FastFlyingVirginian's video: Virginia Railfanning May 15 2021: Deluxe Accomodations

The weather this past weekend checked all the right option boxes for springtime - delete choking clouds of pollen, sticky post-rainstorm humidity, and early-onset-summer heat, add in brilliant blue sky and puffy white clouds. Yup, time to go railfanning. 0:00 - Northeast Regional 88 The morning got off to a slow start. I was trackside in Ruther Glen by 7:30, but the first train of the day didn't arrive until 8:53 - Northeast Regional 88, led by P42 25. 0:55 - Northeast Regional 65 Expanded service on Amtrak? Whodathunkit? Northeast Regional 65 wheeled through the curve at 9:13 with P42 113 on point. For the first time in 17 years, the consist includes a sleeper. Yes, the sleeper is only in service between Washington DC and Boston, but at least it still looks the part while deadheading. 1:59 - Northeast Regional 194 Another lull, another chance to catch up on some mobile gaming. The engineer at the throttle of P42 198 delivered another horn salute as Northeast Regional 194 hurried north at 10:45. 2:39 - Q301 Back to mobile gaming again until 11:51, when CSX finally showed up to the party with a slow-moving 140-car Q301, led by ES40DC 5416 and AC4400CW 123. The scanner chatter told the story of a meet developing up ahead, where Q301 and Q410 had to pause to allow Amtrak's southbound Palmetto to cross over between, after which Q301 would follow the Palmetto to Richmond while 410 continued north. 9:35 - Amtrak 89, Palmetto With Q301 stopped out of sight to the south on track 3, the southbound Palmetto whizzed by on track 2 at 12:02, led by P42 138. 10:09 - Q410 Ten minutes after the Palmetto, Q410 marched onward behind ES40DCs 5336 and 5298 and AC4400CW 100, the latter still sporting its original YN2 paint. 13:53 - Amtrak 79, Carolinian Satisfied that nothing else would show up for a while, I made my getaway from the Glen and stopped in at Doswell, next to the Bakery Feeds plant. Amtrak's southbound Carolinian hustled past at 1:06, led by P42 75. 15:02 - Amtrak 92, Silver Star Not one to let the Carolinian get all the glory, the northbound Silver Star put on its own display of speed at 2:13, with P42s 60 and 154 leading the way. With the Star set to resume daily service soon, perhaps it will retain the expanded consist that added a sleeper and re-added a diner... 15:54 - Amtrak 80, Carolinian The Star was followed 21 minutes later by 79's northbound counterpart, led by P42 142. 16:39 - CSX Q031 If Chewbacca's growl is actually a composite of several animal noises, then maybe, just maybe, the sound of a TIE fighter squadron on the attack is compiled from passing freight trains. Case in point - CSX intermodal hotshot Q031 making the rails sing as it sailed past shortly after 3, with ES44AH 858 (and an autonomous track geometry boxcar) on point and ES44AH 3160 as the DPU. In a few miles, the train will dial the speed back to pass through Ashland at a more sedate pace - and then dial it out again once the head end passes through the other side of the speed restriction, near Ashcake Road. 20:07 - Amtrak 91, Silver Star With Q031 out of the way, I packed up the gear and moved south once more to Ashland. A few details still remain to be addressed with the new platforms, but the landscaping is in place and the sidewalks and parking spaces are open. I took a few minutes to admire the work before the southbound Silver Star showed up at 5:07, led by P42s 144 and 140. 21:42 - CSX Q421 Station visitors exchanged greetings with the crew in ES44AH 3055 as Q421 rolled south through Ashland at 5:17. Assisting the 3055 in its endeavors was CW44AH 553, another holdout in the YN2 paint scheme. 24:07 - Amtrak 53, Auto Train Another greeting exchange between station visitors and train crew ensued as the southbound Auto Train made its appearance at 5:22, led by P40s 832 and 831. 26:00 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 66 Regional 66's stop was extended a bit to board a passenger from across track 3 - fortunately for him, one of the coach vestibules lined up perfectly with the pedestrian crossing. All the better to get a look at newly re-added Viewliner I sleeper 'New River' tucked in behind the baggage car. 27:42 - Amtrak Northeast Regional 99 P42 153 led Northeast Regional 99 into the station at 7:12, draped in lengthening shadows. After a false start to pick up a straggler, the train resumed its journey. I lingered for a bit longer in conversation, but the scanner yielded no clues of trains to come and I headed home shortly thereafter.