Coal Trains – Jim Pearson Photography

CSXT 911, Honoring our First Responders locomotive, leads empty coal train E305

CSXT 911, Honoring our First Responders locomotive, leads empty coal train E305 as they pass through Mortons Junction at Mortons Gap, Kentucky on their way north on June 5th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.

CSXT 911 is painted in vibrant red with white and gold striped accents along with the logo of program partners First Responders Children’s Foundation and Operation Gratitude. It also features generic police, fire and emergency medical services logos.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 160.

CSXT 3194, Honoring our Law Enforcement Locomotive, is dwarfed by the coal pile…

CSXT 3194, Honoring our Law Enforcement Locomotive, is dwarfed by the coal pile at Calvert City Terminal, as it leads a loaded coal train into the loop, next to the Tennessee River, at Calvert City, Kentucky, on May 8th, 2023.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 130.

CSXT 911, Honoring our First Responders locomotive, leads empty coal train E305 at Breton, Ky

CSXT 911, Honoring our First Responders locomotive, leads empty coal train E305 as they pass through the curve at Breton, Kentucky on their way north on June 5th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.

There used to be a siding at this location, but it was decommissioned a few months ago as it was too short to be of use these days. As you can tell, crews have started pulling up the rail.

CSXT 911 is painted in vibrant red with white and gold striped accents along with the logo of program partners First Responders Children’s Foundation and Operation Gratitude. It also features generic police, fire and emergency medical services logos.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 100.

Evansville Western Railway 4510 leads an empty coal train through a cut…

Evansville Western Railway 4510 leads an empty coal train through a cut on the east leg of the Paducah and Louisville Railways wye at Madisonville, Kentucky as they make their way to the Warrior Coal Mine lead to pickup another load of coal from the Warrior Loop, outside of Nebo, Kentucky on February 13th, 2023.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, Irex 11mm, f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 200.

Paducah and Louisville Railway 4518 and 4142 lead loaded Louisville Gas & Electric coal train…

Paducah and Louisville Railway 4518 and 4142 lead loaded Louisville Gas & Electric coal train across Interstate 69 as it heads north from Madisonville, Ky on May 9th, 2025.

According to Wikipedia: The Paducah & Louisville Railway (reporting mark PAL) is a Class II railroad that operates freight service between Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky. The line is located entirely within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The 270-mile (430 km) line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August of 1986.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 110.

CSXT 956 leads an empty coal train westbound across the Coal River at St. Albans, West Virginia

CSXT 956 leads an empty coal train westbound across the Coal River at St. Albans, West Virginia on the CSX Kanawah Subdivision on May 5th, 2025.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/6.3, 1/4000, ISO 420.

BNSF 3783 leads loaded ethanol train B797 as they pass the signals at the south end of Nortonville, Kentucky

BNSF 3783 leads loaded ethanol train B797 as they pass the signals at the south end of Nortonville, Kentucky on March 28th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision as it heads south.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.

CSX loaded coal train C015 heads south over the flooded Ohio River at Henderson, Kentucky

CSX loaded coal train C015 heads south over the flooded Ohio River at Henderson, Kentucky on April 8th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.

This area of Kentucky and southern Indiana got record breaking rainfall throughout the region over a three-day period which resulted in major flooding on both sides of the Ohio River. In the distance you can see the farmlands which have been totally covered by the flooding and the ballast deck out of Evansville was close to being covered, but fortunately it didn’t happen.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 110.

This week’s Saturday Infrared photo is of CSX loaded coal train C015 as it heads south out of Sebree, Kentucky

This week’s Saturday Infrared photo is of CSX loaded coal train C015 as it heads south out of Sebree, Kentucky on April 8th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.

This train runs from Evansville, IN via the Evansville Western Railway from and loads at White Oak mine, to Seminole Electric – Palakta (Bostwick), FL and runs on a as needed basis.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 150-600 @ 320mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 400.

CSXT 992 pulls through Mortons Junction as it leads CSX E302 at Mortons Gap, Ky

CSXT 992 pulls through Mortons Junction as it leads CSX E302, empty coal train, northbound bound at Mortons Gap, Kentucky, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on March 31st, 2025, with a hint of spring in the trees.

Tech Info: Nikon Z6ii, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 550mm, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 800.

CSXT 3352 and 4751 lead empty coal train E003 pulls onto the cutoff at Mortons Junction…

CSXT 3352 and 4751 lead empty coal train E003 pulls onto the cutoff at Mortons Junction as they head north on February 28th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. The first string of cars on this move was CSX MOW equipment and everything was headed for CSX Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, Ky.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 180.

Paducah and Louisville Railway locomotive 4503 heads up a loaded Louisville, Gas and Electric coal train

Paducah and Louisville Railway locomotive 4503 heads up a loaded Louisville, Gas and Electric coal train as they make their way out of the Warrior Coal loop after picking up a load of coal on January 30th, 2025, at Nebo, Kentucky.

Tech Info: Nikon Z30, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 320mm, f/5.6, 1/2500, ISO 2800.

Paducah and Louisville Railway University of Louisville locomotive 2013 heads north near Bremen, Ky

Paducah and Louisville Railway University of Louisville locomotive 2013 approaches the US 70 overpass, near Bremen, Kentucky as it heads north with a load of coal for the Louisville, Gas and Electric power plant, outside of Louisville, Kentucky on January 19th, 2023.

Tech Info: iPhone 14 Pro, 6.9 (24mm) Lens at 4x Zoom, f/1.8, 1/90, ISO 20, in 4K video Mode.

An empty BNSF 4 Rivers empty coal train heads north on April 21st, 2023

An empty BNSF 4 Rivers empty coal train heads north on April 21st, 2023, on the UP Marion/BNSF Beardstown Subdivision at Goreville, Illinois approaching the Side Street overpass.

Tech Info: Fuji XT1 converted to 720nm, Nikon 10-24 @ 16mm, f/4, 1/250, ISO 400.

Savatrans SVTX 1981 and Evansville Western 4519 head up an empty coal train at Franklin, IN

Savatrans SVTX 1981 and Evansville Western 4519 head up an empty coal train as it snakes through the countryside at the Sitran Dock at West Franklin, Indiana as the train waits for a relief crew to show up to take it to the Sugar Camp Mine in Akin IL for another load on February 4th, 2023.

The Chris Cline Group are owners of the company “Savatrans” which purchased three ES44AC locomotives that operate from Sugar Camp Mine in Akin, IL to West Franklin, IN near the Mount Vernon/West Franklin area.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 200.

Paducah and Louisville Railway locomotive 4503 heads up a loaded Louisville, Gas and Electric coal train

Paducah and Louisville Railway locomotive 4503 heads up a loaded Louisville, Gas and Electric coal train as they make their way out of the Warrior Coal loop after picking up a load of coal on January 30th, 2025, at Nebo, Kentucky.

Tech Info: Nikon Z30, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 560mm, f/6.3, 1/2500, ISO 4500.

March 4, 2015 – A Paducah and Louisville Railroad crew moves a empty coal train north…

March 4, 2015 – A Paducah and Louisville Railroad crew moves a empty coal train north through the driving snow at Richland, Ky with Ferromex 4664 trailing behind Union Pacific 7190. This was the start of the 16-19 inches of snow that fell on the area overnight back in 2015.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 24-70 @ 50mm, f/3.5, 1/1000, ISO 3,200.

The conductor on G376 does a roll-by inspection on a southbound loaded coal train C305 at Kelly, Ky

The conductor on G376 does a roll-by inspection on a southbound loaded coal train C305 as they meet at the north end of the siding in Kelly, Kentucky on July 31st, 2024, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.

In addition to their empty grain loads they stopped and picked up a long string of truck frames at Hopkinsville for Toyota up in Indiana. Normally they are picked up by M512 but ended up on this empty grain train today.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

CSX I026 with CSX Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Heritage Unit (SCL) 1967 NB at Hopkinsville, Ky

CSX I026 with CSX Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Heritage Unit (SCL), 1967, trailing second heads north at Hopkinsville, Kentucky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on August 6th, 2024.

According to a CSX Press Release: May 23, 2024 – CSX Transportation has launched its newest heritage locomotive, paying tribute to the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). This latest addition is part of CSX’s ongoing initiative to honor its historical roots while paving the way for the future of railroading in America.

The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) was a prominent rail line that operated in the southeastern United States from 1967 until 1983. SCL emerged from the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. In 1986, SCL became part of CSX through a series of mergers and acquisitions that formed one of the largest Class I railroads in North America.

“When SCL was an active railroad, it was the eighth largest railroad with almost 10,000 miles across the southern United States,” explained CSX Carman Painter Jason Merritt, one of the team members who worked on the project. “In fact, the ‘S’ in CSX actually stands for Seaboard.”

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 170.

CSXT 5313 leads CSX loaded coal train C040 as it passes the old L&N Railway depot at Henderson, Kentucky

CSXT 5313 leads CSX loaded coal train C040 as it passes the old L&N Railway depot at Henderson, Kentucky on their way south on the Henderson Subdivision on March August 6th, 2024.

Railmark Holdings, Inc purchased the depot and is currently continuing restoration on the station. I’ve still not been able to find out what their plans for the depot include yet.

According to their website: Railmark, its brands, and subsidiaries are leaders in the railroad industry in North America and around the world. An accomplished provider of railroad transportation, rail services, and rail systems development, Railmark provides a complete and fully integrated program for rail network improvement and rail management services to railroads, governments, municipalities, and industrial clients.

Railmark also owns and operates railroads in North America and sponsors philanthropic initiatives through its Railmark Foundation Limited. Together the Railmark group of rail service companies work around the world each day to make rail transportation better by improving economies and the quality of human life.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/4000, ISO 210.

Norfolk Southern 890 passes the old mine loadout at Revelo outside Sterns, Kentucky

Norfolk Southern 890 passes the old mine loadout at Revelo outside Sterns, Kentucky as they head southbound with a load of coal on the NS CNO&TP (Rathole) Subdivision, on April 30th, 2024. The coal was picked up at Warrior Coal mine on the Paducah and Louisville Railway, outside of Nebo, Kentucky and is headed for the TVA power plant at Kingston, Ky under stormy skies.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100.