During my trip to Colorado in 2023 to chase steam we stayed in Alamosa for the Cumbres and Toltec portion of the trip. On October 18th, 2023, I captured this view of PRLX (Progress Rail Leasing) 4685 and 4687, both ex-CSX SD70 units, sitting in the Colorado Pacific Rio Grande Railroad (SL&RG) yard there.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/1250, ISO 220.
CITX Lease unit 7021 and its crew picks up a string of coil cars at Milliman Steel in Princeton, Indiana on August 8th, 2022, before moving it over to the Toyota Plant. Millennium is based out of Texas and the Princeton plant specializes in the processing and storage of various types of steel.
The rail operations Toyota from what I understand are handled Inter-Rail Group, Inc. who are based out of Centerville, MD.
According to their website: For over four decades, InterRail Group has provided high-quality auto terminal services to railroads and automobile manufacturers. Across the nation, InterRail crews are trusted to handle more than one-fifth of the new vehicles sold annually in America. InterRail boasts a track record of dependable, damage-free service that has been recognized by numerous awards from our customers and by the top-quality ratings we consistently earn in independent audits. Providing high-quality service is no accident. At Inter-Rail, it flows from our commitment to safety. We firmly believe theres a strong link between safety and service. We take care of our employees so that they will take care of you.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 400mm, f/6, 1/800, ISO 200.
I was sitting at a local restaurant here in Madisonville, Ky with several other rail friends where we had just ordered our lunch when I got the first notice from another friend that CSX Q512 was headed north on the Henderson Subdivision with 7 locomotives! At the time it was passing the signals at Oak Hill, just south of Mortons Gap, Ky on April 6th, 2021!
Of course, I really didnt expect to catch it as I felt it would probably pass by when we were in the middle of our meal and pretty much resigned myself to missing this move. Next, I got a phone call about the move from another friend and then a message from another friend that it was passing through Mortons Gap, and still one more that it was at Earlington!
Well, my meal arrived, and I didnt wolf it down, but did get it finished (Over easy eggs, Hash Browns and Bacon with wheat toast) and bid farewell to the others and decided to see if I could catch it. I even thought about flying from the parking lot down to Monarch, which was about ½ mile away, but when I stepped out the door at the restaurant (Swaggy Ps) there was the head end of the power passing just across the street in the tree line! Luck was on my side!!!
I was able to get on I-69 at Madisonville and get far enough ahead of the train, running with CSXT 305, 3357, 78, GMTX 2158, 2160, 2156, and ARNX 3045! Of course, only the CSX units were under power as the others were dead in tow.
I was able to get shots with the drone from the south end of Slaughters, Ky where it took the siding to wait for Q503! This gave me plenty of time to get to the north end of the siding and capture this shot, in beautiful light, of the entire consist of power!
Sometimes things just come together!
HLCX lease unit 1058 heads up a BNSF local as it sits on the main in front of the Honeywell plant at Metropolis, Illinois waiting for a new crew to take over their train before continuing its night move north on the BNSF Beardstown Subdivision.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 50mm f/1.4, 1/15, ISO 2000.
August 29, 2020 – The engineer on RSSX LEAF switchers 8345 and 3429, keeps a watchful eye on the track ahead, as he passes an idling 8407, while working the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) yard at Decatur, Illinois.
According to the ADM website: At ADM, we unlock the power of nature to provide access to nutrition worldwide. With industry-advancing innovations, a complete portfolio of ingredients and solutions to meet any taste, and a commitment to sustainability, we give customers an edge in solving the nutritional challenges of today and tomorrow.
We’re a global leader in human and animal nutrition and the world’s premier agricultural origination and processing company. Our breadth, depth, insights, facilities and logistical expertise give us unparalleled capabilities to meet needs for food, beverages, health and wellness, and more. From the seed of the idea to the outcome of the solution, we enrich the quality of life the world over.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 360mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 140.
April 17, 2019 – Canadian National 2845 (GE ES44AC) with lease unit GECX 2037 trailing, leads CSX Q501 as it approaches the south end of the siding at Slaughters, Ky as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #cn #cnrailway
January 16, 2019 – “Torpedo boat Geep” FLSX 71 moves a set of empty hoppers into place at Consolidated Grain and Barge, just west of County Road 475, at Lyles Station, Indiana at their elevator. I understand that, FLSX is Great Miami, Inc., and the locomotive is ex-CERA/CIND 1751, exx-MKT 120, nee-MKT 1761. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway
November 9, 2018 – CSX Q647, with lease units CITX 3059 and 3170 trailing in the consist, make their way south on the Henderson Subdivision at Mortons Gap, Ky on this cloudy fall day. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
November 3, 2018 – CIT CEFX 115, ex-San Luis & Rio Grande, brings up the rear on CSX Q512 as it waits for a East Bound intermodal to pass it on the St. Louis Line Subdivision at Danville, IN.
According to Wikipedia: The San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad is a class III railroad operating in Colorado. The SLRG began operations in 2003 using 154 miles of former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad tracks on three lines radiating from Alamosa, Colorado. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
October 24, 2018 – CIT CEFX 115, ex-San Luis & Rio Grande, brings up the rear on CSX Q647’s power consist, as it heads through Mortons Gap, Ky, on it’s way south along the Henderson Subdivision.
According to Wikipedia: The San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad is a class III railroad operating in Colorado. The SLRG began operations in 2003 using 154 miles of former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad tracks on three lines radiating from Alamosa, Colorado. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
October 24, 2018 – CIT CEFX 115, ex-San Luis & Rio Grande, brings up the rear on CSX Q647’s power consist, as it heads through the north end of Anaconda, on it’s way south along the Henderson Subdivision on track 1, from Robards, Ky.
According to Wikipedia: The San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad is a class III railroad operating in Colorado. The SLRG began operations in 2003 using 154 miles of former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad tracks on three lines radiating from Alamosa, Colorado. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
July 12, 2018 – Canadian National 6225, 9600, BNSF 9153 and Citirail CREX 1434 lead a local freight as it approaches the CN P&I Junction, on it’s way to do interchange work at the Paducah and Louisville Railway at Paducah, Kentucky. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #cn #cnrailway
June 15, 2018 – Lease Unit CEFX 3072, operated by Road and Rail Services, sits at the Toyota Plant at Princeton, Indiana as vehicles are loaded onto autoracks.
According to their website, Road & Rail Services was founded in 1987 by Tom and Pete Gerstle. From an initial contract to perform inspections on intermodal trailers, within three years, the company was performing pre-trip and other mechanical work for rail companies and manufacturers, and had grown to 110 employees.
Today, Road & Rail Services has expanded to nearly 2,000 employees working at 52 sites across 18 states. The companys diversified portfolio encompasses railroads, auto manufacturers and shippers of a wide range of commodities that move by rail, truck or barge, as they have expanded their offerings to include a comprehensive array of railcar, train and track services as well as automotive handling and transloading of commodities of all types. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway
May 19, 2018 GMTX 729 Switcher sits idle for the weekend at Tate and Lyle Grain, Cole, IL. – #jimstrainphotos #illinoisrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway
May 5, 2018 – Citirail 1506 brings up the rear as the DPU on a Canadian National empty coal train (C729) as it heads north through the Paducah and Louisville Railway’s West Yard at Madisonville, Ky. It’s headed to Armstrong Coal in McHenry, Ky to pickup a load of coal. PAL will be running these unit coal trains off the CN for the next few weeks from Fulton, Ky up to McHenry Ky for loading. These movements are destined for a marine terminal in Convent Louisiana, where the coal will be loaded onto barges and ships. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #cn #cnrailroad #pal #paducahandlouisvillerailway #canadiannationalrailway
April 12, 2018 CSX Q289 heads through Ft. Branch, Indiana with leading CREX 1338 leading the way, as it heads south on the CE&D Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
January 29, 2018 – Railserve 8215, GP9u, ex-CP 8215, brings up the rear of a 5 unit lashup, on CSX Q513 (Avon, IN – Waycross, GA) as it passes through Anaconda, north of Sebree, Ky, on Track 1 heading south on the Henderson Subdivision.