That does look a little weird doesn't it? I took another shot of the train further up the line at McBee, SC (pronounced MAK-bee 'round here ) and caught it. Maybe someone at CSX scrubbed down the logo area? In any case, CSX's units are now looking as neglected as NS's.
All-MLW consist! Somewhere in the Maritime provinces? MLW locos were used a lot out there, especially the M420s.
McBee, SC's SAL depot remains, as well as an ACL/SCL M-5 Caboose. There's a fine little rail museum inside the depot, which is also the town's library. The line through McBee was completed in early 1900, as John Skelton Williams stitched together segments of acquired lines. The 91-mile line was the vital link that finally connected the road's properties the Carolinas with those in Florida, formally creating the Seaboard Air Line Rwy. that same year.
I checked my 1945 Official Guide to see what trains stopped at McBee. 1 & 2 - no name (formerly the Carolina Florida Special) 3 & 4 - no name (listed as Passenger, Mail and Express) 191 & 192 - The Palmland The line also saw the Sun Queen (107/108) and Silver Meteor(s) (43/44 for Florida's east coast and 31/32 for the west coast), but these didn't stop at McBee. McBee was also the main line connection with an important branch that worked southeast through ACL bastion Florence, SC to the SAL's 'EC' East Carolina freight cutoff, built during the teens.
For those interested, the (current) Fall 2023 Classic Trains has an extensive eight-page all-color feature by Preston Cook on Island Pond with tons of photos from the 1960s.
Taken exactly 30 years ago today on 09/04/1993 at Columbia, SC, with the 7627 (a C40-8) leads a coal train. The 7627 has had a colorful history, built in 1990 for CSX, transferred to PanAm in 2016 as MEC 7627, reacquired by CSX upon their 2022 purchase of PanAm and recently repainted at CSX's Huntington Shops with new number 9280!
And I can attest that it's a very nice article! Lots of CN and GT power, like RS-18's and GP9's. Even an interesting back story about the photo of a young boy watching the trains in the yard.
