The Trains Of Ashland Train Day Weekend 2026, Part I: Train Day

#train #railfan #trainspotting #travel #ashland #virginia The overcast skies on April 25th did little to dampen the spirit of the thousands who converged on Ashland, Virginia for Ashland Train Day 2026. As is my custom, I woke in the very, very A.M. to ensure I could park in before the streets were closed off to prepare for the festivities. 0:00 - Northeast Regional 164 I was far from the only one with ideas about early arrival. There were plenty of ofher railfans on hand as Amtrak's Northeast Regional 164 arrived behind ALC-42 336. No chugging, smoking departure here like its GE P42 rostermates - the 336 throttled out with a sterile whoosh that reminded me of a subway train. 3:48 - CSX I036 14 minutes behind the regional was intermodal hotshot I036, led by ES44AH 3203 and CM44AH 7597. The consist of trailers and containers was topped off by a cut of Tropicana refrigerated cars taking a load of their owner's orange juice to NYC-area markets. 6:56 - Amtrak 52, Auto Train The station platform population was on the rise as ALC-42s 364 and 322 led Amtrak's flagship on towards its destination in Lorton, VA. 9:22 - CSX B428 Next was one of the RF&P Sub's less frequently-seen symbols, for me at least. B428 is a unit rock train, taking aggregate loads from Clear Brook to Portsmouth, VA. The April 25th edition was powered by ES44AHs 907 and 3169. 11:19 - CSX I135 Train day preparations continued trackside as ES44AH 3004 and ES40DC 5491 passed with stack train I135. The duo had a mid-train assist from ET44AH 3367. 14:19 - Northeast Regional 65 We had a little less than an hour before the start of Train Day, but the celebration was already in full swing on the platform as the crowd greeted the arrival of Amtrak's Northeast Regional 65, led by P42 81. 16:00 - CSX M419 Bronx cheer, the train version. The assembled crowd got an earful, an eyeful, and a noseful as SD70MACs 4763 and 4707 breezed past the platform with a solid consist of loaded trash containers, to the accompaniment of off-key horn salutes from the 4763. 20:36 - CSX M416 Train Day officially got underway at 10 AM - with a lull in the train traffic. It was nearly noon when M416 appeared to much fanfare, with ET44AH 3382 on point and ES44AH 706 mid-train. The consist included a few fallen flags - a former CNW hopper at 21:07, a former Penn Central gondola with a weatherbeaten logo at 21:18, and a former Rock Island hopper near the end at 25:11. 25:50 - CSX M407 It turned out that M416 was the lone drop in a very dry bucket - the only train for 4 hours and 18 minutes. Southbound M407 broke the lull - again - a few minutes after 2 with ES44AH 760, SD70MAC 4771, and rare MP15T 1234 leading the way; the latter one of just a dozen or so remaining on the roster. 30:38 - Amtrak 80, Carolinian Amtrak was not going to sit idly by and let CSX grab all the attention with interesting locomotive numbers, so they sent the northbound Carolinian through town behind P42 123. 31:33 - Virtual Railfan Group Wave An Ashland Train Day tradition, gathering a group together to wave to the viewers of the camera mounted on the station. The wave used to take place from the same side of the tracks as the camera, but has since moved to the platform on the other side to fit more people. Next up - filling the platform from end to end. Or maybe getting everyone in the town center to wave. Dream big. 32:10 - CSX I031 The platform population was near its peak as I036's southbound counterpart passed the admiring crowd behind ES44AH 747 and ES40DC 5329. 34:57 - Amtrak 89, Palmetto Amtrak's southbound Palmetto cruised past the station with much fanfare from ALC-42 305, one of a handful of locomotives in the Phase VI color scheme. 35:42 - Northeast Regional 158/Amtrak 79, Carolinian We were nearing the bottom of Train Day's last hour as Northeast Regional 158 arrived behind P42 18. Many Train Day visitors were heading back north by train, so 158 lingered a while for boarding. Shortly after 158's departure, the southbound Carolinian popped into view, led by ALC-42 333. 38:40 - Northeast Regional 155 Northeast Regional 155 was next to arrive, led by sharply dressed P42 79 in the latest Phase VII paint scheme. 40:39 - Amtrak 41, Floridian The southbound Floridian closed out Train Day in style with multiple 'Shave And A Haircut' salutes as ALC-42s 343 and 326 led the train to a stop. Wait, what?? The Floridian wouldn't normally stop in Ashland, but there was a problem with one of the car doors that needed addressing. The problem was quickly resolved, and 41 resumed its journey south. 43:13 - Amtrak 40, Floridian The Floridian's northbound counterpart had no such door issues as it cruised past the thinning crowd behind ALC-42s 344 and 368. 44:01 - Amtrak 53, Auto Train ALC-42s 322 and 364 led Amtrak's flagship back south to wrap up my Train Day railfanning. In contrast to last year's timing, the rain held off until we were inside the restaurant for dinner.