After exchanging the baggage and mail, a few passengers board for the short trip to Asheville. Then, with the conductor’s ok, the train pulls out for its final destination, passing a switcher and freight cars on sidings where the Asheville local crew has spotted them after working the industries in Swannanoa.
Some crew members still refer to the local as the “Ridgecrest Turn,” from the days when there was enough work to take the local to Ridgecrest every day.
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