the 1990s, told me that loading and un- loading the barges was a hazardous job, as waves and storms would appear out of nowhere, tossing the barge about like a toy in a bathtub. A worker was lost to sea after a particularly bad storm capsized a barge during trans- port in Chesapeake Bay. When the Trenton went out to sea


again, upon its return it docked at Naval Station Norfolk, one of the largest naval bases in the world. In 1987 it was served by its own railroad, which interchanged with the Norfolk & Portsmouth Belt at West Junction near Sewells Point just outside the base. NPBL would station one or two of its switch engines at the little engine ter- minal at Sewells Point, dressed in a de- lightful EMD-styled chocolate livery with yellow and red highlights. As Norfolk Southern ran transfers


into and out of the nearby intermodal terminal, I was excited to see the new railroad combining its black Norfolk & Western locomotives with those of the green-and-gold Southern. But I knew the real kaleidoscope was happening on CSX, combining the hues of the ances- tors of its two main Systems, the Chessie and the Seaboard. Unfortu- nately the nearest CSX yard was far out of walking distance from Norfolk’s naval base. One of my new shipmates, Electronic Technician Sean Tucker


RIGHT: A 300mm telephoto lens was used to pull in this northbound Amtrak train depart- ing Richmond, Va., on August 20, 1988. BE- LOW: A former Norfolk & Western RP-A6 slug 9923 and its master SD40 1594 shuttle hop- per cars at the Lamberts Point coal dock in September 1987.


52 JUNE 2012 • RAILFAN.COM


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