This is my family’s homeland . The place I have fished for many years. When I watch this video I am heartbroken for my relatives who have lost all their possessions and some have lost loved ones. But through all the destruction we have been through we still have hope. Thanks to you all who have reached out to us and helped us in our time of need.
@ericyoung1243 absolute tears for our region. Landscape will heal. But many people have been savaged. One of my friend's home was scoured of its contents. Survived wall of water by skin of their teeth. Couple lost everything up to his wallet. In their 70's.
It's absolutely great that the railroad is going to rebuild the line. They can absolutely do it. They have to build their way in and clean up at the same time. This means jobs, infrastructure, and income for local people and businesses. In my opinion, it is a big first step to getting the area back to normal.
@@mountainman5025 not enough to do the work. They hire people like Corman and BP Disaster Response and just have 1-2 of their engineering guys around to supervise.
Your comment says a lot about the state of American infrastructure. Biggest in over 100 years. One-hundred years. Think of all the other systems in America that haven't had much more than routine maintenance in 100 years or were meant to last for only 'x' number of years and are now well past their lifespan. Time to get serious America and stop making false promises to get elected to office.
The Clinchfield was probably the most 'heavily' engineered railroad for its time in the U.S. when constructed. Bridges, tunnels were first rate. An extreme event in nature can humble even the very best of construction. Hope CSX will rebuild this important artery. Thanks for posting this most excellent video.
Itr was also one of the few 20th century RRs to be built (most others were built in the 1800s), so it had the advantage of more modern earthmoving equipment.
Gotta be able to transport all the valuable minerals they want after they seize all the land they can. Exactly who is paying for the new rail line ? They will claim one source only to misappropriate that money while private interest secretly foots the cost. Free to pillage and loot with government's blessings.
The original Clinchfield railroad extended from Elkhorn City, Kentucky to Spartanburg, SC. The original track was laid in the early 1900's and carried freight, passengers and coal. It turned into a mainly coal hauling road after CSX purchased the line, supplying the power generating plants on the French Broad and Catawba Rivers. The railroad passes through some of the most beautiful mountain country in the US, and I've ridden the line through the Nolichucky Gorge and along the Toe River, as well as down the Blue Ridge Escarpment from Spruce Pine to Marion, done many years ago on an excursion train from Marion, NC to Erwin, TN and back. In years before that, when I was a young man, I once hiked the line from Altapass to Spruce Pine and back, going through all the tunnels on the Blue Ridge Loops as the track wound its way back and forth up the Escarpment. There was a large track Wye at the top of the Escarpment where the helper engines could be dropped and turned around. A wye is a three-point section of track with turnouts. I have several books on the old Clinchfield with pictures made throughout its years from the early days through dieselization in the early 1950's. Seeing the Nolichucky in this video, flowing at its normal level through the enormous gouge it cut out of its former channel, is truly incredible. I wish there could have been a way to make an aerial video like this when the river was at its highest during Helene's passing, it just doesn't seem possible the river could have gotten as high as it obviously did. There is no way to imagine such a water flow, even though the damage can be so easily seen.
I agree, to see this river at peak would have been... hard to even process. When I went back there for this footage, I climbed and hiked down on the opposite side until it was too sketchy to continue.. and at least got to witness the power that had been there first hand. Which was an experience.
I’m not familiar with this part of our great country, and I’m very sorry to see the significant loss that has occurred here. I look forward to seeing the rebuilding. #subscribed
So sad. I went on an excursion on the Clinchfield many years ago when they had restored the special engines and the line in 1979. Beautiful ride through the mountains, snow on the ground, stream a good bit of the way like this. Only the rails were in place -- not in the river!
I have always admired trains since my Dad worked for Sante Fe in the early 60's as an electrician maintaining locomotives. The railroads are a critical segment of this countrys economy. These workers will have a monumental project bringing this line back on. The power of water and once in a century storm is incredible. Thank you for such a great view of the gorge, nice sharp images perfect.
Lived in barstow, California . Had friends worked for Sante fe. My grandpa worked here in knoxville, Tennessee for Southern . He died of cancer. 1986. WW 2 and Korea veteran.
I’ve walked and rafted through there. Crossed that railbridge on foot as many have to look for lost cove. That gorge is definitely different. There are people who are still missing in there somewhere. 😢 thanks for showing how it looks. ❤
I would love to see the other side of the peninsula from O Cs store up the bend and down to where the swinging bridge used to be. It’s heartbreaking that lives and homes and history are just washed away. If you are so inclined and can even get there. I lived in that little shack in the curve many moons ago. You and others here in Asheville are doing a tremendous job of documenting this event and I believe your work should be archived in the future. It’s tremendous information and I thank you for sharing it.
I live where they are doing stuff now here on the Mitchell/Yancey line. Big dump trucks are coming across the bridge on hwy 80 and going down to the tracks. After they quit working during the day me and my best 4 legged friend walk down to check it out. I miss the soothing sounds of the train going by
As usual, your video shows the devastation of the railway. I listened to the train going down the tracks and I could almost see it going along. Really well put together video. I'm subscribed and I hit the bell too. I look forward to more videos about the rebuild and repairs. Thank you!
Once repaired, I'm hoping that CSX will consider a temporary unloading point close to the towns to allow faster rebuilding of the effected communities. You can move so much more by rail at one time with the same or less fuel expense. This may take a decade before some sort of normalcy is returned.
So sad, i hope this railroad is returned to its former glory. Its distressing for railfans seeing the Clinchfield in this state. It will be a mammoth undertaking by CSX. I like the sound of the train in the background. Its distressing for people to see the Nolichucky changed forever as well. Helene did her worst that day. 😢 ❤🙏🏻 liked & suscribed.
@@ArtStoneUSOver half was coal, and that will be on a steady decline going forward, unless Trump wants to bring back coal! These days traffic is mixed freight, ethanol, and still some coal trains. Not as much as it used to be but, it’s still decent.
Really great drone footage of the line and the level of destruction. Some stretches look as if there was never any railroad there at all, the water completely removing any trace of roadbed. In light of more natural disasters on this scale, railroads in particular will have to reassess their strategy of removing all redundant routes in the name of cost cutting efficiency. Rail lines built along river floodplains are especially vulnerable as we can see here. I will follow the progress of this project with keen interest.
The damage of the trees, river, riverbank, property, and everything is remarkable. I’m curious to see where they put the tracks. There are spots where there’s nothing there anymore.
They would have to cut into the sheer mountain side. How the vegetation and soil/rock would be removed is a big question. I don't think they would be allowed to use the river as much as earlier in history.
Great video. This is a good documentation on some of the destruction that happened down there that’s not really seen. It’s wild to see that much of a railroad wiped out.
This will ne a rebuild from the ground up. In some places a retaining wall will likely be needed along with a mammoth portion of fill. Monumental task.
I hear what sounds like locomotives and pile drivers in the background. I can only wonder about the locomotive sound but there is going to be a lot of pile driving, so could we see the sources of the sounds some. As a retired CSX employee of the engineering department, it surprises me that the line will be rebuilt as not much traffic moves this was and there is little on line business between Johnson City, TN and Marion, NC. I am glad they are doing it, and I wonder also about the NS line from Ridgecrest to Old Fort which I am more familiar with. Though with CSX for 21 years, my job did not involve field work, and I was only over this line once, in, as I recall 1972 when I was a SR employee and rode the Southern Crescent to Spartanburg & back and then rode a special from Spartanburg to Erwin & back.
The Coast Route here in California is sort of a spare mainline. As of now it only sees Amtrak daily and locals at each end with only an occasional through freight train. But the parallel Tehachapi Loop mainline is at capacity. So while the coast route is maintained to high standards it seems to be a sort of reserve route. I am willing to guess that this historic Clinchfield route here is sort of the same way and WILL receive the large money to repair. Something similar happened to California s coast route a few years back but surprise... they rebuilt.
Because the CSX is a privately owned corporation, it will take care of the rebuilding. It will be possible to salvage some and possibly half of the rail. I saw an area along the roadbed that had rails driven vertically outside of the track area to help protect the grade from flowing water previously. The cost of replacement of the subgrade, ballast, track, and bridges will be high; the cost of complete replacement higher from the river would be anywhere from 5 to 10 times that of replacement in kind because of land ownership problems and the grade and earthwork to do so. Just laying the track will be about $70 per foot of track or about $370,000 per mile not counting building the grade, bridges, bridges, and signals plus crossings. As frightful as this is, it has been worse, though not necessarily in this particular spot. There is a small army working on this problem though you may not see them just yet.
Great video! We kayak and raft the gorge all the time. Would love to see a video more focused on the river and the changes in the rapids from how it used to be.
I hate to be negative, but they really don’t know how the new/changed Nolichucky River will act when the next torrential, days on end type rainfall comes to the area. I’m concerned that if they don’t get as much of the rails as far away from the river as they can, that they’ll lose parts of it again. That being said, another terrific & informative video. Thanks for sharing your talent for video making.
I don't think that's negative, it's a concern for sure. From what I have learned by spending so much time seeing the change in these rivers is they got dredged right down the center. They are all deeper which could favor the gorge's railroad.
The goal now is to get the trackage open and trains moving. Over time they will assess areas that need to be beefed up for the next storm and they will upgrade it with that in mind.
I guess there will always be complainers...if you don't like the sound, learn how to find your volume button. As far as wasting tax dollars? Um,no... railroads pay their own way for capital improvements and repair. Be thankful for the increased employment and resumption of service to entities in the area dependent on rail service. To those boohoo-ing the excavation and buttressing necessary to stabilize the roadbed (as well as highways!)...Do you not realize that this flood changed the actual course of the streams and rivers, in some cases as much as a quarter mile?! Be grateful and supportive of this creator who has done an excellent job of documenting
I was fortunate to have ridden the CRR from Elkhorn City to Spartanburg and back. This was 1978 I think. It was also the last time the CRR operated their annual fan trip. What a very enjoyable trip. Listening to the F 7s as they notch up and down constantly. It was a long train. Scenery was fantastic. Spent the night in Spartanburg. I can remember seeing rafters/canoeists in those rivers. Going into all those tunnels and over all those bridges. I don't remember seeing a single foreign loco, or a repainted CRR loco. Everything was CLINCHFIELD!
@@jeffreymcfadden9403 I'm envious. I've loved trains since I was a kid and STILL haven't been on one. Maybe CSX will give me a ride on the Clinchfield someday.
Amazing that this destruction was just left there to rot and destroying the natural beauty. The people going in there to restore and clean up this route are doing a great service. Should be a beautiful length of railway when it is done.
From what I see. And I'm no construction engineer. It's going to take a lot of equipment and a lot of blasting to remove some of the boulders. Off the right of way. And some serious cutting of the fallen trees. And rebuild all the bridges and it's going to get quite expensive. But what a very pretty area. Reminds me of my trip to Australia in 1979. Almost the same kind of terrain
We've been told all of our lives that faith can move mountains. But water may be the only other thing that can level and destroy them beyond recognition.
RJ Corman and the other railroad contractors don't mess around. They work 24/7 to get the railroad open as fast as possible without a budget, the railroads more or less sign a blank check and they go from there. When there is a derailment, its cool to watch a fleet of 20-30 RJ Corman trucks roll in with everything they need, equipment, service and fuel trucks, camp and dining trailers, etc... This will no doubt be their biggest project to date.
Why would they be rebuilding that 44 mile line?? Something about a new mineral discovery in that area and talks about a new mine as well would be my guess. The railroad is probably notifying contractors about lots of new rail construction projects as I type the words. It won't take as long as many think except on rebuilding the bridges which, one would think will take longer and cost a lot more these days. Anyway it'll be interesting to watch that construction progress...
NS got the same total destruction on the “river line” from Bulls gap to Asheville. Not been a big revenue section in some years but they are going to rebuild it back to class A.
If it would be possible id love to catch a ride from erwin down the mt. to marion and back....when this track was built it was considered an engineering marvel
They'll have to have it to haul all that lithium ore out of the affected area. BlackRock will make sure it is rebuilt. Subscribed since you asked so politely.
Really, it is much easier to rebuild this railroad now than it was to construct it in the 1800's. The original builders had to use hand drills and black powder in the gorge. They used scrapers pulled by mules. There was a huge amount of pick and shovel work involved and the ties and rails were placed by hand, then spiked in place by hand. Modern machinery will accomplish in days, what took months to do by human and mule power in the 1800's. It will take time and effort, but not as much as building it in the first place.
Unbelievable, Mother Nature can be a beehawtch. With so much extensive damage and for such a vast distance of ruin no doubt CSX and the gov't powers-that-be will consider re-routing the line away from the river. Cost of repair vs. a new rail line.
That's going to be a long and major project. I live in eastern WA state and a RR company is doing major upgrades on a line they use to transport grain. Cost is estimated at about $1,000,000 per mile!! Final cost to rebuild the Clinchfield will be huge, but it has to be done. Hope they get it done quickly.
I have to wonder how much of the track materials they will be able to reuse. Seems like a large number of side booms could pull some of it back up once they get a roadbed down.
Thanks for another excellent video! It’s interesting how the ballast, both stone and cinder from years ago, has become so compacted that it’s untouched by the floodwaters while the track itself is gone! In an earlier vid I noticed at Poplar parts of a crawler crane being in place including boom sections, counterweight stacks, and the crawler tracks. Is there any sign of the crane being assembled?
Suggestion - It would be awesome if you wrote where you are filming from scene to scene. I know its all the river in general but where up and down the river are you? Poplar, Chestoa, gorge, etc. Thanks for the videos. Native here, and still in shock to the change and all the destruction.
given the clean Scour line from the flooding, it'll be easy to see where the new line needs to go to keep it safe. on average 15-20' higher than the old Right of way.
That might be the "Big Hole" that's going to take 200 trains of rock. 100 feet at a time, this will take a time. They have good weather and I figure government is paying bill.
What is the estimate cost to rebuild? If they do rebuild then this sort of proves what I have been saying for a few years now. The Railroads Class 1 grid has been reduced to the bones. There are no excess tracks with duplicate through routes left. All the routes as of say 2020 are now essential to maintain the class 1s in North America. And with the railroads closing or streamlining their main rail yards there is now only the limited routes of the trains themselves that allows a sort of rolling storage to time deliveries to the remaining big customers. This line is no doubt a key piece in a larger logistic picture.
Are they planning on building it in the same place? It seems prudent to build it higher than the high water mark now. Great footage. Thank you. It is startling just how well the water scoured the ground down to bedrock. The delineation of the high water mark is so stark.
Wow. So sad for that beautiful area. I saw another video about the water being potentially contaminated with chemicals and industrial products that were swept into all the waterways during the flooding. That water looks yellow and green. Does anyone know if they are testing it or any efforts to clean it up?
This seems to be about the Clinchfield line from Erwin to Spruce Pine, which I'm sure was devastated, but what about the line from Spruce Pine to the bottom of the mountain, passing through AltaPass & North Cove then South? Was it heavily damaged as well?
No. They are running ballast and rip-rap trains north from Spartanburg up to Spurce Pine now. Other crews can acess Poplar from a road from Erwin, and other crews can push east from Erwin on undamage train north of there.
If a highway can be rebuilt after such a tragedy using taxpayers monies, then a transportation infrastructure that is as environmentally beneficial as a railway should not be left on its own for its recovery. This is like war-time destruction! 2024/11/11. Ontario, Canada.
That's just frigin crazy, Wow, Lot of pyle driving , steel, rock, dirt, cement, it will be decades if they ever got that shit out of that river. that is the the second worse part of past the initial terror and destruction. The rebuilding ... so many lost everything.
In 1993 I lived in Swannannoa and did railfan photography on the Southern Railway lines around the Asheville area. How badly was the Norfolk Southern affected by Helene? Do you plan any videos of this?
My word, what a mess. I wonder whether the railroad has authority to deviate from the original alignment in places where the land the grade followed no longer exists?
Do you know how high the water was along the line? Could you see a 'high water mark' in the trees, or debris? You can tell where the roadbed was. Almost looks like someone tore up their model railroad.
Nice work. I hate to be negative, but... Wow. OK, if they say so, but there are miles of literally no RoW even existing anymore. I mean, the amount of fill you'd need is insane.
Has there never been that much rain in that length of time there before or were other factors at play such as commercial and residential construction ?
@@designsinorbit There was 29.3 inches of rainfall measured from Helene at one place. That is a lot of water in just a few hours in an area that can not spread it out to slow it down. That was on top of the heavy rainfall that had just occurred.
Out of all my videos, this will the FIRST time I am going to ask- Please subscribe and like to help my other videos circulate. Thanks for considering.
You were the first that really gave me a good picture of the utter devistation 😢
DONE
This is my family’s homeland . The place I have fished for many years. When I watch this video I am heartbroken for my relatives who have lost all their possessions and some have lost loved ones. But through all the destruction we have been through we still have hope. Thanks to you all who have reached out to us and helped us in our time of need.
@ericyoung1243 absolute tears for our region. Landscape will heal. But many people have been savaged. One of my friend's home was scoured of its contents. Survived wall of water by skin of their teeth. Couple lost everything up to his wallet. In their 70's.
Man this is gonna be some kind of engineering marvel to get this reconnected. Thx!
It's absolutely great that the railroad is going to rebuild the line. They can absolutely do it. They have to build their way in and clean up at the same time. This means jobs, infrastructure, and income for local people and businesses. In my opinion, it is a big first step to getting the area back to normal.
They are going to spend a lot of money. Good thing railroads are willing to sign a blank check just as long as the work gets done ASAP.
Not really, CSX has their own peoples.
@@mountainman5025 not enough to do the work. They hire people like Corman and BP Disaster Response and just have 1-2 of their engineering guys around to supervise.
How will they ever clean the river. ??!
@bobbydee1187
The mining companies will most likely clean it after the government takes the property for the lithium
Your videos are extremely well produced…the stark reality of this area’s devastation is astonishing…thank you for filming.
@@amandagilliams5306 Thanks so much... and you're welcome.
What devastation. This will be the single biggest rail project in America in over 100 years. I hope you get it on video for us.
Jobs yo!
Your comment says a lot about the state of American infrastructure. Biggest in over 100 years. One-hundred years. Think of all the other systems in America that haven't had much more than routine maintenance in 100 years or were meant to last for only 'x' number of years and are now well past their lifespan. Time to get serious America and stop making false promises to get elected to office.
The Clinchfield was probably the most 'heavily' engineered railroad for its time in the U.S. when constructed. Bridges, tunnels were first rate. An extreme event in nature can humble even the very best of construction. Hope CSX will rebuild this important artery. Thanks for posting this most excellent video.
Itr was also one of the few 20th century RRs to be built (most others were built in the 1800s), so it had the advantage of more modern earthmoving equipment.
It's hard to understand how the track is still mostly intact after moving so much, and who knows how many boulders attacking it.
@@kurtwerner4258 Welded rail is pretty tough. I think the track would not have faired as well had it been jointed rail.
VGN was built a decade later and known for its engineering and IS the most modern railway line in the east.
@@Greatdome99 you forgot the Orin Line
Absolutely soul-shaking. Beautiful editing and choice of background, transitions make this such a powerful video. Important as well.
Happy they are going to rebuild. I truly did not expect them to.
Would have thought it would have been abandoned
Gotta be able to transport all the valuable minerals they want after they seize all the land they can. Exactly who is paying for the new rail line ? They will claim one source only to misappropriate that money while private interest secretly foots the cost. Free to pillage and loot with government's blessings.
Same tho it does make sense tho since it basically serves as a backup line in the case another route gets blocked for whatever reason
The original Clinchfield railroad extended from Elkhorn City, Kentucky to Spartanburg, SC. The original track was laid in the early 1900's and carried freight, passengers and coal. It turned into a mainly coal hauling road after CSX purchased the line, supplying the power generating plants on the French Broad and Catawba Rivers. The railroad passes through some of the most beautiful mountain country in the US, and I've ridden the line through the Nolichucky Gorge and along the Toe River, as well as down the Blue Ridge Escarpment from Spruce Pine to Marion, done many years ago on an excursion train from Marion, NC to Erwin, TN and back. In years before that, when I was a young man, I once hiked the line from Altapass to Spruce Pine and back, going through all the tunnels on the Blue Ridge Loops as the track wound its way back and forth up the Escarpment. There was a large track Wye at the top of the Escarpment where the helper engines could be dropped and turned around. A wye is a three-point section of track with turnouts. I have several books on the old Clinchfield with pictures made throughout its years from the early days through dieselization in the early 1950's.
Seeing the Nolichucky in this video, flowing at its normal level through the enormous gouge it cut out of its former channel, is truly incredible. I wish there could have been a way to make an aerial video like this when the river was at its highest during Helene's passing, it just doesn't seem possible the river could have gotten as high as it obviously did. There is no way to imagine such a water flow, even though the damage can be so easily seen.
I agree, to see this river at peak would have been... hard to even process. When I went back there for this footage, I climbed and hiked down on the opposite side until it was too sketchy to continue.. and at least got to witness the power that had been there first hand. Which was an experience.
I’m not familiar with this part of our great country, and I’m very sorry to see the significant loss that has occurred here. I look forward to seeing the rebuilding. #subscribed
So sad. I went on an excursion on the Clinchfield many years ago when they had restored the special engines and the line in 1979. Beautiful ride through the mountains, snow on the ground, stream a good bit of the way like this. Only the rails were in place -- not in the river!
I have always admired trains since my Dad worked for Sante Fe in the early 60's as an electrician maintaining locomotives. The railroads are a critical segment of this countrys economy. These workers will have a monumental project bringing this line back on. The power of water and once in a century storm is incredible. Thank you for such a great view of the gorge, nice sharp images perfect.
Lived in barstow, California . Had friends worked for Sante fe. My grandpa worked here in knoxville, Tennessee for Southern . He died of cancer. 1986. WW 2 and Korea veteran.
I’ve walked and rafted through there. Crossed that railbridge on foot as many have to look for lost cove. That gorge is definitely different. There are people who are still missing in there somewhere. 😢 thanks for showing how it looks. ❤
You're welcome. More videos to come as they rebuild.
I would love to see the other side of the peninsula from O Cs store up the bend and down to where the swinging bridge used to be. It’s heartbreaking that lives and homes and history are just washed away. If you are so inclined and can even get there. I lived in that little shack in the curve many moons ago. You and others here in Asheville are doing a tremendous job of documenting this event and I believe your work should be archived in the future. It’s tremendous information and I thank you for sharing it.
I live where they are doing stuff now here on the Mitchell/Yancey line. Big dump trucks are coming across the bridge on hwy 80 and going down to the tracks. After they quit working during the day me and my best 4 legged friend walk down to check it out. I miss the soothing sounds of the train going by
As usual, your video shows the devastation of the railway. I listened to the train going down the tracks and I could almost see it going along. Really well put together video. I'm subscribed and I hit the bell too. I look forward to more videos about the rebuild and repairs. Thank you!
Thank you very much!
Once repaired, I'm hoping that CSX will consider a temporary unloading point close to the towns to allow faster rebuilding of the effected communities. You can move so much more by rail at one time with the same or less fuel expense. This may take a decade before some sort of normalcy is returned.
So sad, i hope this railroad is returned to its former glory. Its distressing for railfans seeing the Clinchfield in this state. It will be a mammoth undertaking by CSX. I like the sound of the train in the background. Its distressing for people to see the Nolichucky changed forever as well. Helene did her worst that day. 😢 ❤🙏🏻 liked & suscribed.
How much of the clinchfield traffic was coal and do you think it's likely that that will ever return?
@@ArtStoneUSOver half was coal, and that will be on a steady decline going forward, unless Trump wants to bring back coal! These days traffic is mixed freight, ethanol, and still some coal trains. Not as much as it used to be but, it’s still decent.
Really great drone footage of the line and the level of destruction. Some stretches look as if there was never any railroad there at all, the water completely removing any trace of roadbed. In light of more natural disasters on this scale, railroads in particular will have to reassess their strategy of removing all redundant routes in the name of cost cutting efficiency. Rail lines built along river floodplains are especially vulnerable as we can see here. I will follow the progress of this project with keen interest.
The damage of the trees, river, riverbank, property, and everything is remarkable. I’m curious to see where they put the tracks. There are spots where there’s nothing there anymore.
They would have to cut into the sheer mountain side. How the vegetation and soil/rock would be removed is a big question. I don't think they would be allowed to use the river as much as earlier in history.
Great video. This is a good documentation on some of the destruction that happened down there that’s not really seen. It’s wild to see that much of a railroad wiped out.
My Grandpa from Mine Creek near Bakersville helped build the Clinchfield.
This will ne a rebuild from the ground up. In some places a retaining wall will likely be needed along with a mammoth portion of fill. Monumental task.
CSX has got a lot of work to do. This is going to take a while. Somebody should document the rebuilding of this historic rail line.
I hear what sounds like locomotives and pile drivers in the background. I can only wonder about the locomotive sound but there is going to be a lot of pile driving, so could we see the sources of the sounds some. As a retired CSX employee of the engineering department, it surprises me that the line will be rebuilt as not much traffic moves this was and there is little on line business between Johnson City, TN and Marion, NC. I am glad they are doing it, and I wonder also about the NS line from Ridgecrest to Old Fort which I am more familiar with. Though with CSX for 21 years, my job did not involve field work, and I was only over this line once, in, as I recall 1972 when I was a SR employee and rode the Southern Crescent to Spartanburg & back and then rode a special from Spartanburg to Erwin & back.
Amazing and appropriate sound effects for this one. Thanks for sharing!
I knew the devastation was bad, but not this bad. Wow! This is going to take a while to rebuild this line.
The Coast Route here in California is sort of a spare mainline. As of now it only sees Amtrak daily and locals at each end with only an occasional through freight train. But the parallel Tehachapi Loop mainline is at capacity. So while the coast route is maintained to high standards it seems to be a sort of reserve route. I am willing to guess that this historic Clinchfield route here is sort of the same way and WILL receive the large money to repair. Something similar happened to California s coast route a few years back but surprise... they rebuilt.
Because the CSX is a privately owned corporation, it will take care of the rebuilding. It will be possible to salvage some and possibly half of the rail. I saw an area along the roadbed that had rails driven vertically outside of the track area to help protect the grade from flowing water previously. The cost of replacement of the subgrade, ballast, track, and bridges will be high; the cost of complete replacement higher from the river would be anywhere from 5 to 10 times that of replacement in kind because of land ownership problems and the grade and earthwork to do so. Just laying the track will be about $70 per foot of track or about $370,000 per mile not counting building the grade, bridges, bridges, and signals plus crossings. As frightful as this is, it has been worse, though not necessarily in this particular spot. There is a small army working on this problem though you may not see them just yet.
Great video! We kayak and raft the gorge all the time. Would love to see a video more focused on the river and the changes in the rapids from how it used to be.
I don't see how that section will ever pay for itself.
It is an important bridge line for the system, so it will more than pay for itself
I hate to be negative, but they really don’t know how the new/changed Nolichucky River will act when the next torrential, days on end type rainfall comes to the area. I’m concerned that if they don’t get as much of the rails as far away from the river as they can, that they’ll lose parts of it again. That being said, another terrific & informative video. Thanks for sharing your talent for video making.
I don't think that's negative, it's a concern for sure. From what I have learned by spending so much time seeing the change in these rivers is they got dredged right down the center. They are all deeper which could favor the gorge's railroad.
Perhaps answered somewhere else, but how many miles of rail were disrupted?
@ I read 44 miles.
The goal now is to get the trackage open and trains moving. Over time they will assess areas that need to be beefed up for the next storm and they will upgrade it with that in mind.
I wonder if HOBO Shoe String rode those rails ? RIP.
I guess there will always be complainers...if you don't like the sound, learn how to find your volume button. As far as wasting tax dollars? Um,no... railroads pay their own way for capital improvements and repair. Be thankful for the increased employment and resumption of service to entities in the area dependent on rail service. To those boohoo-ing the excavation and buttressing necessary to stabilize the roadbed (as well as highways!)...Do you not realize that this flood changed the actual course of the streams and rivers, in some cases as much as a quarter mile?!
Be grateful and supportive of this creator who has done an excellent job of documenting
The scouring this flood did is shocking. Down to the bed rock
I was fortunate to have ridden the CRR from Elkhorn City to Spartanburg and back. This was 1978 I think. It was also the last time the CRR operated their annual fan trip.
What a very enjoyable trip. Listening to the F 7s as they notch up and down constantly.
It was a long train. Scenery was fantastic. Spent the night in Spartanburg. I can remember seeing rafters/canoeists in those rivers.
Going into all those tunnels and over all those bridges. I don't remember seeing a single foreign loco, or a repainted CRR loco. Everything was CLINCHFIELD!
@@jeffreymcfadden9403 I'm envious. I've loved trains since I was a kid and STILL haven't been on one. Maybe CSX will give me a ride on the Clinchfield someday.
@@designsinorbit Don't be envious. I am paying for these memories. I am not getting any younger.
Looks like a very difficult and EXPENSIVE task but not impossible!
Im Spruce Pine, and everyone was heartbroken when Clinchfield wasn't coming through daily...
Amazing that this destruction was just left there to rot and destroying the natural beauty. The people going in there to restore and clean up this route are doing a great service. Should be a beautiful length of railway when it is done.
The amazing photography, and from the sound of it... you must have used one of those new fangled steam powered Locomo-drones.
From what I see. And I'm no construction engineer. It's going to take a lot of equipment and a lot of blasting to remove some of the boulders. Off the right of way. And some serious cutting of the fallen trees. And rebuild all the bridges and it's going to get quite expensive. But what a very pretty area. Reminds me of my trip to Australia in 1979. Almost the same kind of terrain
Keep the videos coming on this rebuild
We've been told all of our lives that faith can move mountains. But water may be the only other thing that can level and destroy them beyond recognition.
I am impressed with the way the flood just washed tracks and ties off their roadbed. That is a lot of weight to move.
RJ Corman and the other railroad contractors don't mess around. They work 24/7 to get the railroad open as fast as possible without a budget, the railroads more or less sign a blank check and they go from there. When there is a derailment, its cool to watch a fleet of 20-30 RJ Corman trucks roll in with everything they need, equipment, service and fuel trucks, camp and dining trailers, etc... This will no doubt be their biggest project to date.
@@Maine_Railfan Wow... Awesome information! 👍
I wonder if HOBO Shoe String ever rode those railes .?Very sad to see so much destruction. RIP. Shoe String
Sad part is if cars are buried in mud and rock, so are some of the missing people as well! Tragic situation
Why would they be rebuilding that 44 mile line?? Something about a new mineral discovery in that area and talks about a new mine as well would be my guess. The railroad is probably notifying contractors about lots of new rail construction projects as I type the words. It won't take as long as many think except on rebuilding the bridges which, one would think will take longer and cost a lot more these days. Anyway it'll be interesting to watch that construction progress...
This my friends will take some SERIOUS FINANCIAL WILLPOWER to rebuild.
NS got the same total destruction on the “river line” from Bulls gap to Asheville. Not been a big revenue section in some years but they are going to rebuild it back to class A.
New sub here. They will get er done, please keep us posted. Great videos!
Thank you.. Will do!
If it would be possible id love to catch a ride from erwin down the mt. to marion and back....when this track was built it was considered an engineering marvel
They'll have to have it to haul all that lithium ore out of the affected area. BlackRock will make sure it is rebuilt. Subscribed since you asked so politely.
In some of those very narrow parts of the gorges, there is no sign now that a railroad was there less than two months ago.
Really, it is much easier to rebuild this railroad now than it was to construct it in the 1800's. The original builders had to use hand drills and black powder in the gorge. They used scrapers pulled by mules. There was a huge amount of pick and shovel work involved and the ties and rails were placed by hand, then spiked in place by hand. Modern machinery will accomplish in days, what took months to do by human and mule power in the 1800's. It will take time and effort, but not as much as building it in the first place.
Unbelievable, Mother Nature can be a beehawtch. With so much extensive damage and for such a vast distance of ruin no doubt CSX and the gov't powers-that-be will consider re-routing the line away from the river. Cost of repair vs. a new rail line.
Wow!!. Now that's going to take a bit of work to fix that lot up.
That's going to be a long and major project.
I live in eastern WA state and a RR company is doing major upgrades on a line they use to transport grain. Cost is estimated at about $1,000,000 per mile!! Final cost to rebuild the Clinchfield will be huge, but it has to be done. Hope they get it done quickly.
Wow! the damage is unreal.
Awesome footage keep us all posted
Screw the cost. Build the new railbed 20-30' above this flood plane. Otherwise, it will happen again....
👍🙃
I have to wonder how much of the track materials they will be able to reuse. Seems like a large number of side booms could pull some of it back up once they get a roadbed down.
Thanks for another excellent video! It’s interesting how the ballast, both stone and cinder from years ago, has become so compacted that it’s untouched by the floodwaters while the track itself is gone! In an earlier vid I noticed at Poplar parts of a crawler crane being in place including boom sections, counterweight stacks, and the crawler tracks. Is there any sign of the crane being assembled?
Yes, and I totally forgot to get that thing on video. It's MASSIVE.
@ It’s not unusual for a massive crawler crane to require 15 to 20 truckloads to move all the pieces to the job site!
Suggestion - It would be awesome if you wrote where you are filming from scene to scene. I know its all the river in general but where up and down the river are you? Poplar, Chestoa, gorge, etc. Thanks for the videos. Native here, and still in shock to the change and all the destruction.
Hopefully CSX will get more help to rebuild. This is a monumental ptoject.
given the clean Scour line from the flooding, it'll be easy to see where the new line needs to go to keep it safe.
on average 15-20' higher than the old Right of way.
Im surprised they dont just abandon the line. it'll cost billions to rebuild it!
CSX has to get that quartz out of there somehow
Yikes! There's areas where the roadbed is judt gone. Going to be one hell of a rebuild project for certain.
Looks like this will cost billions to complete. So much roadbed washed away.
Wow it’s going to take a lot of work and money hopefully they can use some of the old rail and bridges
With the expected intensification of extreme weather events i wonder if they will build the line higher to prevent this in the future
Ti can’t believe that the water was powerfully enough to rip apart steel rails the clinchfeild has been mugged
That might be the "Big Hole" that's going to take 200 trains of rock.
100 feet at a time, this will take a time. They have good weather and I figure government is paying bill.
What is the estimate cost to rebuild? If they do rebuild then this sort of proves what I have been saying for a few years now. The Railroads Class 1 grid has been reduced to the bones. There are no excess tracks with duplicate through routes left. All the routes as of say 2020 are now essential to maintain the class 1s in North America. And with the railroads closing or streamlining their main rail yards there is now only the limited routes of the trains themselves that allows a sort of rolling storage to time deliveries to the remaining big customers. This line is no doubt a key piece in a larger logistic picture.
could any part of these tracks be salvaged like the rails or spikes? Or will they have to just put down entirely new trackage?
Looks like a quick fix.
After a year's work....
I hope it goes well.
I want to see the damage to the bridge at Devils Creek!
It will be interesting to watch.
They did it before. They will do it again. Lost cove is awesome place. So is the basin on the poplar side.
Are they planning on building it in the same place? It seems prudent to build it higher than the high water mark now. Great footage. Thank you. It is startling just how well the water scoured the ground down to bedrock. The delineation of the high water mark is so stark.
Wow. So sad for that beautiful area. I saw another video about the water being potentially contaminated with chemicals and industrial products that were swept into all the waterways during the flooding. That water looks yellow and green. Does anyone know if they are testing it or any efforts to clean it up?
Sewage is currently being routed into the Toe and Cane Rivers.
@designsinorbit Ugh... that's awful.
This is going to be a feat!
@@jamesh.5709 No doubt about it.
This will take longer than a year to rebuild.
This seems to be about the Clinchfield line from Erwin to Spruce Pine, which I'm sure was devastated, but what about the line from Spruce Pine to the bottom of the mountain, passing through AltaPass & North Cove then South? Was it heavily damaged as well?
No. They are running ballast and rip-rap trains north from Spartanburg up to Spurce Pine now. Other crews can acess Poplar from a road from Erwin, and other crews can push east from Erwin on undamage train north of there.
If a highway can be rebuilt after such a tragedy using taxpayers monies, then a transportation infrastructure that is as environmentally beneficial as a railway should not be left on its own for its recovery. This is like war-time destruction! 2024/11/11. Ontario, Canada.
That's just frigin crazy, Wow, Lot of pyle driving , steel, rock, dirt, cement, it will be decades if they ever got that shit out of that river. that is the the second worse part of past the initial terror and destruction. The rebuilding ... so many lost everything.
In 1993 I lived in Swannannoa and did railfan photography on the Southern Railway lines around the Asheville area. How badly was the Norfolk Southern affected by Helene? Do you plan any videos of this?
I'll be between the Gorge and Green Mountain.
They're gonna have to shift over to the mountain just to support the track. Or they're gonna have to dump a butt load of rock
Which will just constrict the river in flood and raise the water level.
They lost several miles of track. Something like 8 miles? 🤷🏼♂️
My word, what a mess. I wonder whether the railroad has authority to deviate from the original alignment in places where the land the grade followed no longer exists?
Do you know how high the water was along the line? Could you see a 'high water mark' in the trees, or debris? You can tell where the roadbed was. Almost looks like someone tore up their model railroad.
How long this track was unused?
It was in use till this happened.
@@designsinorbit When it happened
Nice work. I hate to be negative, but... Wow. OK, if they say so, but there are miles of literally no RoW even existing anymore. I mean, the amount of fill you'd need is insane.
Good luck with that!
Has there never been that much rain in that length of time there before or were other factors at play such as commercial and residential construction ?
@@mustlovedogs272 The problem was that we had 3 straight days of HEAVY rain and were flooding already. Then with no pause Helene entered.
@@designsinorbit There was 29.3 inches of rainfall measured from Helene at one place. That is a lot of water in just a few hours in an area that can not spread it out to slow it down. That was on top of the heavy rainfall that had just occurred.
The abutment & peirs look sound...dunno if they actually ate though.
Nice capture Jeff but do you know what kind of traffic and was it daily that this subdivision served ?
@@mshum538 The amount of traffic has noticeably been increasing over the last 5 years. It seemed almost constant before the storm.
The river will take years to clean and get back to where fishing /Swimming will be good again.
Wow… that’s EPIC.
Shock and Awe!.
I dont know where the money will come from. Who can back it. ????