farlymac
PF McFarland
For a couple of months back in early 2004, after taking a signal maintainer position on the Norfolk Southern Shenandoah Line, my headquarters were in Front Royal, VA
Front Royal is at the northern terminus of Skyline Drive, which is the main road through Shenandoah National Park. It was also home to a very large viscose plant that shut down many, many years ago, and left behind all sorts of polluted ground and water ponds. It has mostly been cleaned up now, and part of the area is used for recreational sports.
My territory went from about three miles north of Berryville, VA, for about 42 miles south to a place called Vaughn Summit, just outside of Luray, VA.
On my way back from a camera show in Fairfax, VA, I decided to capture some of the scenery along my former work area, including the many trestles that crossed various creeks, the south fork of the Shenandoah River, and US-340. But my camera (Nicca-III S, W-Nikkor 35/3.5, and Ilford Delta 100) gave up the ghost when the shutter broke after 21 exposures, so this is a truncated tour.
Hope you like it. I would have had many more photos from over the years, but unfortunately, my medical issues caught up with me while I was working there, and that’s when the railroad decided I needed to go home for good. It was a lovely area, but I noticed a big increase in tourist activity since I’ve been gone, which of course just kills the charm of any small town when they have to start building fast food joints all over the place to feed the starving out-of-towners, and widen the roads to four lanes.
Front Royal, VA Depot by P F McFarland, on Flickr
My headquarters when I worked on the Shenandoah Line from just north of Berryville, VA to Vaughn Summit, VA.
A large station by any standard, the Station Master, Clerks, and Ticket offices were in the right section. The middle section was the passenger waiting area, and the taller section on the left was the freight house.
The MoW forces use it as a staging area when they are in town doing track maintenance, which anymore seems to be most of the time.
Spares by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Some signals taken down off the NS Shenandoah Line, but held in reserve, because you just never know when you'll need one.
Station Sign by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Front Royal, VA station and depot. The cover over the basement steps is a new addition since I worked there 13 years ago. Keeps the trash and leaves from building up in the stairwell.
New Toy by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Brand new International Hi-Rail tie hauler ready to do service with the MoW department.
Buck Mill Road Crossing by P F McFarland, on Flickr
In Limeton, VA, which got it's name because of all the lime that was shipped from there to the iron furnaces.
A remnant of the pole line still survives though it hadn't been in service since before I worked there 13 years ago. NS just won't spend the money to take it all down, and now traffic on the line is too heavy to allow for such a project to block up track time.
Third Rail by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Not exactly. This is at the Bucks Mill Crossing in Limeton, VA, where a stick of new welded rail has been temporarily buried in the crossing while waiting to replace one of the other rails.
Bentonville-Browntown Road Crossing by P F McFarland, on Flickr
At Bentonville, VA. There is a stub siding that the MoW uses to store their cars and track supplies, and an old loading dock that sometimes comes in handy.
I remember sitting in the truck waiting for track time from the Dispatcher so we could Hi-Rail to Rileyville, and the Asst. General Supervisor who was in the passenger seat asked me if I was nervous about taking this job.
I told him I was once in the control room of a submarine that went under while the bridge hatch was open, and watched tons of seawater flow down the trunk and past me. I said that after that, there wasn't a whole lot that scared me.
Bentonville Loading Dock by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Bentonville-Browntown Road Crossing.
You can see the piles of tie plates and spike bags that the MoW forces store there for when they are doing rail replacement work. The big concrete dock makes a nice protector for the crossing signal control housing in case some train engineer would get a little too enthused in his job, and run some cars off the end of the stub siding.
Shutter Break by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Unfortunately, the shutter in my Nicca-III S decided to give way, when I reached Overall, VA to get some shots of the three bridges that cross Overall Run creek.
Bridge Marker by P F McFarland, on Flickr
From 1937, this marked the new bridge (at the time) where US-340 crossed Overall Run creek. Off to the left of the marker you can see the remnants of the 1937 bridge, and the new bridge next to that which has already been re-decked since it was built.
This frame was only blocked on the very end (top of image) by the broken shutter curtain, so I was able to crop it to get a full image.
Three Bridges at Overall Run Creek by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Just before Overall Run flows into the South Fork of the Shenandoah River at the Warren and Page counties line, these three bridges span the gorge it created.
On the left is the current US-340 bridge, which has been re-decked since the last time I was up this way.
In the center is the remnant of the old 1937 US-340 bridge that was left as some sort of memorial. I was going to read the historical placards mounted off to the right, but was distracted by the fact my shutter had jammed (broken, actually), so I don't know the exact story about this. I think it was a WPA job (Works Projects Administration) during the Depression era, and is of a design I've not seen elsewhere. So apparently someone thought enough of this span to preserve it for prosperity.
On the right is one of the many trestles of the old N&W (now NS) Shenandoah Line I worked for a couple of months in early 2004. With little access from the highway or secondary roads, it was much easier to Hi-Rail from one location to the next to do tests and maintenance of the signal system. You get a really good view driving a bucket truck over one of these high trestles.
I would have liked to gotten better acquainted with the area before I was put on disability, but that’s life for you.
PF
Front Royal is at the northern terminus of Skyline Drive, which is the main road through Shenandoah National Park. It was also home to a very large viscose plant that shut down many, many years ago, and left behind all sorts of polluted ground and water ponds. It has mostly been cleaned up now, and part of the area is used for recreational sports.
My territory went from about three miles north of Berryville, VA, for about 42 miles south to a place called Vaughn Summit, just outside of Luray, VA.
On my way back from a camera show in Fairfax, VA, I decided to capture some of the scenery along my former work area, including the many trestles that crossed various creeks, the south fork of the Shenandoah River, and US-340. But my camera (Nicca-III S, W-Nikkor 35/3.5, and Ilford Delta 100) gave up the ghost when the shutter broke after 21 exposures, so this is a truncated tour.
Hope you like it. I would have had many more photos from over the years, but unfortunately, my medical issues caught up with me while I was working there, and that’s when the railroad decided I needed to go home for good. It was a lovely area, but I noticed a big increase in tourist activity since I’ve been gone, which of course just kills the charm of any small town when they have to start building fast food joints all over the place to feed the starving out-of-towners, and widen the roads to four lanes.
Front Royal, VA Depot by P F McFarland, on Flickr
My headquarters when I worked on the Shenandoah Line from just north of Berryville, VA to Vaughn Summit, VA.
A large station by any standard, the Station Master, Clerks, and Ticket offices were in the right section. The middle section was the passenger waiting area, and the taller section on the left was the freight house.
The MoW forces use it as a staging area when they are in town doing track maintenance, which anymore seems to be most of the time.
Spares by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Some signals taken down off the NS Shenandoah Line, but held in reserve, because you just never know when you'll need one.
Station Sign by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Front Royal, VA station and depot. The cover over the basement steps is a new addition since I worked there 13 years ago. Keeps the trash and leaves from building up in the stairwell.
New Toy by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Brand new International Hi-Rail tie hauler ready to do service with the MoW department.
Buck Mill Road Crossing by P F McFarland, on Flickr
In Limeton, VA, which got it's name because of all the lime that was shipped from there to the iron furnaces.
A remnant of the pole line still survives though it hadn't been in service since before I worked there 13 years ago. NS just won't spend the money to take it all down, and now traffic on the line is too heavy to allow for such a project to block up track time.
Third Rail by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Not exactly. This is at the Bucks Mill Crossing in Limeton, VA, where a stick of new welded rail has been temporarily buried in the crossing while waiting to replace one of the other rails.
Bentonville-Browntown Road Crossing by P F McFarland, on Flickr
At Bentonville, VA. There is a stub siding that the MoW uses to store their cars and track supplies, and an old loading dock that sometimes comes in handy.
I remember sitting in the truck waiting for track time from the Dispatcher so we could Hi-Rail to Rileyville, and the Asst. General Supervisor who was in the passenger seat asked me if I was nervous about taking this job.
I told him I was once in the control room of a submarine that went under while the bridge hatch was open, and watched tons of seawater flow down the trunk and past me. I said that after that, there wasn't a whole lot that scared me.
Bentonville Loading Dock by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Bentonville-Browntown Road Crossing.
You can see the piles of tie plates and spike bags that the MoW forces store there for when they are doing rail replacement work. The big concrete dock makes a nice protector for the crossing signal control housing in case some train engineer would get a little too enthused in his job, and run some cars off the end of the stub siding.
Shutter Break by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Unfortunately, the shutter in my Nicca-III S decided to give way, when I reached Overall, VA to get some shots of the three bridges that cross Overall Run creek.
Bridge Marker by P F McFarland, on Flickr
From 1937, this marked the new bridge (at the time) where US-340 crossed Overall Run creek. Off to the left of the marker you can see the remnants of the 1937 bridge, and the new bridge next to that which has already been re-decked since it was built.
This frame was only blocked on the very end (top of image) by the broken shutter curtain, so I was able to crop it to get a full image.
Three Bridges at Overall Run Creek by P F McFarland, on Flickr
Just before Overall Run flows into the South Fork of the Shenandoah River at the Warren and Page counties line, these three bridges span the gorge it created.
On the left is the current US-340 bridge, which has been re-decked since the last time I was up this way.
In the center is the remnant of the old 1937 US-340 bridge that was left as some sort of memorial. I was going to read the historical placards mounted off to the right, but was distracted by the fact my shutter had jammed (broken, actually), so I don't know the exact story about this. I think it was a WPA job (Works Projects Administration) during the Depression era, and is of a design I've not seen elsewhere. So apparently someone thought enough of this span to preserve it for prosperity.
On the right is one of the many trestles of the old N&W (now NS) Shenandoah Line I worked for a couple of months in early 2004. With little access from the highway or secondary roads, it was much easier to Hi-Rail from one location to the next to do tests and maintenance of the signal system. You get a really good view driving a bucket truck over one of these high trestles.
I would have liked to gotten better acquainted with the area before I was put on disability, but that’s life for you.
PF
presspass
filmshooter
Wonderful shots of a part of the Shenandoah Valley that has gotten little coverage except for O. Winston Link's marvelous night photos take during the last years of Norfolk Western steam power. Before we were married, my wife spent her first year teaching in the town of Stanley, just south of Luray, and I visited often but always concentrated on the trees and mountains, not the railroad. I still regret that omission.
webOSUser
Well-known
Enjoyed the images. Perhaps you'll be able to go back and complete the series. I have always enjoyed railroad pictures. Men on both sides of my family worked on the railroad, three generations on my father's side.
citizen99
Well-known
Interesting revived thread that I hadn't seen before, Phil 
robert blu
quiet photographer
Very good pictures and interesting story about. Thanks for sharing both.
robert
robert
farlymac
PF McFarland
Thanks, all. I just got back some photos from the southern part of the territory, from Rileyville to Vaughn Summit, and will be posting them some time this week. After that I hope to get up to the northern third of the territory which has more road access.
PF
PF