal train headed toward Knoxville,Two trains were heading east. One to Bristol, another train (mixed freight)switched tracks to Asheville behind the old Lowes building. I ended up stopping at the old Valley Home/Jarnigan Ave. crossing (which has mast signals and gates).

Ben wrote:

Speaking of trains, I saw 3 today in Morristown on the main line. While one coal train headed toward Knoxville,Two trains were heading east. One to Bristol, another train (mixed freight)switched tracks to Asheville behind the old Lowes building. I ended up stopping at the old Valley Home/Jarnigan Ave. crossing (which has mast signals and gates).

So you were at the New Line, interlocking plant. For those who don't know, the plant controls the signals an switches that would line a movement towards Asheville, or onto Bristol. All of the signals past Jarnigan are block signals until you get to Douglas, at one time it was called Leadvale Jct.

Yes, I went by New Line on A.J. Highway after taking care of some business in M-town and saw the train heading to Asheville and possibly Arden, where there is a steam plant (because there were a few loaded coal cars on the train).

Again today, I saw a mixed freight car switch tracks at New Line and headed off to Asheville. I can only imagine what it was like when Southern Railway provided passenger service in this area. The Carolina Special, Tennessean, were just a few of the trains that ran those lines up until they discontinued passenger service.

Brings back old memories. I worked for Southern and NS before retiring years ago. I took one of the last runs on the Southern Cresent into Washington DC where Southern had headquarters at one time.

Southern Retiree wrote:

Brings back old memories. I worked for Southern and NS before retiring years ago. I took one of the last runs on the Southern Cresent into Washington DC where Southern had headquarters at one time.

That must be some great memories. My dad, worked for the Southern, he passed away before the Sou/NW merger.

Too bad that a lot of the old Southern Railway depots have been torn down, with the exception of Newport and Downtown Knoxville. The site of the old Morristown Depot was in downtown, next to where Bradley's/Walker Supply had been. Plus, there were 2 old railroad spurs that connected behind the old depot and went out Cumberland to either an old junkyard, Chicken Mill, or simply connected to the S-Line (Knoxville-Asheville)Spur.

@Ben. The line that went out towards the scrap yard used to connect to the S line.

Oh, so it did connect to the S-Line? I never saw a train on it. I wonder why it was abandoned?

@Ben. When the depot was downtown they needed away for passenger trains to get to the station. A train that was headed from Asheville to Knoxville would go this way to stop at the Morristown station. Once the depot was closed and moved to where it is now there was no need for this track. The track was torn up from where LML is at now to the S line. Once traffic from the scrap yard ended the rest of the track was taken up.

Wow, I kinda figured out how Roe Junction got its name. From where that line met up w/the S-Line. Speaking of which, I went by there yesterday, and saw a mixed freight train bound for Asheville.

Yesterday, while in Knoxville, I saw a CSX train going from the railroad yard by UT, and guess what was on the end of it? A caboose, something that I've not seen on the back of a freight train in a long time.

Btw, where did the line that lead from downtown Morristown to the S-Line come out at in Roe Junction? I was thinking it came out near where Pine Brook Road is now.