Asheville, NC
Located in the mountains of western North Carolina is
the tourist city of Asheville. While your wife and her friends go
enjoy the Biltmore Estate this guide will show you areas in and around Asheville
to catch trains. Asheville is at the intersection of three lines,
all of which are of Southern Railway heritage. The S-Line (Salisbury,
NC to New Line, TN) passes through downtown, and just on the eastern side
of the yard it is joined by the W-Line (a.k.a. the Saluda Line). On
the western side of the yard the T-Line breaks off at Murphy Junction to
go to Canton, Sylva and Andrews. After Sylva this line is operated
by the Great Smoky Mountains Railway. The S-Line is TWC with ABS signals
and passing sidings heading towards Salisbury. The line is single
track with CTC and passing sidings heading towards New Line, TN.
NS #8304 bring train #135 into the junction with the W-Line at Biltmore.
Union Pacific #4960 brings train #166 into Asheville at Lyman Street.
Hotspot Description
The "hotspot" in Asheville is actually located in two
different locations depending on what is entering and exiting town.
The first location is in Biltmore Village. You can park at the old
southern freightdepot (next to the Habitat for Humanity) on the east
end of the yard. The second location is on the west end off the yard
in a gravel lot off of Lyman Street. For trains heading east or coming
into the yard from the east, or from the W-Line you will need to be at the
old depot location. For trains going west or coming in from the west,
or from the T-Line you will need to be at the Lyman Street location.
Directions
The first location is reached by taking I-40 into Asheville
from the east/west. Take Exit #50 off I-40 and head north into Asheville.
You are now on Hendersonville Road and you will take this into Biltmore
Village. Cross the NS mainline (double track here) and take a left
onto Meadow Road (1st stoplight after the tracks). Proceed 1/4 mile
and you will see the old freight depot on your left. To get to the
west end of the yard you will need to continue on Meadow road and pass over
the yard tracks on an overpass. Meadow Road will continue and it will
turn into Lyman Street. Continue on Lyamn until you pass the yard
and cross the tracks again. You can park in either of the gravel
lots on the right or left hand side of the road.
Typical Traffic and Volume
S-Line towards Salisbury (12-16 movements per 24 hours)
S-Line towards Knoxville (12-14 movements per 24 hours)
T-Line towards Canton/Sylva (2-4 movements per 24 hours)
W-Line towards Hendersonville (2-4 movements per 24 hours)
Saluda Disclaimer: The Hill is still silent and currently the line
is only active to just south of Hendersonville, NC. A local (P44)
works in the evenings down to Hendersonville. The only other traffic
on this line are the loaded coal trains to Skyland Power at MP W7 near Arden,
NC. If you are in the area and have some extra time the Saluda grade
is still something worth checking out. Take I-26 south from Asheville
to exit #59 and head the short 2 miles into Saluda. In town you will
be at the top of the famous grade.
Scanner Information
Norfolk Southern 160.950