Mortons Gap, Kentucky, Initial Contact, Ricky Bivins, he has contacts for the community and lives right by the mainline. His number is: 270-875-7838, Ricky is a past president of the West Kentucky Chapter of the NRHS.
This location is where the Henderson Cutoff that runs around Earlington and Madisonville, Ky come back together and allows a view of all traffic on the Henderson Subdivision. Also known as Mortons Junction.
Mortons Gap Photo 1 is looking north from a height of a pole that currently has power on the east side of the tracks.Mortons Gap Photo 2 is looking south from the same location.Mortons Gap Photo 3 is looking at the top of the pole
Crofton, Kentucky, Contact, Mayor Danny Lacy, 270-985-0695, This is our suggestion for a location. The mayor here is familiar with the West Kentucky Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and is railfan friendly. He is also working towards a grant to open a railfan park with a caboose here in the city and while I didn’t get a shot of the pole from the east side of the track you can see edges of the parking lot from the views where he hopes the railpark will go. He’s been made aware that someone may call about the possibility of putting a VR camera there.
This location has a siding where many trains meet and is a nice long straight stretch in both directions. I think he’d be open to installing a pole anywhere you’d like it.
Crofton Photo 1 is looking south as a north bound train passes a train in the siding. This view is from the west side of the tracks.Crofton Photo 2 is looking south as a north bound train passes a train in the siding. This view is from the west side of the tracks. The building across the tracks is part of the fire department and to the left where you can see a parking area is where the purposed railfan park and caboose will be. The east side views are from the power pole in the middle of the parking area.Crofton Photo 3 is looking south again showing the pole with a train in the siding. This view is from the west side of the tracks.Crofton Photo 4 is looking north again showing the pole with a train in the siding. This view is from the west side of the tracks.Crofton Photo 5 is looking north as a north bound train passes a train in the siding. This view is from the east side of the tracks from the pole where the purposed railfan park and caboose will be.Crofton Photo 6 is looking south as a north bound train passes a train in the siding. This view is from the east side of the tracks from the pole where the purposed railfan park and caboose will be.
In this going away shot we see the full 8,256 feet of CSX I028 as it heads north across the Ohio River Bridge and viaduct on the CSX Henderson Subdivision from Henderson, Kentucky on April 19th, 2022. Between the viaduct and the bridge the total span above ground is just at 4.5 miles long.
The current viaduct and bridge were built by the L&N railroad and were dedicated on the last day of 1932 at a cost about $4 million. It replaced one erected in 1885, also built by the L&N, which at that time was the longest channel span of that type in the world at 2.3 miles long.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 160
