Norfolk Southern 4013 prepares to move south from the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard at Madisonville, Ky on the evening of March 2nd, 2024, as it heads to the Warrior Coal loop at Nebo, Ky to pick up another load of coal.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/5.6, 8 seconds, ISO 100.
One of the new CSX Heritage series locomotives, the Seaboard System unit 1982, leads on CSX I026 as it heads north at dusk at Madisonville, Ky, on March 2nd, 2024, on the Henderson Subdivision.
I first caught this train at Red River at Adams, TN and it was about 60 miles later here in Madisonville, Ky before I was able to get far enough ahead of it to setup for another shot.
I had hoped it would show up before the sunset, but alas, it didn’t happen. However I’m very pleased with this shot with my drone. I’ve been using DxO Pure RAW 3 for noise removal and it did a fantastic joh on this shot that was made at ISO 2630!
According to Wikipedia: The Seaboard System Railroad, Inc. (reporting mark SBD) was a US Class I railroad that operated from 1982 to 1986.
Since the late 1960s, Seaboard Coast Line Industries had operated the Seaboard Coast Line and its sister railroads, notably the Louisville & Nashville and Clinchfield, as the “Family Lines System”. In 1980, SCLI merged with the Chessie System to create the holding company CSX Corporation; two years later, CSX merged the Family Lines railroads to create the Seaboard System Railroad.
In 1986, Seaboard renamed itself CSX Transportation, which absorbed the Chessie System’s two major railroads the following year.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/240, ISO 2630.
The glow of the morning sun illuminates the behind Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive D&RGW 463 as makes its way through the Lava Curve with a freight train on the way to Osier, Colorado, during a photo charter by Dak Dillon Photography on October 19th, 2023.
According to their website: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a National Historic Landmark. At 64-miles in length, it is the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountain West.
Owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, the train crosses state borders 11 times, zigzagging along canyon walls, burrowing through two tunnels, and steaming over 137-foot Cascade Trestle. All trains steam along through deep forests of aspens and evergreens, across high plains filled with wildflowers, and through a rocky gorge of remarkable geologic formations. Deer, antelope, elk, fox, eagles and even bear are frequently spotted on this family friendly, off-the grid adventure.
According to History Colorado Website: Built in 1903 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Engine No. 463 is one of only two remaining locomotives of the K-27 series originally built for and operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad.
The K-27 series was a departure from the design most prevalent on Colorado’s narrow-gauge lines, resulting in a locomotive with one and one-half times more power. The arrival of this series marked a significant turning point in the operation of the D&RGW’s narrow gauge lines that was to remain in effect until the end of Class I narrow gauge steam locomotion in 1968. The Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad restored the engine to operating condition.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/100, ISO 320.
Pere Marquette 1225 heads out of Owosso, Michigan at dusk with the last North Pole Express excursion between Owosso and the Village of Ashley Country Christmas for the year, on December 17th, 2023.
According to their website, Pere Marquette 1225, the largest and most impressive piece in the Steam Railroading Institute’s collection, is one of the largest operating steam locomotives in Michigan. The 1225 was built in October of 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the Pere Marquette Railway. It’s part of the National Register of Historic Structures and is renowned for its role in the 2004 Warner Brothers Christmas Classic, THE POLAR EXPRESS™. 1225’s blueprints were used as the prototype for the locomotive image as well as its sounds to bring the train in the animated film to life!
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 24mm, f/2.8, 1/250, ISO 4500.
The hostler on Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway 463 works on the engine at dusk as it, along with 168 and 488 rest outside the engine house at Antonito, Colorado after a day of work. Dusk is a magical time to capture images anywhere, but this was during photoshoot hosted by Dak Dillion Photography during a two-day photo charter, between Antonito and Osier, CO.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @52mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO 900.
A westbound BNSF intermodal passes the old depot at Chillicothe, Illinois as the light of day begins to fade on the Chillicothe Subdivision on June 30th, 2023.
According to Wikipedia: Chillicothe was an Amtrak stop in Chillicothe, Illinois; a suburb of Peoria. The station was a stop on the Southwest Chief between Chicago Union Station and Los Angeles Union Station before the alignment was changed to go via Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s Mendota Subdivision in 1996.
Amtrak service at Chillicothe began on May 1, 1971, with the Chicago-Houston Texas Chief, a service previously run by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. This route was renamed the Lone Star in 1974 and discontinued in 1979.
For most of Amtrak’s first quarter-century, it was Peoria’s only link to the national rail system. The short-lived Prairie Marksman ran to East Peoria in 1980 and 1981.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/15, ISO 120.
The DPU (Distributive Power Unit) end of a Norfolk Southern loaded coal train waits on track two for a crew to take it north from Madisonville, Kentucky as the early morning sun begins to light up the sky over the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard, on October 17th, 2022.
DPU Stands for Distributed Power Unit, a locomotive set capable of remote-control operation in conjunction with locomotive units at the train’s head end. DPUs are placed in the middle or at the rear of heavy trains (such as coal, grain, soda ash and even manifest) usually to help climb steep grades.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 100, -1stop.
CSX B207, a combined Phosphate and Ethanol train, heads north over the Ohio River from Henderson, KY at dawn as it slowly makes its way north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision with its train on September 22, 2022, the first day of autumn!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/8th second, ISO 690.
Nevada Northern Railway steam locomotives 93 and 81 pose next to the coaling tower and water tank at dusk during the museums Winter Photo Charter at Ely, Nevada, on February 11th, 2022.
Locomotive #93 is a 2-8-0 that was built by the American Locomotive Company in January of 1909 at a cost of $17,610. It was the last steam locomotive to retire from original revenue service on the Nevada Northern Railway in 1961 and was restored to service in 1993.
The Nevada Northern No. 81 is a “Consolidation” type (2-8-0) steam locomotive it was built for the Nevada Northern in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA, at a cost of $23,700. It was built for Mixed service to haul both freight and passenger trains on the Nevada Northern railway.
According to Wikipedia: The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in Ely, Nevada and operated by a historic foundation dedicated to the preservation of the Nevada Northern Railway.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24mm @ 13mm, f/4, 2.5 seconds, ISO 100.
Norfolk Southern Heritage unit 8100, Nickel Plate Road, and Canadian National 5702 lead CSX Q512-24 (Radnor Yard – Nashville, TN – Avon, IN Daily) as it pulls out of the yard at Casky after picking up 10 loads of truck frames at Hopkinsville, Kentucky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on February 24th, 2022.
One of the things I like about railfanning the Henderson Subdivision is because we get all kinds of interesting and different foreign power that runs up and down the line! While most of it is CSX, we do get a mix of just about every major railroad on this line at some point in time during each week. You never know when its coming, but when it does as with this unit, railfans gather along the tracks for their own crack at capturing their own images of the move and Im no exception!
While you cant control the weather for these shots, railroads operate in all kinds of weather and so Im trackside when the train is! Hardest thing about shooting in bad weather is getting out the door in my opinion! A large golf umbrella helps a lot!!
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 210mm, f/4.5, 1/125, ISO 280.
Norfolk Southern 9790 leads a eastbound intermodal on the NS Reading Number 2 line at Belt Line Junction as it approaches the George Street overpass at Reading, Pennsylvania as the last light of day rakes across the scene on November 4th, 2021. This location is where the Pottsville Branch main starts off the Reading line and heads into the NS Reading Yard.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 70mm, f/4.5, 1/200, ISO 6400.
#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #jimpearsonphotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer
Norfolk and Western 475 heads west on the Strasburg Railroad as the glow of the rising sun illuminates the train and steam, as the cold November air produces a spectacular show of steam trailing over the train, off into the distance, on November 7th, 2021 at Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 29mm, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 160.
Norfolk and Western 475 heads west on the Strasburg Railroad at sunrise as the cold November air produces a spectacular show of steam trailing, as the train approaches the Esbenshade Road Crossing on November 7th, 2021, at Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
According to Wikipedia: Strasburg Railroad (Norfolk and Western) No. 475 is a 4-8-0 “Mastodon” type steam locomotive owned and operated by the Strasburg Railroad outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in June 1906, it was part of the Norfolk and Western’s first order of M class numbered 375-499. Today, No. 475 is the only operating 4-8-0 type in North America and the Strasburg Rail Road’s oldest operating steam locomotive.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 36mm, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 360.
As the rising sun begins to light the sky, Norfolk and Western 475 heads west on the Strasburg Railroad at dawn, through the cold autumn air as it approaches the Esbenshade Road Crossing on November 7th, 2021, at Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
According to Wikipedia: Strasburg Railroad (Norfolk and Western) No. 475 is a 4-8-0 “Mastodon” type steam locomotive owned and operated by the Strasburg Railroad outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in June 1906, it was part of the Norfolk and Westerns’ first order of M class numbered 375-499. Today, No. 475 is the only operating 4-8-0 type in North America and the Strasburg Rail Road’s oldest operating steam locomotive.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 70mm, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 280.
Norfolk and Western 475 heads west on the Strasburg Railroad at dawn as the cold November air produces a spectacular show of steam trailing, as the train approaches the Esbenshade Road Crossing on November 7th, 2021, at Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
According to Wikipedia: Strasburg Railroad (Norfolk and Western) No. 475 is a 4-8-0 “Mastodon” type steam locomotive owned and operated by the Strasburg Rail Road outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in June 1906, it was part of the Norfolk and Western’s first order of M class numbered 375-499. Today, No. 475 is the only operating 4-8-0 type in North America and the Strasburg Rail Road’s oldest operating steam locomotive.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 24mm, f/2.8, 1/250, ISO 360.
I’m really not much of an early morning person unless I’m up to meet a friend to spend a day railfanning, but scenes like this have got me thinking I may get up early more often to catch the early morning and late evening light. I know it’s there and it’s golden it’s just kinda hard to get up and out the door!!
On this day, February 19th, 2021, I was headed down to Guthrie, Ky to link up with fellow railfan Cooper Smith to spend a day railfanning the Henderson Subdivision in the snow.
I was watching this sunrise develop as I made my way south when I pulled over to a crossing just north of Trenton, Kentucky to catch this waiting on a train photo. It’s not always about the train when you’re trackside so always keep an eye out for other shots that might tell the story of railroading.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-20mm DX lens @ 20mm f/4.5, 1/800, ISO 180 -0.7 Exp. Comp (helps with the highlights).
After completing it’s interchange work with the Paducah and Louisville Railway, CN 5854 (GTW) leads the Fulton to Paducah, Ky local L513 long nose forward as it crosses over Maxon road on it’s return trip to their yard in Fulton, Kentucky, as the light of the day fades from the sky.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 50mm, f/1.4, 1/100, ISO 6400.
Over the Hump!
With darkness fast approaching MetroLink 110 heads down their overpass at the Alton Southern Railway in East St. Louis, Missouri as their train set heads to their barn from Lambert Airport.
According to Wikipedia: MetroLink (reporting mark BSDA) is the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan mass transit system serving Missouri and the Metro East area of Illinois. The system consists of two lines (Red Line and Blue Line) connecting St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Shrewsbury, Missouri with Scott Air Force Base near Shiloh, Illinois, Washington University, Forest Park, and Downtown St. Louis.
The system features 38 stations and is the only light rail system in the country to cross state lines. As of the first quarter of 2015, it is second only to Minneapolis Metro Transit’s Blue and Green lines in the Midwestern United States in terms of ridership, and is the 11th-largest light rail system in the country.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @600mm, f/6.3, 1/160, ISO 2,800.
Cross Roads
CSXT 5361 leads Q503 as it pulls away through the crossing at Romney as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision from Nortonville, Kentucky on October 16, 2020 at dusk.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/8, ISO 100.
September 26, 2020 – The last shot of the day! Today was the annual outing for the West Kentucky Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and many of us gathered at Crofton, Kentucky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision to enjoy each others company and do a bit of railfanning COVID19 style!
I’ve been wanting to try a blue hour photograph from my drone and while waiting for this K422 train to finish dropping of a grain portion of the train to RJ Corman in Guthrie I decided if I was going to photograph it I’d have to drive the 20 miles from Hopkinsville, where I was around sunset if I was going to catch it.
So, talk about stability, this is a 3 second exposure taken during the blue hour of Canadian Pacific 8930 leading K422 as it waited for a NB green at the north end of Guthrie, Kentucky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. It was shot about 20 minutes after sunset from my DJI Mavic Mini Drone.
I shot several shots, but this is the one that I liked the best. I will say that it was also probably the sharpest one of the 6 that I shot, all at the same shutter speed. The ISO was 400.
While the light was fading fast, as it does during the blue hour, there was enough where I could maintain line of sight with the drone.
All in all it was probably one of my best days trackside with the drone so far, with fellow railfans, where I caught 15 different shots that I’ll post from this days shoot over the next couple of weeks!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 3 seconds, ISO 400.
June 2, 2020 – It was the dead of night, crickets, frogs and an occasional car passing through the crossing breaking the silence at the Rosewood Crossing, as the moon illuminated the tracks headed out of the south end of the Paducah and Louisville Railway at Paducah, Kentucky toward Mayfield. Moonlight provides a mystical light in my opinion.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mn, f/5, 30 seconds, +2 stops, ISO 640 on a Gitzo Tripod, camera timer, 3 second delay, Mirror Locked up.