Let’s take a virtual run over the line from the eastern terminus at Cherry Island near Wilmington, Delaware. Here we may interchange with the Pennsylvania and the Reading, fallen flags that still live on and actively trade blocks of revenue cars with Nordel. Interchange activity also connects with CSX and Amtrak. Ease your throttle into a higher notch, noting the branch that leaves the main leading through an industrial area to the Port of Wilmington. Let off the throttle and turn on the bell because we are passing the busy passenger platforms of the downtown Wilmington passenger station - we share tracks with the fabled Amtrak Northeast Corridor. Since this is the best of all possible worlds, we have no Department of Homeland Security agents/goons working the station. Beyond Wilmington is Newark station with a passing siding and a spur to a local micro brewery whose beers are known far and wide. The train accelerates as the long downgrade into Rising Sun, Maryland sets us for the run into the Conowingo yard. Rising Sun has a branch that runs down the middle of the main street through town to an industrialized complex that has a power plant with coal hopper rotary dumper, asphalt and gravel plant, team track and a balloon loop track for turning entire trains.

    Conowingo isn’t the largest yard but it is very active. A quarry provides loads for Rising Sun’s asphalt plant and a number of other industries generate revenue for Nordel. Leaving Conowingo, notch up the throttle for the long grade past six virtual way stations as we climb up to Nordel’s largest and busiest flat switched classification yard at Hagerstown, Maryland. The first stop is the passenger station with an industrial neighborhood behind it. Let’s leave our train on the station siding and service our locomotive at the fully equipped engine terminal. Both steam and diesel units are serviced here and, if necessary, there are back shops for major rebuilds. There is a six stall roundhouse and a 120' turntable to accommodate the line's articulated engines and a loop balloon track to turn the longer passenger consists. MOW equipment is stored near the passenger car shops that have been in operation since the line was built. The caboose storage and servicing track is a reminder of the rather amorphous time span Nordel represents. Consists run with FREDs, cabooses and observation cars on the tail end. Nordel discriminates against no one.

    Regaining our mixed train and performing an air test the Dispatcher grants clearance for the steep mountain grades ahead of us as we tackle the run up to the Potomac River bridge - a truly breathtaking engineering marvel when it was first completed and still draws gasps of wonder - particularly when someone wading in the Potomac River bangs their head on it. (Bring your own hardhat) Strasburg Junction leads to the town of Strasburg, Virginia. Tucked away in a fold of the rugged hills is one of the Nation’s largest deep shaft coal mines with an integral coal breaker. Frequent Strasburg turns bring the earth’s riches to market and empties to the mine. The turns also interchange blocks of cars with the Southern railroad. A flyover gives access to several mountain logging enterprises and a mine slate dump. Strasburg also has a passenger station and freight house along with several local industries and a team track. There are limited engine service facilities for the resident switcher and a wye track to turn engines.

    West of Strasburg Junction the line runs to the western terminus of Nordel at the Cumberland, Maryland interchange. We leave our mixed train here and run light back to the yard at Hagerstown. I trust you enjoyed the run as much as we enjoyed having you as our guest engineer. If you want to visit Nordel and really have a run - drop us a line.