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By Vic Stone
Piedmont Report:

Mid-week report for 1st week of April, 1996:

NS - CP units were abound last week on trains 341/342.
Possibly a precursor to the potential route change of CP
555/556 that was rumored to take effect April 2.  But, this
week, 341/342 has been running with normal NS power.  Widecabs
are out up to #8970.  Derailments have been prevalent between
Atlanta and New Orleans with 2 in the past half-week.

A work train (with an N&W caboose!) is down in the yard,
apparently still dropping stick rail along the right-of-way.

* The American Orient Express was somewhat disappointing: The
original P32's that were supposed to run through were taken off
at New Orleans, replaced by a P40 and F40.  In addition to the
bad weather, a derailment near Tallapoosa, GA delayed the
train's schedule by 6 hours on Saturday.  As a result, the
American Orient Express skipped its stop in Charlottesville.

Next run for the AOE - April 14th southbound out of DC at 9 AM;
arr Cville 1145; dep Cville 1630; crew change Lynchburg 1745

CSX - CP units were also on a coal train this week.  A solid
set of two units were sighted on a wb coal train and some more
on the James River Subdivision.  About a half and half split
has been the norm for the wb empties between the Mountain and
the River.