The Eastern United States offers some of the best scenery in the
country, and some of the most demanding for the railways. They must
traverse treacherous mountain grades, making each trip a challenge to
the crew and the equipment. Since the early days of rail transportation,
the railways have used the latest steam and diesel locomotives to move
freight and passengers over this topography. The trains of today haul an
incredible amount of tonnage across this terrain and the modern motive
power in use is up to the task. Contemporary engines built by EMD and GE
with up to 4,000 hp per unit are used to haul unit coal, intermodal and
general freight across these routes. Focusing primarily on the Norfolk
Southern Railway, photographer Christopher Esposito looks at these great
modern machines as they navigate through some of the most iconic
locations on the railways of the Eastern United States.