RAILFAN GUIDE

Florence Division

Portsmouth Subdivision

Portsmouth, VA to Weldon, N.C.

75.4 miles North Portsmouth YL to Weldon Connection

Radio: FB dispatcher channel 94 (161.52), Road channel 32 (160.59)
Portsmouth yard 58 (160.98)

Revised 2024.01.15

Notes

Note 1: In late 2011 and early 2012 CSX began a project as part of their National Corridors initiative to improve the Portsmouth subdivision. Kilby siding was converted from a dark siding of 5,130 feet to a 4 mile double track with universal crossovers midway, all fully controlled by the FB dispatcher in Florence, South Carolina. The new double crossovers named Kenyon occupy the control point formerly known as South End Kilby siding near Kenyon Road. The new South End Kilby is located railroad north of Buckhorn Road. The defect detector was moved to single track just railroad north of Buckhorn Road at a point that old heads call “Purvis”.

Knowledgeable observers believe that this will be used initially as a holdout track for intermodal trains inbound to the newer Maersk APM facility in West Norfolk that replaced the older and smaller Portsmouth Marine Terminal at Pinner's Point. But without other upgrades along the Portsmouth sub longer trains will be unable to meet elsewhere, limiting the value of the Kilby lengthening.

There has also been talk of CSX building a large transfer facility near the new south end of Kilby to allow containers and trailers to be trucked to one of several terminals around the Tidewater area. There was also a mention that CSX is considering renovating the dilapidated Seaboard trestle over the Roanoke Rapids to make the A-line double track all the way from Gary to Halifax.

Note 2: International Paper closed the Franklin plant in 2010, but there are mumurs that it could re-open. It received coal hoppers from Norfolk Southern via the Norfolk, Franklin, & Danville connection which would be switched out by CSX jobs.