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By Vic Stone

* News for Central VA*

Lack of happenin' stuff is the main reason for this abbreviated mid-week
report.

** Special Trains **
1) The AOE will be in Charlottesville on Saturday, July 6, arriving about
1:40 PM from the south, and departing about 6 PM for Washington.

The train is to lay over in DC for a week, and there is a potential that
this train will run south on Sat, July 13 for the Olympics in Atlanta.  An
update will be given next week.  Note this might be one of the first
modern daylight (and shootable) passenger trains between Charlottesville
and Greensboro, excluding late runs of the Crescent.

NS - With the contaminated dirt moving from Greenwood to Red Hill, NS
Manassas-based local E41 continues to run regularly to pick up this
dirt from the Rock Track at Red Hill.  This happens about 1-2 times per
week.

Rumors indicate that 456/457 will shift back the Shenandoah Valley Line to
Roanoke soon.  Also heard (but less reliable) is the possibility of
154/155 also shifting to the Valley and continuing to Lynchburg via
Glasgow and CSX trackage rights.  Block swapping between 155 & 457 would
take place at Shenandoah.  211 may be picking up 221's traffic at VIP and
running as a combined train to Lynchburg where they would split into
separate trains.

Intermediate N&W position lights are being replaced on the Valley,
especially north of Riverton Jct.  Control point signals should remain the
same for now ...

CSX - An anticipated slowdown for coal traffic already seems to be
observed with few empties running through town ... this is due to miners'
vacations during this month.  As a result, more maintenance is slated to
occur both on the River & up on the Piedmont/North Mountain Sub's.

Trackwork in Cumberland continues with the CTC project at Mexico.  Also
in its beginning stages is the change in track configuration at Viaduct
Jct.  New power crossovers are in place at Virginia Lane, with their
anticipated cutover coming with the transfer of Mexico's control to JAX.



That's it for this week ... Happy 4th of July

- Vic Stone