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Rappahannock Railfan

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Harpers Ferry, WV
Rappahannock Railfan

I'm a railfan from the mountains of Virginia who enjoys watching trains go by and taking pictures and video of them!

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06/07/2026

On a cloudy late summer afternoon, a ship passes behind the Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse as it heads north up the Chesapeake Bay.
The Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse is located roughly 1-1/2 miles North of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland. It was built in 1883 to replace an existing lighthouse, which had been built on land nearby in 1858. The lighthouse sits within 5-7 feet of water and is roughly 1,000 feet from the beach of the present day Sandy Point State Park. It is privately owned and so is not open to the public. It can be viewed in the distance by boat, from the beach at the State Park.

05/20/2026

One CSX coal train: on a gorgeous Cinco De Mayo C315 (Newell, Pa.-Florence, Sc. as needed coal) glides down the CSX Cumberland Subdivision through a maintenance of way work zone and under Norfolk Southern's Hagerstown Line. It is led by CSX 4720, a unit painted to recognize the company's railroad employees as part of the "One CSX" initiative.
When I saw that this train was leaving Cumberland, I decided to head trackside since I hadn't caught this unit before (having missed it by a half hour leading another train at Point of Rocks a few months ago). I originally planned on Bardane, just west of here which would have been a cool shot with MOW equipment in the area. However, the shot was blocked so I decided to head to a familiar location. Certainly glad I was able to catch this nice looking unit.

05/04/2026

Pennsy in the Valley: on a muggy late June evening, 12Z (Roanoke, VA.-Enola, Pa. daily manifest) is racing against the darkness as it passes the N&W era CPL signals at CP Warren. It is led by NS 8102, the Pennsylvania Railroad heritage unit. It had been a good while since I had seen this unit, so it was nice to have a short chase of it after a day of work.

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day: a day to celebrate this beautiful planet we live on! Several shots from around Virginia through the years.

04/11/2026

Amtrak framed by blooms: on a gorgeous spring evening, 41 (Floridian daily Miami, FL.-Chicago, IL) departs its station stop at Martinsburg as it continues on its journey. When I was trying to figure out a good shot for this, I saw this tree (not sure what kind it was) which I thought would make an excellent frame for the departing train. It took some figuring for the exact angle and it might have been better with an eastbound train, but I'm happy with the result.

03/29/2026

C&O on the B&O: on a cloudy late November day, M416 (Rocky Mount, NC.-Cumberland, MD. daily manifest) passes the historic Baltimore and Ohio Railroad depot at Point of Rocks as it nears its next yard job in Brunswick. The train is led by CSX 1869, the heritage unit painted in the livery of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. This was my first time getting to catch this unit leading a train and it was nice to be able to chase it from here to Shenandoah Junction with a stop at Brunswick to see it working the yard.

03/17/2026

Don't pinch me, I'm green! On a gorgeous late summer afternoon, 27A (Rutherford, Pa.-Atlanta, Ga. daily intermodal) is about to cross over US Route 55 after rolling under Interstate 66 on its journey east on the B Line before continuing south. It is led by Norfolk Southern 1072, the Illinois Terminal heritage unit (sometimes referred to as the Glow Worm by railfans) which still looks pretty clean after recently getting a fresh coat of paint.
Route, 66 and the B Line roughly parallel each other between the Front Royal and Gainesville area, crossing over one another a couple of times. I was hoping for a longer chase of this train. However, after a work training I was only able to just barely catch up to it in order to get this shot: worth it! Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

03/13/2026

On a beautiful October day, a formation of three T-6s flies over a crowd of onlookers at the 25th annual Culpeper Air Fest. The T-6 was used as a trainer plane by various military agencies during World War 2 having different paint schemes for the different branches.
This was my first time going to the Air Fest for me, and seeing the T-6s in action was certainly one of the highlights.

03/04/2026

Down on the river: on a gorgeous summer day an southbound train crosses the Rappahannock River as it slows to a stop at the Fredericksburg station. Having shot the other side of this bridge from a park just down the river many times I figured I would change things up. I dusted off my kayak which I hadn't used in awhile and paddled upstream a little ways to get to this side of the bridge. It's always cool to shoot familiar spots through new vantage points, especially when it includes some kayaking.

02/24/2026

A dreamsicle surprise: in the last light of day a rerouted I77 (Norfolk, Va.-Chicago, IL as needed intermodal) cruises down the B Line with the Interstate heritage unit in charge. This train typically runs via Roanoke, however due to a derailment in West Virginia it had to take a different route. Earlier in the day I was out hiking with a friend and found out about this reroute after finishing. It was a nice surprise to be able to chase this on my way home since I hadn't caught this unit in awhile

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Harpers Ferry, WV
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