Railroads opened up the mountains of western North Carolina to the rest of the world, and the mountains are just as steep today as they were 100 years ago. On a cloudy Halloween day, a Norfolk Southern train begins its climb up the Blue Ridge Mountains on its way to Asheville and points west.

Railroads opened up the mountains of western North Carolina to the rest of the world, and the mountains are just as steep today as they were 100 years ago. On a cloudy Halloween day, a Norfolk Southern train begins its climb up the Blue Ridge Mountains on its way to Asheville and points west.