End of an era | My Site

End of an era: The fall of the Color Position Light signals on the Altavista District

Norfolk Southern removed one of the last stretches of its archaic signaling systems in early November 2025, which guided trains for roughly 65 years.

Under a dark predawn sky, a low rumble echoes though the valley as Norfolk Southern intermodal train 278 snakes along the banks of the Staunton River. As the train moves east of Altavista, Va., the crew calls out signals over the radio “278 clear 184.8” and “278 east clear Seneca” as they head closer to the port of Norfolk. These transmissions were picked up on SERFA's Altavista rail feed.

Train 278 would be the last to pass under a 50-mile stretch of analog and ragged machines, known as Color Position Light signals between Altavista and Abilene before a three-day project by crews began on Nov. 4, 2025. During these three days, crews worked during the day to cutover all of the remaining CPLs and activate the modern Siemens “vader” signals, while trains ran during the night.

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Norfolk Southern train 763-26 with empty coal hoppers "knocks down" the westbound signal at Seneca on Sept. 26, 2025.

The eastbound signal at Seneca displays a stop signal under the moonlight on Oct. 30, 2025, exactly five days before being cut down on Nov. 4.

This stretch of track, known as the Altavista District on the former Virginian Railway mainline between Altavista and Abilene was the last stretch with intermediate and control point CPLs remaining together. CPLs between Roanoke and Altavista were removed around 2017.

Since it's construction by the Tidewater Railway around 1905, and the merger of the Tidewater and Deepwater railways in 1907, the majority of the commodities transported along this line was and remains to be coal. Much of the coal transported east along the line goes to the port of Norfolk, along with multiple local power plants including Dominion Energy's Clover plant in Halifax County, Va. and Duke Energy's Mayo and Hyco plants near Roxboro, N.C. Intermodal traffic also runs on this line.

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Norfolk Southern loaded coal train 764 bound for Duke Energy's Hyco Steam Station in North Carolina splits the intermediate signals in Long Island, Va. on June 14, 2025.

Norfolk Southern loaded coal train 798 bound for Lambert's Point in Norfolk passes the signal at Patrick Henry in Brookneal, Va. on Sept. 26, 2025.

Following the 1959 merger between the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Virginian Railway, these CPLs were installed around 1960 as an effort by the N&W to upgrade the former Virginian mainline between Roanoke and Abilene with Centralized Traffic Control (CTC). Before this, the line was unsignaled territory between Jarratt and Roanoke.

The Norfolk and Western’s CPLs were manufactured by the now-defunct Union Switch and Signal company and were nearly identical to the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Position Light signals. This was because the Pennsylvania Railroad had partial ownership over the Norfolk and Western.

Norfolk Southern crews on the Piedmont Division nicknamed these signals “N&W frying pans” according to one employee.

The eastbound signal at Seneca displays a clear signal for Norfolk Southern loaded coal train 778 near Gladys, Va. on June 14, 2025.

Over both 2024 and throughout 2025, replacement “vader” signals began popping up alongside the existing CPLs ahead of the looming cutover. One of the last of the new Siemens signals to be installed was the westbound cantilever signal at Brookneal.

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The incomplete Siemens cantilever signal is seen alongside the westbound CPL at "Brookneal" on Oct. 11, 2025 in Brookneal, Va.

Norfolk Southern loaded coal train 810 bound for Lambert's Point in Norfolk, Va. splits the CPL intermediate signals in Aspen on June 14, 2025. The replacement Siemens signal can be seen to the right.

When the cutover date arrived, work was spread into three different days and three different sections of the Altavista District. On Nov. 4, contractors and Norfolk Southern employees removed all of the CPLs and put the new Siemens signals online between a point called Mansion, east of Altavista to Brookneal This included locations such as Seneca and Long Island.

The next day focused on two control points, Brookneal and Patrick Henry, which govern the sole remaining siding on the line east of Altavista. On the final day, all of the remaining signals from Patrick Henry to Abilene were cutover.

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Norfolk Southern workers cut down the Long Island (V180.1) intermediate Color Position Light signals just after 1:00 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2025, in Long Island, Va.

With the removal of the CPLs, three points on the Altavista District were eliminated. This includes Terry, Seneca, and Marysville. Seneca, located at milepost V182.7 was likely named after Philadelphia banker Filemone Seneca, who secured immigrant jobs with contractors to build the Tidewater Railway (predecessor to the Virginian).

Norfolk Southern loaded coal train 810 bound for Lambert's Point in Norfolk, Va. approaches the eastbound signal at Seneca on Sept. 18, 2025.

Seneca was used as a station stop and featured a coaling tower during the steam era. The Virginian Railway ended passenger service in 1956 and the Seneca coaling tower was removed by roughly 1959. After the Norfolk and Western installed CPLs at Seneca, the location served as the east end of a 9,190 foot siding until being torn up around 2020.

This siding was used in the 1990s to pick up and drop off coal cars, and in later years it was occasionally used for trains to pass. These signals continued to guide trains till 2025.

Contractors and Norfolk Southern employees cut down the Norfolk & Western Color Position Light signals at Seneca between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2025.

Contractors and Norfolk Southern employees cut down the Norfolk & Western Color Position Light signals at Seneca between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2025.

With the cutover, Seneca and Marysville were erased as points on the railroad and replaced by Swans Holdout (V183.15). This new holdout is likely named after the nearby Swan Creek. Lambert's Point-bound loaded coal train 820 was likely the first train to call out Swans Holdout on Nov. 4, around 9 p.m.

With the fall of the N&W CPLs on the Altavista District, Norfolk Southern’s Roanoke District is now one of the last lines with segments of remaining active Norfolk and Western CPLs.