031167 Norfolk Southern/state of North Carolina inspection train eastbound at Funston (just west of Durham, N.C.) on the North Carolina Railroad corridor, Nov. 20, 2003. Norfolk Southern's "theater" inspection car, the "Buena Vista" is at the rear of the train, which is meeting a westbound freight.

Just ahead is the state-owned dome car, "Mount Mitchell," which is making its last official run in the state, as, at the end of 2003, the state had decided to sell this one-of-a-kind (within state ownership) car which had proven expensive to maintain.

The train was carrying both state and railroad (from both Norfolk Southern and the North Carolina Railroad) dignitaries, giving them a look at track improvements largely financed by the state.

At this point, both the main line (occupied by the depicted train) and the siding track behind it are new due to a track re-alignment to eliminate a sharp curve. That alignment change also included a westward extension of the existing Funston siding. The old main line location is to the right and behind the photo vantage point.

The North Carolina Railroad is owned by the state of North Carolina but operated by freight railroad Norfolk Southern. The line also sees Amtrak passenger trains. State funded track improvements were aimed primarily at speeding up passenger trains but will also help the freight train operations which provide most of the traffic on the line.

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