CSXT 3118 leads B621, a loaded ethanol train, as they wait in the siding at Crofton, Kentucky, as they wait for northbound intermodal I128 to pass them, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on April 23, 2025.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 140.
In this week’s video we catch trains from the ground and the air between Robards and Hopkinsville, Ky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, including CSXT GMS-2 inspecting track between Hopkinsville and Nortonville, Ky. Sit back, turn up the sound, expand to full screen and enjoy the trains!! Please like, share, subscribe and thanks for watching!
CSX B231, led by a mashup of Canadian National and Norfolk Southern power, heads north at the location known as Arklow at Madisonville, Kentucky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on April 17th, 2025. This is where the cutoff track that runs from Mortons Gap to Madisonville, Ky by-passes the downtown areas.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 410.
CSX M513 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, 1/2000, ISO 100.
CSX I025 heads south at Mortons Gap, Ky with CSXT 3194 Law Enforcement Unit leading the way, on July 22nd, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
From a CSXT Press Release: CSXT 3194 is being renamed to honor our nation’s police officers who dedicate their lives to serve and protect communities across our network.
“CSX is proud of the employee craftsmanship involved in transforming this locomotive into a special commemorative engine,” says Ed Harris, executive vice president of operations. “This is a moving tribute to the men and women who serve us every day and aligns with CSX’s goal to connect military service members, first responders, and their families to the resources and support they need.”
The Spirit of our Law Enforcement joins our collection of Pride in Service locomotives launched this spring – the Spirit of our Armed Forces and the Spirit of our First Responders. When not actively moving customers – freight, the locomotives are made available for special events along the CSX system – extending our culture of service and commitment from our customers to the communities where we operate.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 250.
CSXT GMS-2, running as W002-22, passes the old Louisville and Nashville Railroad depot in downtown Hopkinsville, Kentucky, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on July 22nd, 2025.
From what I found on the Web: G-Gauge M-Measurement S-System is one of 2 such vehicles on CSX. It puts artificial stress in different directions on the rail to simulate a passing train and measures the amount of deflection caused by said stress to determine if tie, spikes and anchor systems are functioning as needed.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 250.
CSX I025 heads south at Breton, Kentucky as CSX Monon Heritage Unit 1897 leads it under dark threatening skies on April 2nd, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. The eleven autoracks behind the engine are loaded with Tesla’s bound for Florida and overseas market from what I’m told.
Capturing this engine means I’ve caught all of CSX’s Heritage units except for the Georgia Heritage Unit, and that one is only a matter of time!
According to a CSX Press Release: January 26, 2024 – In a tribute to its rich railroad history, CSX has unveiled its Monon 1897 heritage locomotive, marking the ninth release its ongoing heritage series honoring the company’s predecessor railroads.
“The Monon Railroad ran from Chicago down to Louisville but most of it was in Indiana,” explained CSX Carman Jason Merritt, who assisted with the heritage project. “Eventually it merged with the Louisville and Nashville Lines and was later absorbed by CSX.”
The new heritage locomotive emerges fresh from the Class I railroad’s paint shop in Waycross, Ga., showcasing a blend of modern and historic aesthetics. The design features the modern CSX design on the head end, transitioning seamlessly into the historic paint scheme and logo of the Monon line. This style reflects the approach taken with previous installations in the CSX heritage series, which often feature the current CSX paint scheme on the nose and the predecessor’s scheme on the body.
“A lot of hard work and planning goes into each project,” said Merritt. “We want to get these right, so we take pride in what we do, from the wash rack to moving them out the door.”
The new Monon heritage locomotive is a testament to the enduring legacy of America’s railroads. It stands as a symbol of the past while simultaneously pointing towards the future, embodying the spirit of evolution and innovation that drives CSX.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 130.
CSX M512 heads north at Kelly, Kentucky on April 30th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision as they approach the Grapevine Road Crossing on the cutoff at Madisonville, Ky.
The train was hauling three wrecked locomotives, CSXT 3469, 3299 and 245, on flats behind the head end power. From what I understand the units were from the signal suspension head on wreck in Folkston, GA last year. CSXT 245 was on the rock train and the other two were on I032.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/4000, ISO 190.
CSX S983, led by Union Pacific 4016, waits for southbound signal, just short of John Rivers Road crossing at Casky Yard in Hopkinsville, Ky, as it leads 5 new Brightline Cars bound for Florida on May 27th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.
CSXT 5473 leads CSX M513 as it heads south out of Casky Yard at Hopkinsville, Ky, on May 9th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
This train had Indiana Railroad 9012 and 9007 dead in tow as the trailing units. I’m told both engines were on their way to Memphis, Tennessee where they will be scrapped. Both units are SD90MACs.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 140.
LORAM Railgrinder 403 passes through the cut at Charleston, Kentucky, as it works their way south on the Paducah and Louisville Railway, on June 5th, 2025.
According to Wikipedia: A rail grinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/60, ISO 100.
RJ Corman 3804 leads as they make up their train for their run to Clarksville, Tennessee on the Memphis Line at Guthrie, Ky, on July 7th, 2025, in the early morning light.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 150-600 @ 420mm, f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 2200.
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.
CSX S983, led by Union Pacific 4016, waits for southbound M513 to clear just short of John Rivers Road crossing at Casky Yard in Hopkinsville, Ky, as it leads 5 new Brightline Cars bound for Florida on May 27th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.
CSXT 3252 lead hot intermodal I025 south at Anaconda, just south of Robards, Kentucky as they pass the newly constructed Solar energy fields, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on July 11th, 2025.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 130.
In this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we catch Paducah and Louisville Railway 2111 as it leads local WW1 north at Richland, Kentucky, on July 10th, 2025, on the Paducah and Louisville Railway.
According to Wikipedia: The Paducah & Louisville Railway 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 line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August of 1986.
Tech Info: Fuji, RAW, Nikon 10-24 @ 24mm, f/4.5, 1/1000, ISO 400.
In this week’s video we catch trains from the ground and the air between Springfield, TN and Robards, Ky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. Sit back, turn up the sound, expand to full screen and enjoy the trains!! Please like, share, subscribe and thanks for watching!
CSX M512 heads north at Anaconda, just south of Robards, Kentucky as they pass the newly constructed Solar energy fields, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on July 11th, 2025. The loads behind the power are truck frames.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.
Paducah and Louisville’s 70MAC 4518 pulls their loaded Louisville Gas & Electric coal train off the Warrior Lead, just before West Yard in Madisonville, Ky, as they head north to Louisville on July 15th, 2025.
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According to Wikipedia: The Paducah & Louisville Railway 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 line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 450.
Paducah and Louisville Railway local WW1 passes through the crossing at Pleasant View Lake, just west of Madisonville, Ky, as it heads north to interchange with CSX at Atkinson Yard, on July 14th, 2025.
According to Wikipedia: The Paducah & Louisville Railway 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 line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 170.
CSXT 309 leads B620, a northbound combined freight and Ethanol Empties train as it passes under the Paducah and Louisville Railway at the location known as Monarch at Madisonville, Kentucky, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on July 7th, 2025.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 100.