B-Line Railfan

NS 955 Office Car Special with Special Leaders

spgass — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:02 +0000

Norfolk Southern train 955 passed east on the NS B-Line this evening led by NS ES-44AC “The Stars and Stripes” 8118 and NS SD70IAC 1776 “The Bell” which have been painted to celebrate the 250th Birthday of the United States. Here is a photo and video of the train passing through Front Royal, Virginia.

Photo

NS train 955 passes a driveway along Happy Creek Road in Front Royal, Virginia on 8/5/2026.

Video

50 Years Ago: The Liberty Limited ’76

spgass — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:35:17 +0000

This is an audio recording my dad made on July 17, 1976 of the Southern Railway Liberty Limited ’76 on the B-Line crossing a road to the then-IBM campus off of Wellington Road in Manassas, Virginia. Power for the excursion was Southern 2-8-0 630 and Southern 2-8-2 4501. In the second half of the recording, you can hear engineers on both locomotives playing their whistles.

N&W 611 Celebrating America’s 250th

spgass — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:30:47 +0000

I visited the Buckingham Branch Railroad on the Fourth of July yesterday and caught three scenes of N&W Class J 611 leading the 10:00a Virginia Scenic Railway excursion between Louisa and Gordonsville, Virginia. The 611 is specially decorated with a red stripe, white stars, and an emblem for the semiquincentennial (250th birthday) of the United States. Photos and a video are below:

Photos

Norfolk and Western Class J 611 pulls an excursion train along Dunkum Store Road east of Gordonsville, Virginia on 7/04/2026.

The 611 pulls an excursion train west nearing Gordonsville, Virginia on July 4, 2026.

Video

NS 90G Geometry Train West Through Linden

spgass — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:36:03 +0000

At lunchtime today, I was able to catch Norfolk Southern train 90G passing through Linden, Virginia on the NS B-Line. Consist was NS SD70ACe 1059, NS 38 “The Brick”, and research car NS 36. A video and going-away photo are below:

Video

Photo

NS train 90G, a geometry/inspection train heads west on the NS B-Line in Linden, VA on 6/29/2026.

NS 25A with BNSF Power

spgass — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 22:01:47 +0000

Norfolk Southern train 25A was led today by a pair of BNSF locomotives shown here passing the Appalachian Trail crossing in Linden, Virginia. BNSF ES44C4s 6663 and 4217 were the unit numbers.

Photo

BNSF ES44C4s 6663 & 4217 lead NS train 25A through Linden, VA on 6/19/2026.

Video

NS 25A in Front Royal

spgass — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 20:59:39 +0000

Here’s a photo of Norfolk Southern train 25A in Front Royal, Virginia from May 30, 2026. Lead power was ES-44DC 7561.

NS train 25A is led by ES-44DC 7561 on the NS B-Line in Front Royal, VA on 5/30/2026.

NS 289 Climbing Linden Hill

spgass — Sat, 23 May 2026 00:01:33 +0000

Norfolk Southern train 289 is led by NS SD70ACe 1047 and AC44C6M 4943 east up the grade near Linden, Virginia on a rainy spring day. A photo and video of the train are below.

Photo

NS train 289 passes east over the Pickrell Road crossing near Linden, Virginia on 5/22/2026.

Video

NS 955 Office Car Special near Linden

spgass — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:48:44 +0000

Norfolk Southern train 955 passed by today on the NS B-line near Linden, Virginia. Here are a couple photos and a video from the Applachian Trail crossing. Power was newly painted NS ES44AC 8184 “Altoona” and SD70IAC 1231 “Atlanta.” They are part of a new Landmark series of specially painted locomotives.

Photos

NS ES44AC 8184 leads train 955 west across the Blue Ridge Mountains in Linden, VA on 4/13/2026.

Enjoying the porch on the rear of NS 955 as it passes by the Appalachian Trail near Linden, VA on 4/13/2026.

Video

Three Trains Through Clifton, VA

spgass — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:30:55 +0000

VRE 325, Amtrak 178, and a late running Amtrak 20 passed through Clifton, Virginia within about 20 minutes on the NS mainline this afternoon. Jump to video.

Photos

Historical marker sign at Clifton, VA

Northbound Northeast Regional Amtrak train 278 approaches Clifton, Virginia on 3/25/2026.

Amtrak 178 led by ALC-42 Charger 304 crosses Main Street in Clifton, Virginia on 3/25/2026.

Video

Rolling Meet of NS 16T and 15T with NYC Heritage leader in Front Royal

spgass — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 22:24:48 +0000

Norfolk Southern northbound train 16T led by NS AC44C6M 4411 and SD70IAC 1209 with mid-train DPUs AC44C6Ms 4124 & 4405 met southbound train 15T today between Front Royal and Warren on the former Norfolk & Western Shenandoah Valley Line. NS 15T was led by NS SD70ACe 1066 (the New York Central RR heritage unit), AC44C6Ms 4620 & 4499 with SD70IAC 1179 as rear DPU. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Photos and a video are below:

Photos

NS AC44C6M 4411 leads train 16T north in Front Royal, VA on 3/17/2026.

NS SD70ACe 1066 (the New York Central RR heritage unit) leads train 15T south through Front Royal, VA on 3/17/2026.

Video