My grandfather (long since passed) has some photos of a doubleheader with Southern 630 and 4501, the Kodak photos are from June of 1976.

I have no information for this excursion and where it ended up being.

Does anyone have any info on this excursion that I can find?

My records show only one doubleheader with 630 and 4501 in June of 1976. The trip was on June 20th and ran from Alexandria Virginia to Charlottesville Virginia and return.

It’s weird my grandpa ever ended up that way. It’s not far from the area I live around these days but he had always lived in South Carolina.

But sure enough, I found some other photos of a trip behind 611 (which I don’t have a direct photo of unfortunately in this collection) on its first ever excursion up to Alexandria in September of 1982. That time he actually labeled the photos on the back.

So I’m not sure why, on multiple occasions, he’s ended up there. But eh, I don’t have that answer.

Jim Wrinn's excellent book on the SRR/NS steam program has an all-time schedule for every trip they ever had. That book is worth it's weight in gold.

There were a bunch of trips out of Alexandria that summer to celebrate the Bicentennial. Both to Front Royal and Charlottesville, and I think at least one or two to Calverton/Warrenton. At least one of the Front Royal trips was doubleheaded also. Depending on what the photo shows (single track vs double, etc) might narrow down what and when.

The listing in Jim’s book is good, but it’s about 90-95% complete. There’s a few trips here and there that didn’t get included, and a few that what was supposed to happen and what actually happened aren’t the same thing.

It's funny what one remembers long term. I remember hearing an announcement at a railroad club meeting in Ohio back then that 630 and 722 were going to double-head trips out of Manassass to Front Royal on weekends for the Bicentennial. I never got out that way that Summer so I don't know what actually ran.

Thanks everyone for the information!

I’ll see if I can find more for both the trips my grandad made. I’ll still find it weird that he ended up on the north end of the southern mainline for these trips, despite always having been connected with the ACL, SCL and CSX.

One day I may scan the photos to post, but they’re not exactly works of art. I’m just happy to have something to connect to him with, along with ACL 1031 (that’s a story for another day)