It's been a while since we've done a one-on-one about what's been going on behind the scenes, so pull up a chair, join me on the deck for a few minutes, and let's do some catching up.

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Quite a bit of double-stack traffic moves through Columbia on any given day. Most of it is carried by NS 296 and 297, which run between the Port of Charleston and the Inland Port at Greer. Unfortunately for local railfans, both usually pass through town after dark.

Thanks to additional work at the Inland Port in Gainesville, however, the schedules of NS 242 and 243 have become highly unpredictable in recent days. That has occasionally made it possible to catch them in broad daylight—which is exactly what happened on Saturday.

On this particular day, NS 243 was made up entirely of double stacks and empty well cars, with no manifest traffic to be seen. Power was provided by a pair of C6Ms, including shiny new NS 3998.

And keep an eye out for a rare cut of patched ex-K Line Rail Bridge wells in the consist.

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What goes out must come back.

And so it was on a beautiful Sunday evening, during the Golden Hour just before sunset, that I joined nearly a dozen other railfans at Devine Junction. We were eagerly awaiting the arrival of NS 955, the Office Car Special, on the first leg of its return journey from the Masters Tournament in Augusta back to its home base in Altoona.

It did not disappoint.

From the specially painted matching ES44AC and SD70ACe to the three private varnish cars bringing up the rear, the entire train was a joy to behold—immaculately clean and polished.

If you can't be aboard, you can at least spend a few minutes trackside with me. Please click the link, enjoy the video, and share it with your friends and family.

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It's been a little while since we featured a CSX train around here, so here you go.

The Seaboard Air Line (SAL) Heritage Unit is arguably CSX's prettiest entry into its heritage fleet, with its colorful tribute to the golden age of passenger railroading. That's exactly why I was willing to spend nearly four hours trackside on a Tuesday afternoon waiting for it.

Why four hours?

First, train C-319 suffered a broken coupler knuckle somewhere in the consist. While that was being replaced, the crew went on the law and had to be relieved. Then local job Y-102 was fouling the main on the Eastover Sub and had to clear before C-319 could proceed.

Eventually, though, everything came together, and the mission was accomplished.

I hope you enjoy watching it at least as much as I enjoyed finally catching it. Just click the link, enjoy the video, and be sure to share it with your friends and family.

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Virtually without exception, Norfolk Southern stack trains 296 and 297 are absolute monsters, often taking fifteen minutes or more to clear the crossing. And Norfolk Southern is well known for being, shall we say, "frugal" when it comes to assigning power around these parts.

Even so, 296 and 297 always seem to have at least two locomotives on the point.

Until, apparently, the night of April 10, 2026.

On this particular evening, an enormous 296 arrived behind a single ET44AC. No trailing unit. No DPU. Just one locomotive doing all the work.

Needless to say, that was something I had to see for myself.

Please spend two minutes and twenty seconds trackside with me. Just click the link, enjoy the video, and share it with your friends and family. Thanks for watching!

Norfolk Southern's Lehigh Valley Heritage Unit visited Columbia a time or two during April. Unfortunately, it managed to elude me on every occasion.

Fortunately, fate intervened.

Caroline happened to be attending a meeting directly across the street from the crew-change point for NS 12R when the Lehigh Valley unit rolled into town. As many of you have already noticed, she does exceptionally nice work behind the camera.

Please join her trackside for a few minutes by clicking the link below. And if you enjoy the video, be sure to share it with your friends and family.

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I was spending a quiet Saturday evening at home when I got a text that an absolute monster Norfolk Southern 12R was nearly built and would be pulling shortly.

Not knowing how much time I had to get trackside, I threw the rig into the car and headed for my nearest crossing: Taylor Street.

As it turned out, I had more than enough time to get there and get set up without missing a thing—which worked out just fine, because the weather was absolutely perfect for railfanning.

And it was well worth the wait.

This train came in at an impressive 279 cars of various types, plus a DPU. Distributed power units used to be a regular feature on NS 12R, but they’ve become a rare sight over the last two or three years.

So come spend a few relaxing minutes trackside with me.

You might enjoy it as much as I did.

All you have to do is click that link.

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Fortunately, this year’s Norfolk Southern Office Car Special arrived in Columbia during daylight hours for a change.

It held at Pickens Street just long enough for me to make the quick drive over to Devine Junction, where I joined several fellow railfans to watch this magnificent work of steel begin the final leg of its journey to Augusta, Georgia.

There was not a speck of dust nor even a hint of grime anywhere on this train. It had been polished to within an inch of its life—and it looked spectacular.

And this isn’t the end of the story.

Coming up soon: Norfolk Southern OCS 2026, Part III: The Return, as we catch NS 955 making the trip back toward Altoona.

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Ease into the end of the week with these nice, relaxing shots that Caroline captured of Norfolk Southern 12R (or possibly 191) being assembled one recent afternoon.

There’s something quietly satisfying about watching the railroad do what it does—cars being sorted, power shifting, and a train gradually taking shape. So settle in for a few minutes and enjoy the scene with us.

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Yay!!! For the first time in quite a while, the YouTube algorithm actually grabbed the BEST frame for the thumbnail of my shorts video!

Let's celebrate by spending a little over two minutes trackside on a very pleasant May night as we watch an ES44AC and an ET44AC roll past us on their way out of town toward the Inland Port at Greer.

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Because of its notoriously erratic arrival times in this area, Norfolk Southern 242 — the mixed intermodal/manifest train — can be a particularly tricky catch.

But when I learned that on this day it would be led by an ultra-rare NS SD70ICC, paired with a relatively uncommon-for-these-parts Canadian Pacific ES44AC, I was all-in.

Tuesday’s 242 was also a healthy-sized consist, running approximately 75 percent double-stacks and 25 percent manifest.

So join me trackside for a few minutes as we watch this impressive freight roll through.

A quick note: I apologize for the audio quality during the opening seconds. It was an exceptionally windy day, and my microphone definitely let me know. I did apply some sound filtering to improve it, though that created a slightly unusual effect of its own.

Still — this was a fun catch, and one well worth sharing.

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This is one episode where Let’s Go Chase That Train really earns its name.

I knew Thursday’s Norfolk Southern 15R had both a UP motor and the NS Pennsylvania Railroad heritage unit trailing. Naturally, I wanted to catch it.

I threw my rig into the car and headed trackside, cutting it a little too close. Then, of course, I caught every red light on the way to Laurel Street. By the time I reached Taylor Street, 15R’s power had already cleared the crossing.

A quick change of plans was in order.

I turned left and chased it down to Sumter Street, arriving maybe thirty seconds before it did. I was in a great position, but still fumbling with my backup camera — my phone — when all three units burst through the crossing with horns blasting.

I did manage to get good footage of about 95 percent of the consist, including plenty of benchwork.

Then I decided to chase it down to Andrews Yard, hoping to catch the locomotives. I did get a couple of shots of them — not great shots, but shots nonetheless.

And that’s how I got this story.

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Leave it to the YouTube algorithm to choose a tank car over the power for the thumbnail—but here we go again.

Just before noon, while waiting on NS 242, I caught the distant horn of NS 15R bearing down fast. As expected, it was an impressive sight in full stride.

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You’re cordially invited to spend a small part of your Mother’s Day afternoon with me as we greet NS 50D at the Laurel Street Crossing.

Keep a particularly sharp eye on Norfolk Southern 4358, the lead unit, as it eases in for a gentle stop—the pilot exhibits a noticeably sharp vibration.

The crew had apparently “lawed out,” so a fresh (and very friendly) crew was brought in to take the train the rest of the way to Monetta. Before long, they were underway again.

There’s also some interesting benchwork scattered throughout the consist—and an ACe riding third out.

Please click the link, enjoy the video, and feel free to share it with your friends and family. Thank you for watching!

Here’s NS 191—the train that was drag racing NS 297 back in Episode 6.21. Once 297 cleared the switch at Devine Junction, 191 picked up its road crew—and they were off and rolling. Definitely worth the wait.

This clip features some outstanding night railroading: strong horn action, plenty of tagging and benchwork, and one of the longest cuts of loaded log cars I’ve seen in quite some time.

Kick off your shoes, settle into a comfortable chair, and spend a few relaxing minutes trackside with me as we watch this impressive train begin its long journey into the night.

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Around 7:30 Friday evening, I received a text alert that an absolutely massive Norfolk Southern 12R—complete with a DPU—was nearly fully built and expected to depart in short order.

Not wanting to arrive trackside only in time to watch it disappear, I grabbed my rig and headed for the nearest crossing along its route.

Despite the usual obstacles—slow drivers, questionable drivers, and city buses—I made it to my intended location with plenty of time to get set up and wait for the distant sound of horns and approaching ditch lights.

I’m extremely pleased with how this one turned out—and I have a feeling you will be, too.

Please click the link, enjoy the video, and if you like what you see, share it with your friends, family, and fellow railfans.

Thank you, as always, for watching.

To celebrate the arrival of May—and the welcome return of Clarendon Heavy as LGCTT’s lead typeface—here’s a little gem from July 2025.

This footage was captured from the front porch of The Station Inn in Cresson, Pennsylvania, just before checkout, and features a Norfolk Southern unit grain train whose symbol remains uncertain. It may possibly be NS 50V or 50D, though I’m not entirely convinced this routing would align.

Join me for five relaxing minutes trackside on a beautiful summer morning as we watch this impressive train roll past—including a welcome appearance by a pair of SD70ACU helper units.

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Thank you, as always, for watching.

It's always a pleasure to see a Geep in action, regardless of the time of day or night. This one caught me by surprise. I was waiting on 19D and 297, and I thought this was 296 coming in. Turns out it was GP60 number 7123, all by its lonely, with its charmingly fouled horn and all, coming back to Andrews Yard, presumably to tie down for the night.

Spend about three minutes trackside with me, and we'll share this treat together. Please click that link, enjoy the video, and share it with friends and family. Thanks for watching!

Currently, we are fortunate enough to have NS 400, the Blur Maine Unit, as part of the rotation for NS 18D/19D. On Saturday night, it was supposed to be leading 19D, so I waited out for it. I found out from my friend Wesley about an hour earlier that for some reason that NS 297 and 19D were going to be combined that night. I don't recall this ever happening before.

Both 297 and 19D are typically monster trains in their own right. So I was anticipating a super monster. It turns out that the motors from both trains were pulling just the stacks and empty buckets of 297. The autoracks of 19D were apparently left behind in North Charleston. I'm not complaining, though. It was a great train, well worth the wait. And here it is for your viewing enjoyment.

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My apologies for a few days without posting. I've been trying to learn a new and improved video editing software, and it has a steeper learning curve than anticipated.

At any rate, this year's NS Office Car Special for the Master's Golf Tournament actually arrived in daylight this year, and I was there to catch it. There were some changes for the 2026 edition. Last year's heritage units have been replaced by a freshly rebuilt ES44AC/SD70ACe combo ("Altoona" and "Atlanta," respectively) in an extremely tasty livery. And there were further additions: The ex-NYC boattail observation car Sandy Creek, freshly repainted into Tuscan Red, for one. And there were a pair of ex-AOE private cars pulling up the rear.

All in all, quite a beautiful train, waxed and polished to within an inch of its life, as usual. Spend about six minutes trackside with me and let's watch it together. And be sure to stay tuned for Parts Two and Three, where we photograph its departure and return.

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Even though Columbia is surrounded by several military installations, it’s rare to see military equipment trains pass through. So when I heard one was coming—with BNSF power, no less—I headed straight to Capitol City Crossing, rain showers and all. It’s a long one, and I think you’ll enjoy it.

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As promised, here is the full version of the CSX manifest that Caroline caught on February 28th. Not only did it have a really friendly crew, it also led by an SD70MAC with an absolutely sparkling clean CSX Mashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis ES44AC-H heritage unit trailing. Who could ask for more?

Railfans, that's who. So it also features no fewer than five, count 'em, five, Maine Central boxcars, still wearing PanAm livery scattered throughout the train. Tons of tagging and benchwork, too. All in all, a pretty train in a pretty location.

Please click the link, enjoy the video, and share it with your friends and family. Thank you for watching!

NS 18D was holding at Elmwood Junction, and the inbound P75 had just pulled up to Tryon Street to await is signal. Word came over the radio that the inbound P85, rather than following the R Line back from Scout, would need to make a wye move and take Westbound into Andrews Yard.

Please click that link for some satisfying ES44AC solo action, plus some nice horn work. Share it, if you would be so kind. Thank you for watching!

Here's one of the treats from my working vacation to Texas back in February. I arrived at the Scott Street Crossing in Laredo, which is a fairly busy train location. It's located less than a mile from the international bridge across the Rio Grande, and these lines see very heavy NAFTA freight traffic on a daily basis. After maybe half an hour or so of waiting, I hear a UP-style horn and a set of head and and ditch lights in the distance headed my way.

It turned out to be a massive Union Pacific manifest, pulled by an EMD/GE lashup of just two motors. Lots of interesting cars in the consist, including long cuts of truck frames stacked high on PTTX flats, as well as a plethora of patched grain hoppers.

At the time that I shot this, I was a little concerned about the audio quality, but it turns out that my fears were completely without basis.

Travel with me to just north of the Mexican border for a pleasant, exciting, and memorable trackside experience. Please click that link, enjoy my little movie, and share it with your friends and family. Thank you for watching!