Category: Kentucky Railroads

Looking for CSXT 323!!!

August 15, 2017 – This morning about 10am CSXT 323 leading, with the L&N Herald on it, passed my house in Richland, Ky headed south toward Calvert City Loadout. I didn’t have time to give chase so I figured I give it enough time to get there and start its way around the loop.

So I headed down about 1pm, following the Paducah and Louisville line which the train takes to Calvert City, Ky. I checked Princeton Yard to make sure it wasn’t there and it wasn’t so I headed on down to the loadout.

When I arrived I was pleasantly surprised to find this empty BNSF train getting ready to depart toward Paducah, Ky. There was another train in the loop and so I figured the CSX train had already started around and decided to head down to the Paducah and Louisville Yard and get some shots of the BNSF train there, as it would take awhile for CSXT 323 get get back around the loop where I wanted to shoot it.

Well, I got the shots at Paducah I wanted, plus a few others that I’ll share over the next few days, and headed back to Calvert City, as I figured I had given the train there enough time for the engine to move around the loop where I could photograph it.

Well, I arrived back and a train was right where I figured it would be, but it wasn’t CSX, but a loaded P&L coal train from Warrior Coal in Madisonville! So, now I’m still trying to figure out where they put the CSX train as I checked all the accessible sidings between Princeton and Calvert City. So, I’m guessing they put it into the siding at Dawson Springs, Ky as I didn’t stop there and check of course. You can’t see the head end of a train in the siding there anyway as it’s about 1/2 mile from any crossing and around a curve.

Some days just don’t go as planned! LOL Still got a few nice shots and stopped for some great BBQ on the way home! Maybe I’ll get lucky and catch it tomorrow on its way back north!

PAL 2129 on Local at East Diamond lead, Madisonville, Ky

August 2, 2017 – A Paducah and Louisville Railway local sits on the East Diamond lead, with 2129 leading, as they wait for CSX Q102 to make its way north on the Earlington Cutoff as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision.

CSX W219 at Atkinson Yard, Madisonville, Ky

August 8, 2017 – CSX loaded coke train, W219, pases the south end of the power siding at Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, Ky where they stopped at the yard office to pick up a relief Paducah and Louisville crew who took the train on south to Calvert City Loadout on the Paducah and Louisville line.

PAL Salute the Troops 2127 at West Yard, Madisonville, Ky

August 8, 2017 – Paducah and Louisville 2127, “Support the Troops,” engine, leads the afternoon local as it makes its way through the yard while 2101 waits on the first track in the yard. You can’t tell from the shot but a CSX loaded coke train was creeping down the main waiting for the local to clear so it could continue its run to Calvert City load out. A busy afternoon at West Yard in Madisonville, Ky.

CSX Q0647 crosses Trident with N013 waiting, Madisonville, Ky

August 4, 2017 – CSX Q647 (Chicago, IL (BRC)-Waycross, GA) heads south across Trident on the Henderson Subdivision, as empty coal train N013, (Warrior Coal-Palatka, FL) waits to cross over onto the Morganfield Branch at Madisonville, Ky on its way to Warrior Coal.

Railfanning the Paducah and Louisville Railway

March 27, 2017 – Paducah and Louisville Railway’s “Salute the Troops” engine 2121 with 3807 trailing sits tied down at West Yards in Madisonville, Ky. It’s been working a ballast train that’s part of a MOW crew which has been working the area for a couple weeks now.

I’ve added a new page under my Railfanning section on Railfanning the Paducah and Louisville Railroad.

This is by no means a complete list of places to shoot along the Paducah and Louisville Railway (PAL). I’ll update this list as time goes by. If you have a favorite spot send me a google map link and I’ll add it to the list. I know there’s a bunch around Louisville and Paducah I haven’t found yet.

NS runs trains via Louisville on the PAL to Madisonville to pick up coal, usually at Warrior in Nebo, Ky. CSX, UP and NS run coal/coke trains between Madisonville and Calvert City, Ky to the coal loadout there. BNSF and UP I’ve found running to Calvert City also from Paducah.

For the most part the Paducah and Louisville Railway follows Highway 62 most of the way between Paducah and Louisville, Ky. It does leave it from time to time, but it always comes back to 62. If you keep in mind which side of the highway the tracks are on you can take side roads to check out the crossings. There’s many of them I haven’t listed here. These are my favorites from a picture standpoint. (Click here for More)

CSX R530 SB with UP power, Nortonville. Ky

July 25, 2017 – CSX R530, running with Union Pacific Power, snakes its way through the curve approaching the north end of Romney where it will take the siding to wait for hot intermodal Q028 to pass, at Nortonville, Ky as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision.

NS 8160 with KCS trailing with loaded coal at West Yard, Madisonville, Ky

July 19, 2017 – Norfolk Southern 8160 leads northbound train through Paducah and Louisville’s West Yard at Madisonville, Ky with a freshly loaded coal train from Warrior Coal and a Kansas City Southern unit trailing.