The Pokey - Elkhorn Grade - The Norfolk Southern Pocohontas Division
By Highball Productions

Norfolk Southern's Pocahontas District recently had clearances raised for double stacks as part of the Heartland Project. Elkhorn grade between Bluefield and Iaeger is the steepest part of the Pokey, giving even NS's latest SD70ACe's a workout with heavy coal trains as they wind through the valleys and through the small towns of West Virginia. This is helper country, with two to three units pushing heavy trains up the grades.