BNSF 9073 leads B207, a loaded phosphate train headed for Cicero, IL (BNSF) from Mulberry, FL, as it heads north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision through Mortons Gap, Kentucky on November 17th, 2022.
Tech Info: iPhone 14 Pro, 6.9 (24mm) Lens, f/1.8, 1/222, ISO 64.
BNSF 9073 leads B207, a loaded phosphate train headed for Cicero, IL (BNSF) from Mulberry, FL, as it heads north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision through Mortons Gap, Kentucky on November 17th, 2022.
Tech Info: iPhone 14 Pro, 6.9 (24mm) Lens, f/1.8, 1/222, ISO 64.
Still in green and black paint, BNSF 2749 heads up a string of power as it sits at BNSF Argentine Yard at Kansas City, Kansas, on June 30th, 2022 while waiting for its next assignment.
According to Wikipedia: The Argentine Yard is a BNSF Railway marshalling yard in Kansas City, Kansas. With 60 tracks and an area of about 2miles, it is the largest marshalling yard in the BNSF network. It lies between the Kansas River to the north and the eponymous Argentine borough of Kansas City, Kansas, to the south, about six miles west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
Argentine Yard is one of several major rail yards in the Kansas City metropolitan area operated by the Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and Kansas City Southern, in addition to BNSF. The Kansas City metropolitan area is the largest railroad hub in the United States in terms of freight volume; more than 300 freight trains reach or leave the metropolitan region every day (2016).
The tracks through the junction have been reduced or changed around over the years, but the area remains one of KC’s Busiest locations.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 110.
BNSF 7298 heads up 5 units with a manifest train as they pass over the diamonds at Santa Fe Junction on June 30th, 2022.
Santa Fe Junction sees on average over 100 trains a day and it hosts the double decked railroad (ATSF Double Deck Railroad) bridge that crosses the Kansas River into Missouri, a triple crossing. The junction is partly in Missouri and Kansas and sees BNSF, UP, KCT, Amtrak, KCS, NS and CP traffic, from what I saw during my visit.
The tracks through the junction have been reduced or changed around over the years, but the area remains one of KCs Busiest locations.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 120.
An eastbound BNSF Intermodal heads toward downtown Kansas City, Missouri on the Kansas Highline at Santa Fe Junction on June 29th, 2022 as the sun begins to cast long shadows and rich golden light from the sunset.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
What could be better than the light at dusk and five beautiful BNSF units leading a northbound loaded potash and empty ethanol combined train? Well, actually I can think of a lot of things, but still a nice picture!
I first caught this CSX B207 as it headed across the CR Drawbridge in downtown Nashville, Tennessee as it began its trip north on July 12th, 2022. That was about 4pm in the afternoon and I had no idea Id catch up with it as it was about 5:30 before I left town, and traffic was pretty congested all the way to Clarksville, TN! But here I was, ahead of it at Mortons Gap, KY almost 4 hours later, on the Henderson Subdivision, getting this nice light shot at 7pm! There was also two CSX units on it as mid train DPUs.
The power was: BNSF 3687, 8028, 4397, 6714, 5992 leading with CSXT 3430 and 3387 as mid train DPUs. Actually, they were also heading up the empty ethanol train.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24 @ 10mm, f/4, 1/320, ISO 1100.
Union Pacific 8897 brings up rear as DPU on a grain train as it heads across Santa Fe Junction on the Kansas City Terminal Railroad (KCT) High Line, while BNSF 7767 and 3947 lead a westbound train past Tower #3 on June 30th, 2022.
Santa Fe Junction sees on average over 100 trains a day and it hosts the double decked railroad (ATSF Double Deck Railroad) bridge that crosses the Kansas River into Missouri, a triple crossing in addition to Tower 3, which is used by maintenance of way these days. The junction is partly in Missouri and Kansas and sees BNSF, UP, KCT, Amtrak, KCS, NS and CP traffic, from what I saw during my visit.
The Kansas City Terminal Railway Company (KCT) is a Class III railroad located in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. KCT serves as a terminal railroad for its five Class I railroad owners (Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific). Amtrak also operates over the KCT providing passenger service to and from Union Station. Currently the second largest rail hub in the United States, KCT owns and dispatches 95 miles of track spanning Missouri and Kansas.
According to the website railfanguides.us Santa Fe Junction Interlocking is easily the busiest location for trains in Kansas City and trains from any of the five railroads which jointly own KCT can be seen here. Tower #3 was closed in 1969 when a central dispatching center replaced it and all the other towers KCT had at the time.
The black bridge is KCTs double deck, double track crossing of the Kansas River. The odd-looking silver towers on the bridge are lift mechanisms to raise the bridge in the event of flooding and are not connected most of the time. The upper deck line was primarily used by passenger trains from UP and Rock Island, moving to and from Kansas through the KC Union Station. Today primarily freight trains use this bridge.
The tracks through the junction have been reduced or changed around over the years, but the area remains one of KCs Busiest locations.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.
BNSF 2557 and 2604 work the BNSF yard on the BNSF Marshall Subdivision at Sioux City, Iowa on the morning of June 3rd, 2022, a line of shadows leads back to the city in the distance.
According to the Sioux City History Website: When Sioux City first began to grow, most people arrived by either steamboat or stagecoach. In the eastern United States, railroads were being built to connect all major cities. The first railroad to develop in Iowa was in 1865, along the Mississippi. However, plans were soon developed to expand the system to all major Iowa cities.
Sioux City developers knew that if the town wanted to become a major city, it would need to be one of the first to have railroad access. Not only did railroads move people, but they also moved materials and manufactured goods.
In the fall of 1866, a large crowd of local businessmen, bankers, and speculators met with a gentleman named W.W. Walker. He was a representative of John Blair, a wealthy eastern railroad developer. Mr. Blair was planning on building the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad. This railroad would connect the city with the main line which ran through Missouri Valley. This would give the city connections all the way to Chicago and back east. All the city and county had to do was provide free land for the tracks and for the depot. The county agreed to donate the land in February of 1867. The deal was struck.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1500, ISO 120.
BNSF 5649 sits on the inside loop at Calvert City Terminal, (CCT) as the sun rises over the train while another day of railroading begins on April 27th, 2022, on the Paducah and Louisville Railway (PAL). CCT is located at Calvert City, Kentucky off the Paducah and Louisville Railway line and receives coal daily from either BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX and of course PAL as well.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 170mm, f/5, 1/2500, ISO 320, -2 stops.
BNSF 25th Anniversary unit 6078 and 9282 bring up the rear of a loaded coal train as DPUs as they head into the loop at four Rivers Terminal at West Paducah, Kentucky on December 29th, 2021.
Four Rivers Marine Terminal (FRT) is owned by SCH Services, LLC, and located at West Paducah, KY at Ohio River mile marker 943. Four Rivers has an annual throughput capacity of 10 MM tons. Illinois Basin and Powder River Basin coals are transferred from railcar to barge here.
According to SCH Services Website: It is primarily designed as a direct train-to-barge transfer terminal, FRT offers its customers an unparalleled combination of access to major waterways and multiple Class I railroads. Our connection to the Paducah and Illinois Railroad gives FRT direct access to the BNSF, CN, and PAL railroads. Considering only the modern Olmsted Lock and Dam separates the terminal from the Mississippi River, FRT presents a unique option for rail-bound shipments destined for both southeastern customers and export through New Orleans. Four Rivers Terminal boasts a double, 150-car rail loop, coupled with a material handling system capable of transloading 4,000 tons of dry bulk material per hour.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 130.
BNSF 8090 leads a mixed freight south as it rounds the curve approaching CP South Oaks on CNs Bluford subdivision at Fulton, Kentucky on January 15th, 2022, on a wet, dreary winter afternoon.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 with a 1.4 teleconverter @ 700mm, f/8.5, 1/1600, ISO 500.
BNSF 25th Anniversary Unit 6078 brings up the rear as the last DPU on a loaded coal train at Chiles Junction in West Paducah, Kentucky as they make their way north on the CN Beardstown Subdivision to the 4 Rivers Coal loop on the Ohio River at West Paducah on December 29th, 2021.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/80, ISO 130.
December 10, 2021 – CSX W810, with BNSF 6277 sits at Arklow, just north of Madisonville, Kentucky as it waits for the arrival of the southbound hot intermodal I025 on the Henderson Subdivision. K810 was running with BNSF 6277,3954,6356 leading and CSXT 3155, NS 8084, NS 1005 as DPUs.
The storm clouds in the background were the first signs of the major tornado and storm out break that created a path of destruction across 6 states and derailed CSX Q500 later in the night.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/250, ISO 200.
BNSF 5743 and 8363 head up a 7,600ft military train on August 11th, 2021, as it passes through the WF Ware grain operation in downtown Trenton, Kentucky, with CSX W844-03, a third military move heading north to Hopkinsville, KY. At Hopkinsville they backed the train onto the Ft. Campbell wye and Ft. Campbell rail took it on the rest of the way to the base.
For me this photo was as much about the visual look of the grain operation as it was about the military train and that’s the reason, I went up a bit higher for this shot than what I normally do. I wanted to show the military cargo trailing off into the distance and could have done so down lower next to the tracks, but I really liked the higher angle, even though you can’t see the cargo trailing off into nothing. What do you think?
Tech Info: Wide Photo: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
BNSF 5103 and 4653 lead CSX W844-05 military train (Memphis, TN-Hopkinsville, KY) as they shove their loads onto the Ft Campbell wye at Hopkinsville, KY, from the Henderson Subdivision, for the final part of their journey on August 7th, 2021.
The crews from Ft. Campbell had already come out to the wye earlier in the day and picked up another loaded train that was dropped off overnight and my guess is that this train probably won’t set on the wye very long either.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
BNSF 8775 and 5913 lead a loaded coal train through the loop at 4 Rivers Terminal at West Paducah, Kentucky as the terminal’s unit GMTX 2144 sits in a house track during the operation on July 23rd, 2021.
Four Rivers Marine Terminal (FRT) is owned by SCH Services, LLC, and located at West Paducah, KY at Ohio River mile marker 943. Four Rivers has an annual throughput capacity of 10 MM tons. Illinois Basin and Powder River Basin coals are transferred from railcar to barge here.
According to SCH Services Website: It is primarily designed as a direct train-to-barge transfer terminal, FRT offers its customers an unparalleled combination of access to major waterways and multiple Class I railroads. Our connection to the Paducah and Illinois Railroad gives FRT direct access to the BNSF, CN, and PAL railroads. Considering only the modern Olmsted Lock and Dam separates the terminal from the Mississippi River, FRT presents a unique option for rail-bound shipments destined for both southeastern customers and export through New Orleans. Four Rivers Terminal boasts a double, 150-car rail loop, coupled with a material handling system capable of transloading 4,000 tons of dry bulk material per hour.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.
Newly refurbished Eastern Maine Railway (EMRY) 6403, Owned by the New Brunswick Southern Railway (NBSR), trails as the third unit on the northbound Paducah to Centralia, IL BNSF local as it pulls north at Chiles Junction in West Paducah, Kentucky with BNSF 7901 and 6147 leading the way on July 23, 2021.
Locomotive 6403 is the second of six units that are being refurbished by Progress Rail at Mayfield, KY, for NBSR out of Saint John, NB, Canada. The other units are 6402-6406 and they are all SD70M-2 units and were former NS locomotives.
According to Wikipedia: The Eastern Maine Railway Company Limited (reporting mark EMRY) is a 99.5 mi U.S. short line railroad owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company, a holding company that is part of “Irving Transportation Services”, a division within the industrial conglomerate J.D. Irving Limited.
EMRY was established as a corporate entity on November 10, 1994, by J.D. Irving Ltd. to purchase the 99.5 mile right of way and physical railway assets of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Mattawamkeag Subdivision rail line within the state of Maine, running from its eastern terminus at the CanadaUnited States border, this being the midpoint of the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge at Vanceboro, west to Brownville Junction.
Both EMRY and NBSR began operations on January 6, 1995, approximately 1 week after Canadian Pacific Railway abandoned operations of its Canadian Atlantic Railway (CAR) subsidiary on December 31, 1994. In addition to owning the former CPR tracks in Maine, EMRY was an operating entity for the first several months of existence and had running rights over its sister company NBSR’s tracks from the International Boundary east to the yard at McAdam, New Brunswick. In spring 1995 Irving Transportation Services consolidated its railway operations as Eastern Maine Railway Company Limited came under NBSR operational control.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.
The last light of the day begins to fade on CNs Bluford Subdivision as BNSF 1706 (SD40-2 in BN Paint) and HLCX 3889 lead BNSF local, LCHI6571 (Centralia, IL to Paducah, KY) as it takes the switch onto CN;s P&I Branch on its way to the Paducah and Louisville Railway to perform interchange work at Paducah, KY.
It felt like this train would never arrive as I sat here at the junction for 4 hours this afternoon and in that time frame this is the only train that passed through here! It is the train that was to pick up the NB Southern unit for it’s return trip to Centralia, IL and I was planning to give chase on its way back north. It departed Centralia at 1:45pm, which was 121miles from Paducah, and only had to work two places so I figured it would be at Chiles by around 5, but it finally showed up at 7:38!
I was really bummed that it got in so late, but I also didn’t know that was going to tie down for the night here at Paducah, so it all worked out fine, just meant a second trip to get the move back north, from which you can see some of the images on my Facebook page or website.
Sometimes railfanning is like this! Patience and persistence are the keys!
Tech Info for each image is in that images caption: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/90, ISO 110.
Newly refurbished New Brunswick Southern Railway (NBSR) 6401 trails as the third unit on the northbound Paducah to Centralia, IL BNSF local as it heads up the grade through what’s referred to as “The Horn” because of its shape where they depart the Paducah and Louisville Railway (PAL) yard at Paducah, Ky on June 30th, 2021, with PRLX switcher 1308 trailing behind it and BNSF 1706 and HCLX 3889 leading.
Due to the length and weight of their train today they stalled on the grade leading up to the flyover at the PAL and had to do a reverse move and get another run at it from CNs P&I Junction, before getting up the grade to the flyover. That’s the photo I posted yesterday and is here on my page if you missed it.
Locomotive 6401 is the first of six units that are being refurbished by Progress Rail for NBSR out of Saint John, NB, Canada. The other units are 6402-6406 and they are all SD70M-2 units from what I understand. The other two units in the consist were BN 1706 leading (more photos to come on this unit) and HLCX 3889.
According to Wikipedia: The New Brunswick Southern Railway Company Limited (reporting mark NBSR) is a 131.7 mi (212.0 km) Canadian short line railway owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company Limited, a holding company that is part of “Irving Transportation Services”, a division within the industrial conglomerate J.D. Irving Limited.
Tech Info for each image is in that images caption: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 100.