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4/19/2024
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Viewing Album:  Stored Boxcars in Eufaula AL
 
By:Bryan Smith
Dates:8/1/1986 - 8/1/1986
Album Info:In the early 1980's NS decided to store about 700-800 50ft 50 ton boxcars on the old CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs pending final disposition. In the beginning NS thought they would need them again but came to realize they wouldn't. They seemed destined to rust away in Eufaula. During the spring and summer the Kudzu vines would nearly completely cover the cars. In the fall and winter the vines would die. In the early spring when many forest companies burn off land to clear it of brush and trash, the kudzu hanging off the cars would ignite and in many cases burn the paint competely off the side of the cars. Many of the stored cars had wooden floors and the fires would burn the floors out of the cars also. There were several small trestles on this segment of trackage and one day a track gang just happened to come by as one of the small trestles began to catch fire. They were able to put it out but it brought up a question for NS. If one of the trestles burned, how would NS get to the stored cars? The only way to the cars was via the Eufaula end. Would NS be forced to build a trestle just to retrieve rusted out stored boxcars? The decision was made to move the cars to a scraper in East Point GA. The first 400 or so were pulled out in 20 car increments and sent to East Point. The ones that were burnt were eased across the river to Georgetown GA and put on the siding where they were scrapped on site. As the switch engine got further out on the line and it became obvious the track was not going to stand many more moves over it, the decision was made to pull the last 300 at one time. They would pull them closer the Eufaula and better trackage so there would not be repeated movements over the rotted trackage. To move the last 300, NS sent 4 EMD locomotives over a line whose only use in the past 20 years was to store boxcars. There had been no new ties, ballast, or track work of any kind in well over 20 years. These pics document this move.
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Pulling stored cars
Title:  Pulling stored cars
Description:  You are seeing the last train to operate over the former CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs. The line has been long abandoned at this time but was used for storing boxcars. Around 1986 NS began moving the boxcars off this line due to it's deteriation. The last of the stored cars were pulled out by 4 EMD's. Seen here are the 4 EMD's and the first of the stored cars. Note the kudzu vines hanging off the side of the first boxcar. During the Spring and Summer the kudzu vines would nearly completely cover the boxcars.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:28:20 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  1584   Comments: 3
Pulling stored cars
Title:  Pulling stored cars
Description:  You are seeing the last train to operate over the former CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs. The line has been long abandoned at this time but was used for storing boxcars. Around 1986 NS began moving the boxcars off this line due to it's deteriation. The last of the stored cars were pulled out by 4 EMD's. Seen here are the 4 EMD's headed east toward Eufaula.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:28:41 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  937   Comments: 2
Pulling stored cars
Title:  Pulling stored cars
Description:  You are seeing the last train to operate over the former CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs. The line has been long abandoned at this time but was used for storing boxcars. Around 1986 NS began moving the boxcars off this line due to it's deteriation. The last of the stored cars were pulled out by 4 EMD's. Seen here are the 4 EMD's headed east toward Eufaula. Note the white light on the lead locomotive indicating this is an extra train during the fading era of trains orders and timetables.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:29:01 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  796   Comments: 2
Pulling stored cars
Title:  Pulling stored cars
Description:  You are seeing the last train to operate over the former CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs. The line has been long abandoned at this time but was used for storing boxcars. Around 1986 NS began moving the boxcars off this line due to it's deteriation. The last of the stored cars were pulled out by 4 EMD's. Note the rough condition of the trackage and the overhanging kudzu vines that had covered cars that until recently had been sitting here.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:30:30 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  745   Comments: 2
Pulling stored cars
Title:  Pulling stored cars
Description:  You are seeing the last train to operate over the former CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs. The line has been long abandoned at this time but was used for storing boxcars. Around 1986 NS began moving the boxcars off this line due to it's deteriation. The last of the stored cars were pulled out by 4 EMD's. Seen here are the 4 EMD's headed east toward Eufaula.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:30:52 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  456   Comments: 1
Pulling stored cars
Title:  Pulling stored cars
Description:  You are seeing the last train to operate over the former CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs. The line has been long abandoned at this time but was used for storing boxcars. Around 1986 NS began moving the boxcars off this line due to it's deteriation. The last of the stored cars were pulled out by 4 EMD's. Seen here are the 4 EMD's headed east toward Eufaula.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:28:01 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  444   Comments: 3
Pulling stored cars
Title:  Pulling stored cars
Description:  You are seeing the last train to operate over the former CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs. The line has been long abandoned at this time but was used for storing boxcars. Around 1986 NS began moving the boxcars off this line due to it's deteriation. The last of the stored cars were pulled out by 4 EMD's. Seen here is the lead locomotive headed east toward Eufaula with the last of the stored cars in tow.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:09:21 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  409   Comments: 1
Pulling stored cars
Title:  Pulling stored cars
Description:  You are seeing the last train to operate over the former CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs. The line has been long abandoned at this time but was used for storing boxcars. Around 1986 NS began moving the boxcars off this line due to it's deteriation. The last of the stored cars were pulled out by 4 EMD's. This pic could best be described as rails through the wilderness.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:31:12 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  811   Comments: 4
End of the line
Title:  End of the line
Description:  This is on the old CofG Eufaula to Union Springs line and is about 10 miles west of Eufaula. This was the furthest from Eufaula where the stored cars were shoved.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:31:36 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  1161   Comments: 2
Last of the stored cars
Title:  Last of the stored cars
Description:  Seen here are the last of the boxcars that were stored on the old CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs AL. The last car has suffered fire damage from dry kudzu vines that have caught fire and burned the paint off the car.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:31:51 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  836   Comments: 1
Stored cars
Title:  Stored cars
Description:  Here are a few of the 700-800 boxcars that were stored on the old CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs AL. Kudzu vines are about to completely cover the cars. The fourth car has had all the paint burnt off the side of the car from kudzu vines that have died and caught fire.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:32:04 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  1095   Comments: 2
Stored cars
Title:  Stored cars
Description:  Here is a close up of how the kudzu vines would take over a cut of boxcars that were stored between Eufaula and Union Springs AL.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:32:17 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  1175   Comments: 2
Stored cars
Title:  Stored cars
Description:  Kudzu vines are in the process of taking over a cut of stored boxcars that are parked on the old Eufaula to Union Springs line.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:32:38 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  592   Comments: 1
Stored boxcars
Title:  Stored boxcars
Description:  A cut of stored boxcars are about to be taken over by kudzu vines on the old CofG line between Eufaula and Union Springs AL.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:32:54 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  387   Comments: 1
Boxcars stored
Title:  Boxcars stored
Description:  Kudzu vines are about to fully overtake a cut of boxcars stored on the old CofG line from Eufaula to Union Springs AL.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:33:11 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  735   Comments: 1
Maintenance of way vehicle
Title:  Maintenance of way vehicle
Description:  Track forces were monitoring the movement of stored boxcars from the old CofG line that ran between Eufaula and Union Springs AL.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:33:22 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  526   Comments: 4
Pulling stored boxcars
Title:  Pulling stored boxcars
Description:  The Albany GA shop forces monitored the pulling of stored boxcars from the old CofG line that ran between Eufaula and Union Springs AL. The fellow waving is Hershel Thompkins, the shop supervisor and great fellow. He once told me he started his railroad career on the GA Northern as a coach cleaner.
Photo Date:  8/1/1986  Upload Date: 9/12/2010 2:33:41 PM
Location:  Eufaula, AL
Author:  Bryan Smith
Categories: 
Locomotives: 
Views:  811   Comments: 3

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