#saluda grade

[pjcox]

Sunflowers

Sunflowers -How to Harvest Sunflowers- For a while now, finding a sunflower field has been on my bucket list.  I know where to find them back home, but had no clue where to start in the Upstate.  A little bit of googling led me to one not too far away, so I planned an outing there. There’s one really big thing to know about Sunflowers if you’ve never been around a field of them – pollinators.…

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[ihazachoochootrainproblem]

I kid you not. This is how Norfolk Southern severs a train line when it suspends freight service on it. This is the dirt/plant mound that severs active from inactive on that line I briefly mentioned when I was down visiting my parents.

The line beyond the mound (farthest away from you in this picture) is still "active", although movements are pretty rare according to my dad.

I have to say though, at least they haven't ripped out the line - the line remains, as do the crossing signals, although they're covered over. The Wikipedia article I read about the Saluda Grade, which this line is part of - states that rails to trails or a tourist railroad were things being talked about as alternate uses for the "suspended" parts, but apparently such discussions haven't gone anywhere.

I wouldn't mind seeing a tourist railroad there - at least the rails would remain intact for any future restoration of service...PLUS, it would give me another thing to do while visiting my parents.

[ihazachoochootrainproblem]

It would totally figure that the rail line a whole mile from my parents' house is ABANDONED. Thanks Norfolk Southern. They put a dirt mound on it and covered up all the crossing signals north of it. Apparently it was abandoned because of the grade - it used to run from Spartanburg, SC to Asheville, NC through the mountains. At least there may be some hope for resurrection at some point - they haven't ripped up the rails or the crossing signals. Dad tells me he gets to watch CSX and NS all the time by where he works - and when the circus comes to town he fuels their trains. GO FIGURE. Pardon my rage. I told him to send me pictures next time though :P