Paducah and Louisville Railway local WW1 passes the Warrior Coal lead as it heads north, approaching West Yard at Madisonville, Ky on March 2nd, 2023, on the Paducah and Louisville Railway with a short string of rock cars, heading for Central City, Ky.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 120.

#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #kentuckytrains #pal #paducahandlouisvillerailway #shortlinerailroad #regionalrailroad

PAL WW1 passes the Warrior Coal lead as it heads north at Madisonville, Ky

Paducah and Louisville Railway local WW1 passes the Warrior Coal lead as it heads north, approaching West Yard at Madisonville, Ky on March 2nd, 2023, on the Paducah and Louisville Railway with a short string of rock cars, heading for Central City, Ky.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 120.

#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #kentuckytrains #pal #paducahandlouisvillerailway #shortlinerailroad #regionalrailroad

Union Pacific 8897 brings up rear as DPU on a grain train as it heads across Santa Fe Junction on the Kansas City Terminal Railroad (KCT) High Line, while BNSF 7767 and 3947 lead a westbound train past Tower #3 on June 30th, 2022.

Santa Fe Junction sees on average over 100 trains a day and it hosts the double decked railroad (ATSF Double Deck Railroad) bridge that crosses the Kansas River into Missouri, a triple crossing in addition to Tower 3, which is used by maintenance of way these days. The junction is partly in Missouri and Kansas and sees BNSF, UP, KCT, Amtrak, KCS, NS and CP traffic, from what I saw during my visit.

The Kansas City Terminal Railway Company (KCT) is a Class III railroad located in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. KCT serves as a terminal railroad for its five Class I railroad owners (Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific).  Amtrak also operates over the KCT providing passenger service to and from Union Station. Currently the second largest rail hub in the United States, KCT owns and dispatches 95 miles of track spanning Missouri and Kansas.

According to the website railfanguides.us Santa Fe Junction Interlocking is easily the busiest location for trains in Kansas City and trains from any of the five railroads which jointly own KCT can be seen here. Tower #3 was closed in 1969 when a central dispatching center replaced it and all the other towers KCT had at the time.

The black bridge is KCT’s double deck, double track crossing of the Kansas River. The odd-looking silver towers on the bridge are lift mechanisms to raise the bridge in the event of flooding and are not connected most of the time. The upper deck line was primarily used by passenger trains from UP and Rock Island, moving to and from Kansas through the KC Union Station. Today primarily freight trains use this bridge. 

The tracks through the junction have been reduced or changed around over the years, but the area remains one of KC’s Busiest locations.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.

#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography

Union Pacific and BNSF pass tower #3 at Santa Fe Junction at Kansas City, KS

Union Pacific 8897 brings up rear as DPU on a grain train as it heads across Santa Fe Junction on the Kansas City Terminal Railroad (KCT) High Line, while BNSF 7767 and 3947 lead a westbound train past Tower #3 on June 30th, 2022.

Santa Fe Junction sees on average over 100 trains a day and it hosts the double decked railroad (ATSF Double Deck Railroad) bridge that crosses the Kansas River into Missouri, a triple crossing in addition to Tower 3, which is used by maintenance of way these days. The junction is partly in Missouri and Kansas and sees BNSF, UP, KCT, Amtrak, KCS, NS and CP traffic, from what I saw during my visit.

The Kansas City Terminal Railway Company (KCT) is a Class III railroad located in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas. KCT serves as a terminal railroad for its five Class I railroad owners (Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific). Amtrak also operates over the KCT providing passenger service to and from Union Station. Currently the second largest rail hub in the United States, KCT owns and dispatches 95 miles of track spanning Missouri and Kansas.

According to the website railfanguides.us Santa Fe Junction Interlocking is easily the busiest location for trains in Kansas City and trains from any of the five railroads which jointly own KCT can be seen here. Tower #3 was closed in 1969 when a central dispatching center replaced it and all the other towers KCT had at the time.

The black bridge is KCT’s double deck, double track crossing of the Kansas River. The odd-looking silver towers on the bridge are lift mechanisms to raise the bridge in the event of flooding and are not connected most of the time. The upper deck line was primarily used by passenger trains from UP and Rock Island, moving to and from Kansas through the KC Union Station. Today primarily freight trains use this bridge.

The tracks through the junction have been reduced or changed around over the years, but the area remains one of KC’s Busiest locations.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.

January 21, 2019 - The Paducah and Louisville railway local passes over Bradley Sisk Road Road as it heads south at Richland, Ky on a cold winters eve with PAL3808, 2107 and 2106 as power. - #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #pal #palrailway

January 21, 2019 – A Paducah and Louisville railway local…

January 21, 2019 – A Paducah and Louisville railway local passes over Bradley Sisk Road Road as it heads south at Richland, Ky on a cold winters eve with PAL3808, 2107 and 2106 as power. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #pal #palrailway

June 9, 2018 – “Southern Ghost!” NS Heritage unit 8099…

June 9, 2018 – “Southern Ghost!” NS Heritage unit 8099, the Southern, prepares to pull away from another engine in the early evening fog at the Norfolk Southern yard at Princeton, Indiana. This unit has and is being used as the leader lately on the Duke Energy coal run between Alliance and Francisco load-outs. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #nsrailway #nsheritageunit

June 1, 2018 – Ft. Campbell Railroad GenSets USAX 6519 and 6520…

June 1, 2018 – Ft. Campbell Railroad GenSets USAX 6519 and 6520 pull southbound with a loaded military freight through a tunnel of trees, approaching the “Tiny Town” grade crossing, as it heads back to the post.

Both Locomotives are N-ViroMotive model 3GS-21B, manufactured by the National Railway Equipment Company, headquartered in Mount Vernon, Ill. Fort Campbell has about 40 miles of Army railroad tracks located both on post and leading to Hopkinsville where it interchanges with CSX on the Henderson Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #militaryrailroad #ftcampbellrail #usarail

May 26, 2018 CN 3024 leads an empty coal train across the Rockport drawbridge…

May 26, 2018 CN 3024 leads an empty coal train across the Rockport drawbridge as it heads south on the Paducah and Louisville Railway at Rockport, Ky. The train is on it’s way to pickup a load of coal at Armstrong’s Midway Mine at McHenry, Ky. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #cn #cnrailroad #pal #palrailway #paducahandlouisvillerailway

May 25, 2018 – CSX Z462-25, a Paducah and Louisville Railway loaded coal train…

May 25, 2018 – CSX Z462-25, a Paducah and Louisville Railway loaded coal train, pulls away from Dotki Mine in Clay, Ky after loading and heads back south on CSX’s Morganfield Branch as a light rain falls. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #palrailway #paducahandlouisvillerailway

UP 8444 and SP 4449 headed up Cajon Pass, California

May 8, 1989 – Throwback Saturday! This is a scan from a slide I made of Southern Pacific’s 4449 and Union Pacific’s 8444 (now 844) as they headed up the Cajon Pass in southern California. This was after they were on display for the 50th Anniversary of Los Angeles Union Station in 1989. It was an amazing thing to watch, photograph and chase!

Planes, Trains, and …. Southern steam locomotives

September 9, 2017 – Planes, Trains, and …. Southern steam locomotives 630 and 4501 sit at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, TN as they prepare for the first run of the day at their 2017 Railfest, as a plane takes off over them to parts unknown, as early railfans work to get their “perfect shots” of the newly arrived locomotives.

Southern Railway steam 4501 westbound to Chattanooga, TN

September 9, 2017 – In the quietness of the early morning the sound of the approaching steam locomotive is heard before it can be seen. Anticipation builds as Southern Railways 4501 pulls into view with a loaded passenger train west, around a sweeping curve, on the return trip to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum at Chattanooga, TN during 2017 Railfest.

2017 Railfest Operations at Chattanooga, TN

2017 Railfest, Chattanooga, TN – I’m often torn when I decide to shoot video trackside, because I invariably hate “missing” a good photograph, but Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s Railfest lended itself so well to video that I made an effort to get some footage using my iPhone 7 Plus. The below, slightly over 13 minute, video is a bit longer than I normally do, but I think it flows pretty good and I hope you enjoy getting a glimpse into the event.

It’s a selection of videos from the 2017 Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Railfest Operations, Chattanooga, Tennessee of Steam and Diesel operations around the museum and between Chattanooga and East Chattanooga.

CSX Q101-15 heads south under the coaling tower at Sullivan, IN

August 16, 2017 – As dusk begins to fall, BNSF 4477 and NS 8554 lead intermodal train CSX Q101-15 (Chicago, IL-Savannah, GA), south underneath the old C&EI coaling tower, which was built in 1941 to service steam locomotives, as it headed south on CSX’s CE&D Subdivision at Sullivan, Indiana! Of the three CSX trains I caught under this tower today and only one of the trains had any CSX power and it was trailing. Thought it was a bit unusual!