INTRODUCTION: The route that was the N&W between Roanoke, Virginia, and Hagerstown, Maryland, and extending on to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania via the Pennsylvania Railroad, is today all part of the sprawling Norfolk Southern Railway system. Different parts of this route have distinctly different characteristics and traffic, as we shall discover on this tour. Previously, the tour was completed between Grottoes and Front Royal, Virginia, a distance of about 70 miles. A short segment thru Waynesboro was also included. That entire segment of the ex-N&W is fairly universally known as the "Valley Line", and the tour is here. The territory covered in this tour segment extends north from Front Royal to Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia, about 36.5 miles, and will eventually continue on to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
If you have never taken a Frograil tour before, you are strongly encouraged to visit the Frograil Tour Guide home page, which is loaded with good info for you. Following the advice on that page will save you time, effort, and quite probably, some grief. The page is here.
CONTENTS AND NAVIGATION:
ABOUT THIS TOUR
OTHER TOURS
CONTRIBUTORS
A REQUEST FOR HELP
SUPPLEMENTAL AND BACK-UP DATA
SITE LISTING
THE TOURWHAT YOU WILL FIND HERE: From a particular starting point, each segment of this coverage will allow you to follow the instructions given, drive to a railfan site, then to the next, etc. etc. Traffic levels and patterns will be given, and the photographic/ lighting considerations for each site will usually be mentioned. You'll be told about area attractions, such as tourist and historic sites, as well as hotels and restaurants which are trackside or otherwise worthy of note. In short, you'll be able to plan an entire family or railfan-only outing or even a vacation from this guide, as it is completed in the months to come.
WHAT YOU WILL NOT FIND HERE: This is a railfan guide, not a photo collection. There are already many excellent and enjoyable railroad photo sites available, and one more really wouldn't add much value to the general railfan. Besides, photos take up a lot of memory, and your humble Webmaster has to pay for memory. You will also not find fancy graphics, as this is a tour guide, not an exhibition of graphics expertise. You'll be able to load these pages quickly and print them without waiting a week for each page to print. Also, you'll conserve toner in the process.
CONTRIBUTORS: Major contributors to this effort include:
Tony Hill, Webmaster and content, unless otherwise noted. Any use of the first person singular pronoun refers to Tony, unless specifically otherwise indicated.
A REQUEST FOR HELP: This tour is the result of short trips by the Webmaster along the route described. Obviously, I'm no expert on the route, and realize that good photo places or other interesting spots and local attractions may have been left out. If you can provide information that would make this tour more complete and enjoyable, please contact me at frograil@yahoo.com, and let me know what you'd like me to add or correct.
Also, if you'd like to contribute tours of portions of other rail lines, we'll work together: You supply the data/info, and I'll do the HTML stuff and upload it. You'll get a chance to review the fruits of your efforts before the general public sees the finished product, so you can let me have your corrections, additions and changes.
SUPPLEMENTAL AND BACK-UP DATA:
The Railroad -- Background. In years gone by, the primary connection the N&W had from the southeast to the northeast was from Roanoke to Hagerstown. At Hagerstown, connections with the Pennsylvania, Baltimore and Ohio, and Western Maryland allowed freight to be forwarded and received to and from virtually any northeastern point. At Front Royal, the relatively modest traffic up from Roanoke is joined by the heavy traffic coming up from Atlanta via Manassas, Virginia. From Front Royal to Harrisburg, this is big time railroading.
The Railroad -- Geography. You are still in the Valley and Ridge Province of the Appalachian Mountains throughout this segment, with I-81 and US-340 separated by long, northeast-southwest mountains. To the east is not a mountain: It's the Blue Ridge. The railroad follows the valley of Shenandoah River somewhat, although the river is well to the east.
The Railroad -- Traffic. You will see some major differences from Front Royal north that you did not see between Front Royal south: Impressive intermodal action, lots more trains, and the railroad has become a high speed artery, helping connect northern New Jersey with Atlanta. Expect a minimum of 15 trains per 24 hours; you could easily see quite a few more on any given day.
Mapwork: Much of the tour is not easy if you have no detailed map for back country roads. I definitely recommend you get a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, study it before your trip, and copy pertinent pages for your field work. You can usually get substantial discounts on DeLorme atlases thru the Frograil Railfan Store, which is here.
Photo considerations. For most of the sites included herein, I try to give you an idea of the availability of photo fields. These ratings are not to be considered indications of the photogenic aspects of a place; they are merely an indication of how much open, uncluttered room you have to take pix. I usually give all 4 compass points, such as: NE3, SE1, SW4, NW4. In this example, there is no photo access from the west, poor from the northeast, and excellent to the southeast. For areas with no crossing, east and west ratings (e.g., E2/W1) are used. This is mostly a northeast/southwest railroad, so you'll have opportunities to get shots pretty much all day in most locations. Do your studying in advance. Please note that contributions from fans other than your Webmaster may not have detailed photo quadrant ratings.
Also note that this tour is thru hilly, tree-covered country, so an SE1 here might barely be a SE2 in the coastal plain. All things are relative. One other thing to consider is that the general bias of the railroad is northeast - southwest, so many crossings are more and X than a + . This greatly expands the photo potential for most crossings.
Abbreviations. Some phrases are used repeatedly in this tour, so I've developed some standard Frograil abbreviations:
AG. An at-grade crossing.
NAG. A not-at-grade crossing. Unless I mention otherwise, these are usually not worth the time and trouble to drive to them.
NARL. Not a railfan location. This is because of any number of reasons, such as lousy photo ops, dangerous, no shoulder on a NAG bridge, etc. As a general rule of thumb, it is wise to avoid NARL's.
NFOG. Not found on the ground. There may have been a road or crossing here "back in the day", but on-the-ground research failed to find it in June of 2008.
NO. Not observed -- for some reason, I didn't get over to the location, and cannot comment on it.
Security. As you can imagine, this tour is mostly very rural. Unlike some tours which encompass fairly large urban areas, there is relatively little concern throughout the tour's length with personal security. You've kind of got to work hard to get bopped over the head. However, there is a major concern with personal security once "away from civilization." You do not want to scramble down a hillside to get to a remote location by yourself. If you fall and break an ankle, you could very well die out there. Also, some areas are quite remote, and the locals do not always welcome strangers. In all railfan outings, you are encouraged to have at least one male buddy with you.
| WEBMASTER'S NOTE: I do not recommend walking along the tracks, as this means trespassing or exposing yourself to danger. You will have to be creative, in some instances, to avoid trespassing while getting to the detailed locations included herein, but you will either have to be creative or not visit those sites. At no point in this tour guide, or any other tour which is part of Frograil, is it recommended that you trespass or expose yourself to danger. If you are a fool and have a leg cut off (or worse), don't come crying to me: You have been warned. Trains are big, powerful, and often surprisingly quiet. Don't end up being a statistic. |
This tour is a continuation of the Frograil Tour coming up from Waynesboro. As of June 2008, there are 36.5 miles completed between Front Royal's Riverton Junction and Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia.
Front Royal -- Riverton Junction.
From the junction of US-340/522 and Shenandoah Avenue in Front Royal, go north on US-340/522 and take a right onto either 17th or 18th Street. Take a left onto North Royal Avenue.At the bottom of the hill, Royal will go under some tracks; turn right before the underpass onto Depot Street. These tracks are the former N&W Shenandoah Valley Line going over to Harrisonburg. Follow the street back to Riverton Junction, where there are several connecting tracks between the two lines and a diamond. Despite the many posted railroad "no trespassing" signs, the street (actually gravel by now) is a public thoroughfare and access to a quarry, so as long as you don’t wander too far away along the tracks it is a legit place to stop and watch. There is a pull-in next to the diamond and signal box that is an ideal place to park. Unfortunately, footing here is dangerous because of the many glass shards and other trash left by non-railfan nocturnal visitors.
The directions to the junction are from a more detailed account of the trackage at the junction that Henry Mikus provided us in his B-Line Tour. The actual junction is MP 59.0.
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Cedarville -- Rockland Road. Go back along Depot Street to Royal Avenue. Take a left, go up the hill, and turn right onto 18th Street. At US-340/522, take a right and cross the river. Pass up the area of Riverton (no access to the line we are following). Cross a creek, and then pass up Riverton Road, which is gated well west of the tracks. Also, as you go further north, pass up Country Club Road (no access). Finally, take a right onto Rockland Road, drive to the crossing, cross it, and park on the right.
There is a pole line on the east side of the tracks that extends until at least Shenandoah Junction. However, in June 2008, there was a big crew with bulldozers, excavators, etc., working away. It is possible that the pole line may be taken out. Photo ratings are NE3, SE3, SW1, NW1. Even though the tracks are on a somewhat northeast - southwest bias, this is an afternoon photo location.
Rockland Road is busy, so keep your wits about you.
Success. Continue east on Rockland Road as it winds and weaves thru the countryside. At the crossroads of Rockland, turn left onto Fairground Road. Continue to the crossing, go across the tracks and park on the north side of the road (actually, parking is difficult in the area of the crossing itself, so you might have to hoof it a short way). While the drive between the Rockland Road crossing and Success may seem bucolic, the area out of sight and west of the tracks would hardly be called bucolic. Besides some industrial facilities, the Virginia Inland Port, an intermodal transfer point, sits between US-340 and the tracks. All of this is out of sight, and out of reach. As you can imagine, security around such facilities is quite strict.
The crossing at Success is poor, at NE3, SE4, SW4, NW3; however, it's a place to get trackside in a hurry if your scanner suddenly fires up.
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Ashby. Stay on Fairground Road to the northwest, and you'll soon come to US-340/522. Take a right, and in a mile or so, look for Ashby Station Road on the right. Take it to the crossing. This crossing is as good as the one at Success was poor: NE3, SE1, SW1, NW1. Note that the pole line, depending on what you're trying to shoot, might be a problem on the southwest quad.
The station sign for "Ashby" is to the northwest of the tracks, at MP 53.1. The start of a siding is just to the north, and there is a signal just northeast of the crossing.
Greenway Court. Keep going east on Ashby Station Road until you get to Rockland Road. Take a left, enter Clarke County, and then take a sweeping left onto Sugar Hill Road. This will cross the tracks at a nice afternoon location: NE3, SE2, SW1, NW1. Note that Sugar Hill is a very busy road, so be careful.
Greenway Court -- Carters Lane Road. Immediately to the west of the crossing, White Post Road comes down from its namesake town. Take the right and go up to Carters Lane Road. Take a right and drive the short distance to the crossing. Photo ratings are NE1, SE3, SW2, NW1. You should be able to get pix here at just about any time of day.
White Post. Go back the way you came and turn right onto White Post Road. In the center of the town, there is an intersection with a really cool white post street sign in the middle of the intersection. Take a right onto Berry's Ferry Road, and the crossing is a quarter mile ahead. Drive slowly and enjoy some of the lovely homes in this small town.
Unfortunately, the town has not maintained the station. The small clapboard structure is getting covered with weeds and growth, and it definitely needs some TLC. About 1/2 mile north, signals are visible. The station is at MP 49.2, and the photo ops are NE2, SE2, SW3, NW1. Park northwest of the crossing. One good thing about this location is that the pole line is further back from the rails, as compared to the sites to the south.
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Boyce -- Main Street. Reverse direction and go back to White Post. At the "post", take a right to get back on US-340. As you head northeast, pass up Westfield Farm Lane, as it is a private road. Pass up the crossing at US-17/50, as it is NAG/NARL. Enter the village of Boyce, and turn right onto Main Street. The crossing is about 100 yards from US-340. Here, the railroad is on a very lazy northeast - southwest bias, and seems almost to be east - west. There is a signal mast about 1/4 mile northeast of the crossing.
The station is still standing, indeed, it's in good condition and is a lovely, classic N&W station. It's quite impressive for a town of this size. Photo ratings at the crossing itself are NE2, SE1, SW1, NW3, but remember that this is an X, not a +.
Boyce -- Old Chapel Avenue. From the Main Street crossing, go back up to the first right north of the tracks. Take a right and stay right to get onto Old Chapel Avenue. This will cross the tracks and yield a photo rating of NE3, SE4, SW2, NW1. There is a signal on the northwest quad, at approximately MP 45.9.
Boyce -- Browntown Road. Get back on US-340 via either Huntingdon, Crescent, or Main, and continue northeast. When you get to Browntown Road, take a right and drive the very short distance to the crossing. Photo ops are NE2, SE1, SW3, NW1, but you are reminded that this is a largely X crossing and not a +. The 45.0 mile marker is just to the northwest of the crossing.
Berryville -- Smallwood Lane. Backtrack to US-340, turn right, and continue to the northeast. At Briggs, there are some tempting treats, but none of them deliver -- with one exception. The Bishop Meade Road crossing is NAG/NARL, and any crossing via Briggs Road was NFOG. However, there is beautiful old chapel in Briggs that is definitely deserving of a stop and looksee. While this latter stop is not at all a railfan location, it's certainly worth a few moments of reflection.
Continuing northeast from Briggs, follow US-340. Skip Llewellyn Lane, as it is private and not available to the public. The same comment applies to Milton Valley Lane. At Smallwood Lane, however, we reach the land of public roads, and will take a right. This will lead thru the VDOT facility to a crossing, with photo ops at NE4, SE3, SW2, NW4 -- yeah, pretty yuck, but this is the best trackside opportunity from the south for some distance, and will get you trackside in a hurry.
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Berryville -- Josephine Street. Drive back to US-340, take a right, and watch for a road to the right. This is Church Street, which once upon a time used to be US-340. Take Church Street to a right onto Josephine Street. The photo ops at the crossing aren't much better than those at Smallwood Lane: NE4, SE3, SW2, NW3.
Berryville -- Main Street. Backtrack to US-340, turn right, and then take another right onto Main Street/VA-7Business. The area of the crossing is quite interesting, with some old mill-like buildings that can be used as photo props. On the north side of Main Street is a double mast signal and double track northbound begins immediately south of Main. The pole line is on the north side of the tracks here, and are a problem from the northwest quad, but don't interfere to the north. Photo ratings are NE1, SE1, SW4, NW3. The view from the southeast to the north is excellent, but is obviously ruined if there are cars on the siding.
This spot is probably the most interesting location for a real photographer; it has great potential. The Berryville station sign is just to the southwest, at MP 40.0.
Berryville -- Boom Road. Immediately west of the tracks at Main Street, take a right onto Boom Road. This will quickly leave town, go under the VA-7 bypass, and deposit you in some beautiful Virginia countryside. At the crossing, the road to the east/south of the tracks becomes a private road, so this is a very quiet place to watch the action. Photos fields aren't great, at NE2, SE2, SW3, NW2, but the bucolic, quiet charm of this location makes it one to just sit and relax and let the big dogs come to you.
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Rippon -- Lewiston Road. To continue the tour, you must drive back to Main Street in Berryville. There is an overpass of the tracks on the VA-7 bypass, but that road is a limited access expressway, so it's NAG/NARL. Once back in town, take a right onto Main Street and drive out to US-340. Take a right and you'll soon see the Welcome to West Virginia sign. Just before the state line, there is an overpass of the tracks on US-340, but it's also NAG/NARL. As you approach the community of Rippon, look for Lewiston Road on the left. Note that MapQuest shows this as Darke Lane.
The crossing is decent for pix: NE3, SE2, SW1, NW2.
Rippon -- Withers Larue Road. Go back to US-340 and take a left. As you come into the crossroads of Rippon, take a left onto Long Street, and then a left onto Withers Larue Road. This will take you to a crossing. The railroad is almost dead north-south here, so take these photo ratings with a grain of salt, as you'll fight the sun all day for northbounds. NE3, SE3, SW1, NW1, and you should avoid trespassing on the northeast quad.
The crossing here is "Rippon", and the mile point is 33.7
Wheatland. Reverse direction and go back into Rippon, but don't take Long Road, as Withers Larue Road will take you back to US-340. Take a left on the latter, and look for the crossroads with Wheatland Road. You can search MapQuest and find Wheatland, but DeLorme doesn't have it indicated. Take the left and drive to the crossing, which is so-so: NE3, SE3, SW2, NW2.
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Charles Town -- Cold Storage. As we enter the Charles Town area, keep in mind that Ranson and Charles Town each have populations of about 3,200, and it is impossible for the non-native to know where one town begins and the other ends. Therefore, I'll refer to all locations in the area as being in Charles Town. If any Ransonites want to send me corrections, I'll be glad to consider them.
From the Wheatland crossing, go back to US-340, turn left, and head towards Charles Town. As you enter it, US-340 becomes a freeway and heads well to the east (Harpers Ferry), and we bid adieu to this road that has been our route from Waynesboro north. Look for Augustine Avenue to the left and take it. Huyette Road will immediately peel off to the left, and will lead to a crossing, but it's NAG/NARL. Augustine is US-340Business thru Charles Town. Go all the way up to a strange curve to the left, and the street is now South West Street. After two blocks, turn left onto West Washington Street, which will become Summit Point Pike as it leaves town towards the southwest.
Cross the tracks and continue on. We'll come back to this crossing later. Look for Cold Storage Road on your left and take it. This complex in front of you is for the cold storage of apples. If the apples are coming in, this place can be a madhouse, so avoid it. Most of the year, however, it's very quiet. Try to find someone in the office to get permission to drive all the way around the buildings and stacked bins to the rear of the complex, and head towards the farm fields and a crossing. East of the crossing the road becomes a private farm road, so don't expect much traffic here.
There is a dragging equipment defect detector ("Bryd", MP 29.5) immediately south of the crossing. The pole line is east of the crossing, and hurts the photo ops somewhat: NE3, SE3, SW2, NW1. Afternoon southbounds are in excellent light. This is a quiet, enjoyable location, but do get permission before venturing around the facility.
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Charles Town -- Summit Point Pike. As mentioned, we now come back to the crossing on Summit Point Pike. Drive north and out of the cold storage facility, take a right onto Summit Point Pike, and approach the crossing. Parking is quite difficult. The shot here is to the northeast across the field, for afternoon southbounds.
The large ex-N&W station is on the east side of the tracks, midway between Summit Pike and Middleway Pike (our next stop). I could not find a way to get to the station for photos without majorly trespassing. It's a big, handsome station, but it is inaccessible. It's also considerably overgrown, and is kind of fading fast.
Charles Town -- Middleway Pike. Continue east on Summit Point Pike, until you reach a fairly nasty intersection. You've got to turn left (about 135º) up a small hill, and there is a strong flow of traffic opposing you. Be stout! Middleway Pike between this intersection and the tracks is now called Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard. The name is probably longer than the street, which becomes Middleway Pike after the crossing.
The crossing itself is nothing to write home about: NE4, SE3, SW1, NW3, but the view to the southwest is really very nice. You can see the station just to the south, but it's too far for pix, and there is no public access. Signals are visible to the northeast, about 150 yards up the tracks. Be aware that Middleway Pike is extremely busy, so be careful. Of possible interest is a building proclaiming itself to be the Charles Town station, but I don't know what it is. It's private, but definitely seems to never have been a true railroad station. If you know anything about it, please let me know.
Charles Town -- Cranes Lane. Go back to downtown via MLK/Washington Street. Maps show a crossing via Water Street, but the street itself is not a public road beyond Eagle Avenue, so there is no public access. That's a shame, because it blocks access to the crossing with the CSX secondary line coming southwest from Harpers Ferry. [Webmaster's Note: Interestingly, DeLorme's Atlas faithfully shows this line to be the "Baltimore and Ohio".] At North George/Old WV-9, the main north-south road thru the town, take a left. This street will become Fairfax and then Mildred -- follow it as it wends its way thru town. At Cranes Lane, which is the equivalent of 12th Street, take a left and drive one block to the crossing.
Photo ops are NE2, SE3, SW2, NW1.
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Charles Town -- Mildred Street. Head back to Mildred Street and take a left. In two blocks, the road rises and crosses the tracks AG. While only a stone's throw from the last crossing, this one couldn't be more different. The fact that the street has to rise to cross the tracks makes sight lines difficult. However, the city fathers have build we railfans a very nice sidewalk with a set of stairs on the east side of the tracks. Also, Railroad Avenue swings away from Mildred and follows the tracks to the northeast, yielding excellent viewing.
Photo ratings should be taken with a grain of salt, as a good photographer can have opportunities here that "picture takers" might miss: NE2, SE1 (along Railroad Avenue), SW3 (clunky/junky), NW4. The 27.0 milepost is immediately southwest of the crossing.
Charles Town -- Universal Forest Products Road. Just a short distance north of the crossing at Mildred Street, you'll come to a significant intersection with Leetown Pike on the left and Universal Forest Products Road on the right. The latter is incorrectly referred to as Leetown Road on MapQuest. The crossing on UPF Road is a point to get to if you need to get trackside in a hurry, but the industrial traffic on the road makes it undesireable for more than a snatch and grab. Photo ratings are: NE2, SE2, SW3, NW4.
Shenandoah Junction. North of Universal Forest Products Road, Mildred street will end at the new WV-9/119. Take a left to continue north. At Shenandoah Junction Road, take a right and drive to the vicinity of the crossing. The text in this paragraph will deal with this crossing only. The day I did my on-the-ground research, there were MoW railroad cars, trucks and equipment all over the place, and viewing (not to put too fine a point on it) was absolutely lousy, with the exception of the view south from the southwest quad, and you'll have to take pix from the road, as you'll trespass if you try to take them from south of the road. The road, incidentally, is quite busy.
When I get time to get up there again, I'll be extending the tour to Hagerstown and Harrisburg, but any further exploration of Shenandoah Junction will have to wait for that. On the other hand, if you'd like to complete the tour northbound, give me a holler.