The Monster Train is now draped over the summit of Holmes Gap and although the train has slowed for a "Medium Approach" signal at Middle Holmes Gap, the Helper has been cut off and the engines are still working hard to get its train over the summit. Still, there's a lot of train on the north side of the Gap that would like to go north. At Middle Holmes Gap, double crossovers provide the options of both southbound and northbound trains to switch from #1 Track to #2 Track and vice-versa. N-13 will meet a northbound Intermodal train here, as N-13 continues south, on track #2 toward South Holmes Gap, in Cullman, AL. As the Mile post indicates, lower left, "Middle Gap" is located at MP 136.

During the development of this iteration of Distributed Power, CSX conducted tests on the old infamous B&O West END for a number of years - the birthplace of today's "AH" designation. AH technology was put through rigorous tests on the fabled Seventeen Mile Grade, from Piedmont, WV west, to Altamont, MD, and the knuckle busting Cranberry Grade from Amblersburg, WV, east, to Terra Alta, WV. The grades on these hills are much steeper than most railroads endure today. I have read that it was these two grades, and other grades built prior to the mid-eighteen forties, that capped most main line grades to no more than 2.1%.