Lines heading east on the Decatur & Eastern Railroad at Murdock, Illinois Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad units WAMX 4244 and 4234 lead local Y101 on its way to Terre Haute, Indiana as it passes through the farming countryside as it heads east at Murdock, Illinois on July 20th, 2021. According to Wikipedia: "The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (reporting mark DREI) is an American regional railroad that is a subsidiary of Watco operating in eastern Illinois and western Indiana. In January 2018, CSX Transportation announced that it was seeking offers to buy the Decatur Subdivision and the Danville Secondary Subdivision as part of a system-wide sale of low-traffic routes, and in July, Watco, via the DREI, was identified as the winning bidder. Following regulatory approval from the Surface Transportation Board, The DREI began operations on September 9, 2018 The DREI operates two intersecting routes totaling 126.7 miles (203.9 km)—the former Decatur Subdivision between Montezuma, Indiana and Decatur, Illinois, and the former Danville Subdivision between Terre Haute, Indiana and Olivet, Illinois. It interchanges traffic with CSX, the Eastern Illinois Railroad, the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Canadian National Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad is headquartered in Decatur, Illinois." Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

Lines heading east on the Decatur & Eastern Railroad at Murdock, Illinois

Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad units WAMX 4244 and 4234 lead local Y101 on its way to Terre Haute, Indiana as it passes through the farming countryside as it heads east at Murdock, Illinois on July 20th, 2021.

According to Wikipedia: “The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (reporting mark DREI) is an American regional railroad that is a subsidiary of Watco operating in eastern Illinois and western Indiana.

In January 2018, CSX Transportation announced that it was seeking offers to buy the Decatur Subdivision and the Danville Secondary Subdivision as part of a system-wide sale of low-traffic routes, and in July, Watco, via the DREI, was identified as the winning bidder. Following regulatory approval from the Surface Transportation Board, The DREI began operations on September 9, 2018

The DREI operates two intersecting routes totaling 126.7 miles (203.9 km)—the former Decatur Subdivision between Montezuma, Indiana and Decatur, Illinois, and the former Danville Subdivision between Terre Haute, Indiana and Olivet, Illinois. It interchanges traffic with CSX, the Eastern Illinois Railroad, the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Canadian National Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad is headquartered in Decatur, Illinois.”

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

CSX GMS2 track geometry car at PAL west yard, Madisonville, KY. On August 4th, 2021, I was headed home with my niece Elaina this afternoon as we passed over the crossing at the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard at Madisonville, Kentucky when I spotted this scene with GMS2 track geometry car sitting pretty much by itself and did an immediate U-turn! The light, sky, clouds, and car were just screaming to me to be photographed in Infrared! After trying different angles and lenses this in the shot I ended up liking the best! From Wikipedia: "A track geometry car (also known as a track recording car) is an automated track inspection vehicle on a rail transport system used to test several parameters of the track geometry without obstructing normal railroad operations. Some of the parameters generally measured include position, curvature, alignment of the track, smoothness, and the cross level of the two rails. The cars use a variety of sensors, measuring systems, and data management systems to create a profile of the track being inspected." Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @32.9mm, f/5, 1/500, ISO 200.

CSX GMS2 track geometry car at PAL west yard, Madisonville, KY

On August 4th, 2021, I was headed home with my niece Elaina this afternoon as we passed over the crossing at the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard at Madisonville, Kentucky when I spotted this scene with GMS2 track geometry car sitting pretty much by itself and did an immediate U-turn! The light, sky, clouds, and car were just screaming to me to be photographed in Infrared! After trying different angles and lenses this in the shot I ended up liking the best!

From Wikipedia: “A track geometry car (also known as a track recording car) is an automated track inspection vehicle on a rail transport system used to test several parameters of the track geometry without obstructing normal railroad operations. Some of the parameters generally measured include position, curvature, alignment of the track, smoothness, and the cross level of the two rails. The cars use a variety of sensors, measuring systems, and data management systems to create a profile of the track being inspected.”

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @32.9mm, f/5, 1/500, ISO 200.

Paducah and Louisville Railway PRX1 at Calvert City, Kentucky Paducah and Louisville Railway 3811, 4504 and 4516 lead loaded coal train PRX1 around the outer loop at the Calvert City Terminal in Calvert City, Kentucky on July 23, 2021, after picking up a load of coal for the TVA Shawnee Power Plant in West Paducah, KY. According to Wikipedia: "The Paducah & Louisville Railway (reporting mark PAL) 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 (430 km) line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986. The 223-mile (359 km) main route runs between Paducah and Louisville with branch lines from Paducah to Kevil and Mayfield, Kentucky, and another from Cecilia to Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The PAL interchanges with Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and Canadian National (CN), formerly Illinois Central Railroad, in Paducah. In Madisonville, the line interchanges with CSX Transportation (CSXT). In Louisville, the line interchanges with the Indiana Railroad (INRD), CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Norfolk Southern (NS). Class III line connections are at Princeton with the Fredonia Valley Railroad (FVRR) and at Louisville with the Louisville and Indiana Railroad (LIRC). The line today carries over 200,000 carloads of traffic on a CTC-controlled mainline with welded rail and even a section of multiple main tracks nearly 20 miles (32 km) long between Paducah and just east of Calvert City. This is a huge improvement from the little amount of traffic and poor condition the line was in by the time the ICG had sold it. Today it is a big regional class II railroad connecting with four class I railroads (listed above), as well as the three shortline connections it makes which are also listed above. It has 270 route-miles of track, of which 233 miles (375 km) are its mainline running between its namesake towns of Paducah and Louisville, as well as branch lines to Mayfield, Kevil, and Elizabethtown. The railroad serves "many chemical plants and other manufacturing companies, several coal mines, numerous clay and stone quarries, lumber and propane distributors, farm [including a few large grain elevators] and mine equipment suppliers, warehouses, transloads, bulk terminals, riverports, and one military base." The parent company of the PAL, P&L Transportation, also operates the Evansville Western Railway and the Appalachian and Ohio Railroad." Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/240, ISO 100.

Paducah and Louisville Railway PRX1 at Calvert City, Kentucky

Paducah and Louisville Railway 3811, 4504 and 4516 lead loaded coal train PRX1 around the outer loop at the Calvert City Terminal in Calvert City, Kentucky on July 23, 2021, after picking up a load of coal for the TVA Shawnee Power Plant in West Paducah, KY.

According to Wikipedia: “The Paducah & Louisville Railway (reporting mark PAL) 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 (430 km) line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986. The 223-mile (359 km) main route runs between Paducah and Louisville with branch lines from Paducah to Kevil and Mayfield, Kentucky, and another from Cecilia to Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The PAL interchanges with Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and Canadian National (CN), formerly Illinois Central Railroad, in Paducah. In Madisonville, the line interchanges with CSX Transportation (CSXT).

In Louisville, the line interchanges with the Indiana Railroad (INRD), CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Norfolk Southern (NS). Class III line connections are at Princeton with the Fredonia Valley Railroad (FVRR) and at Louisville with the Louisville and Indiana Railroad (LIRC). The line today carries over 200,000 carloads of traffic on a CTC-controlled mainline with welded rail and even a section of multiple main tracks nearly 20 miles (32 km) long between Paducah and just east of Calvert City. This is a huge improvement from the little amount of traffic and poor condition the line was in by the time the ICG had sold it.

Today it is a big regional class II railroad connecting with four class I railroads (listed above), as well as the three shortline connections it makes which are also listed above. It has 270 route-miles of track, of which 233 miles (375 km) are its mainline running between its namesake towns of Paducah and Louisville, as well as branch lines to Mayfield, Kevil, and Elizabethtown. The railroad serves “many chemical plants and other manufacturing companies, several coal mines, numerous clay and stone quarries, lumber and propane distributors, farm [including a few large grain elevators] and mine equipment suppliers, warehouses, transloads, bulk terminals, riverports, and one military base.”

The parent company of the PAL, P&L Transportation, also operates the Evansville Western Railway and the Appalachian and Ohio Railroad.”

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/240, ISO 100.

The Progress Rail backyard at Mount Vernon, IL On July 23, 201 we find old KORAL Switcher 2111 in the backyard of National Railway Equipment shops in Mount Vernon, Illinois along with a variety of newly rebuilt and old locomotives that are used for spare parts and the like. Switcher 2111 is used to move equipment around. Although its seen better days, it still does its job! According to Wikipedia: "The Korea Railroad Corporation, branded as KORAIL, is the national railway operator in South Korea. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation. KORAIL operates intercity/regional, commuter/metro and freight trains throughout South Korea, and has its headquarters in Daejeon. Historically, the South Korean railway network was managed by the Railroad Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation before 1963. On 1 September 1963, the bureau became an agency that was known as Korean National Railroad (KNR) in English. In the early 2000s, split and public corporatization of KNR was decided by the South Korean government, and in 2003, KNR adopted the current KORAIL logo in blue to prepare corporatization. On 1 January 2005, KNR was split into Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), which succeeded railway operation with the KORAIL logo and name, and Korea Rail Network Authority (KR), which succeeded maintaining tracks." Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 100.

The Progress Rail backyard at Mount Vernon, IL

On July 23, 2021 we find old KORAL Switcher 2111 in the backyard of National Railway Equipment shops in Mount Vernon, Illinois along with a variety of newly rebuilt and old locomotives that are used for spare parts and the like. Switcher 2111 is used to move equipment around. Although its seen better days, it still does its job!

According to Wikipedia: “The Korea Railroad Corporation, branded as KORAIL, is the national railway operator in South Korea. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation.

KORAIL operates intercity/regional, commuter/metro and freight trains throughout South Korea, and has its headquarters in Daejeon.

Historically, the South Korean railway network was managed by the Railroad Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation before 1963. On 1 September 1963, the bureau became an agency that was known as Korean National Railroad (KNR) in English. In the early 2000s, split and public corporatization of KNR was decided by the South Korean government, and in 2003, KNR adopted the current KORAIL logo in blue to prepare corporatization.

On 1 January 2005, KNR was split into Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), which succeeded railway operation with the KORAIL logo and name, and Korea Rail Network Authority (KR), which succeeded maintaining tracks.”

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 100.

CSXT 3115 pulls upgrade leading Q025 at Mortons Gap, KY CSX Q025 pulls up grade out of the valley with CSXT 3115 leading the way at Mortons Junction on the Henderson Subdivision as it heads south at Mortons Gap, KY in this infrared shot on July 16th, 2021 with over two miles of containers trailing behind. Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 150-600 @ 300mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 400.

CSXT 3115 pulls upgrade leading Q025 at Mortons Gap, KY

CSX Q025 pulls up grade out of the valley with CSXT 3115 leading the way at Mortons Junction on the Henderson Subdivision as it heads south at Mortons Gap, KY in this infrared shot on July 16th, 2021 with over two miles of containers trailing behind.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 150-600 @ 300mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 400.

NS 148 passes the past, at Harristown, Illinois Norfolk Southern train 148 heads east past Illinois Terminal Railroad sleeper car 535 as it sits next to the Illinois Terminal Company Train Station in Harristown, Illinois on the NS Southern West District on July 21st. 2021. A web search shows the car was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1911 as an Interurban trailer car and was renovated into a sleeper in 1930 where it operated as a sleeper until 1941. The station was built in 1910 and currently houses Sanders Harristown Depot Antiques. According to Wikipedia: The Illinois Terminal Railroad Company (reporting marks "ITC"), known as the Illinois Traction System until 1937, was a heavy duty interurban electric railroad with extensive passenger and freight business in central and southern Illinois from 1896 to 1956. When Depression era Illinois Traction was in financial distress and had to reorganize, the Illinois Terminal name was adopted to reflect the line's primary money-making role as a freight interchange link to major steam railroads at its terminal ends, Peoria, Danville, and St. Louis. Interurban passenger service slowly was reduced, ending in 1956. Freight operation continued but was hobbled by tight street running in some towns requiring very sharp radius turns. In 1956, ITC was absorbed by a consortium of connecting railroads. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 110.

NS 148 passes the past, at Harristown, Illinois

Norfolk Southern train 148 heads east past Illinois Terminal Railroad sleeper car 535 as it sits next to the Illinois Terminal Company Train Station in Harristown, Illinois on the NS Springfield-Hannibal District on July 21st. 2021.

A web search shows the car was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1911 as an Interurban trailer car and was renovated into a sleeper in 1930 where it operated as a sleeper until 1941. The station was built in 1910 and currently houses Sanders Harristown Depot Antiques.

According to Wikipedia: The Illinois Terminal Railroad Company (reporting marks “ITC”), known as the Illinois Traction System until 1937, was a heavy duty interurban electric railroad with extensive passenger and freight business in central and southern Illinois from 1896 to 1956.

When Depression era Illinois Traction was in financial distress and had to reorganize, the Illinois Terminal name was adopted to reflect the line’s primary money-making role as a freight interchange link to major steam railroads at its terminal ends, Peoria, Danville, and St. Louis. Interurban passenger service slowly was reduced, ending in 1956.

Freight operation continued but was hobbled by tight street running in some towns requiring very sharp radius turns. In 1956, ITC was absorbed by a consortium of connecting railroads.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 110.

CSX Q028-28 northbound at Madisonville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision In this Infrared shot from July 29th, 2021 we catch CSXT 3250 as it leads Q028-28 north, approaching the North Main Street overpass at Madisonville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision. I purposely chose to capture this train a bit further back in the frame as I really like the leading lines from the tracks, and it being surrounded by trees in the traditional infrared white! I did use a bit of vignette, as I do on most of my images, to help draw the eye and focal point to the subject of the photo. Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @55mm, f/5, 1/500, ISO 200.

CSX Q028-28 northbound at Madisonville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision

In this Infrared shot from July 29th, 2021 we catch CSXT 3250 as it leads Q028-28 north, approaching the North Main Street overpass at Madisonville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision.

I purposely chose to capture this train a bit further back in the frame as I really like the leading lines from the tracks, and it being surrounded by trees in the traditional infrared white! I did use a bit of vignette, as I do on most of my images, to help draw the eye and focal point to the subject of the photo.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @55mm, f/5, 1/500, ISO 200.

July 23, 2021 – BNSF local with EMRY 6403 at West Paducah, Ky and NS 110 at Mount Vernon, IL.

July 23, 2021 – Newly refurbished Eastern Maine Railway (EMRY) 6403, Owned by the New Brunswick Southern Railway (NBSR), trails as the third unit on the northbound Paducah to Centralia, IL BNSF local as it pulls north at Chiles Junction in West Paducah, Kentucky with BNSF 7901 and 6147 leading the way. Then we catch Norfolk Southern 110 as it heads north across the Union Pacific Diamond at Mount Vernon, Illinois on the NS Southern West District on the same day.

#trainvideo #railroadvideo #trains #railways #jimpearsonphotography

Tech Info: Shot on an iPhone 11pro and edited using Adobe Premiere Pro.

Infrared Sky Reflections, downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @21.4mm, f/7.1, 1/250, ISO 250.

UBS Building, Nashville, Tennessee

Infrared Sky Reflections, downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @21.4mm, f/7.1, 1/250, ISO 250.

Northbound Union Pacific Freight at Mount Vernon, Illinois Fellow railfan Cooper Smith and I spent July 23, 2021, trackside chasing trains in Western Kentucky and southern Illinois. As part of the trip we sat at Mt. Vernon, Illinois for about 4 hours waiting on trains to come over the diamonds here and finally we caught a NS over the diamond heading north and for this shot of Union Pacific MSMPB I decided to move to a crossing north of the MOW office as the sun was dropping to the horizon and I thought the light would help make the shot! Both trains showed up within 15 minutes of each other, so it was worth the wait! The main reason we waited so long was that it meant that we were able to capture 5 different railroads in operation on our trip! We caught Paducah and Louisville Railway, BNSF, CN, NS and Union Pacific, with an Eastern Main Unit dead in tow! While we had to wait a boring 4 hours for the last two roads, it still made for a great day trackside! Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300mm @ 170mm, f/5, 1/800, ISO 320.

Northbound Union Pacific Freight at Mount Vernon, Illinois

Fellow railfan Cooper Smith and I spent July 23, 2021, trackside chasing trains in Western Kentucky and southern Illinois. As part of the trip we sat at Mt. Vernon, Illinois for about 4 hours waiting on trains to come over the diamonds here and finally we caught a NS over the diamond heading north and for this shot of Union Pacific MSMPB I decided to move to a crossing north of the MOW office as the sun was dropping to the horizon and I thought the light would help make the shot! Both trains showed up within 15 minutes of each other, so it was worth the wait!

The main reason we waited so long was that it meant that we were able to capture 5 different railroads in operation on our trip! We caught Paducah and Louisville Railway, BNSF, CN, NS and Union Pacific, with an Eastern Main Unit dead in tow! While we had to wait a boring 4 hours for the last two roads, it still made for a great day trackside!

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300mm @ 170mm, f/5, 1/800, ISO 320.

Amtrak 393 pulls into the old Illinois Central Depot in downtown Mattoon, Illinois Amtrak 393 (The Illini) pulls into the old Illinois Central (IC) Depot in downtown Mattoon, Illinois with 4623 leading the Wednesday evening southbound train from Chicago to Carbondale, Illinois bathed in Infrared light on the CN Champaign Subdivision. According to Wikipedia, The Mattoon station is housed in the former Illinois Central Railroad Depot. The depot was completed in 1918 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. At its height, the building housed a power plant, mail room, luggage room, and restaurant, in addition to the main hall where passengers waited to board trains. As many as ten trains a day departed the depot in the 1950s. During 2010, a $3 million restoration project, paid for from a mix of private, state, and federal funding, was undertaken, replacing paint, flooring, and other interior fixtures. The station currently serves as a stop for the Illini, Saluki, and City of New Orleans passenger trains. The tracks themselves, formerly part of the Illinois Central Railroad, are now owned by the Canadian National Railway (CN). Freight trains run by CN pass through frequently. Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Irex 11mm, f/4, 1/250, ISO 400

Amtrak 393 pulls into the old Illinois Central Depot in downtown Mattoon, Illinois

Amtrak 393 (The Illini) pulls into the old Illinois Central (IC) Depot in downtown Mattoon, Illinois with 4623 leading the Wednesday evening southbound train from Chicago to Carbondale, Illinois bathed in Infrared light on the CN Champaign Subdivision.

According to Wikipedia, The Mattoon station is housed in the former Illinois Central Railroad Depot. The depot was completed in 1918 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. At its height, the building housed a power plant, mail room, luggage room, and restaurant, in addition to the main hall where passengers waited to board trains. As many as ten trains a day departed the depot in the 1950s.

During 2010, a $3 million restoration project, paid for from a mix of private, state, and federal funding, was undertaken, replacing paint, flooring, and other interior fixtures.

The station currently serves as a stop for the Illini, Saluki, and City of New Orleans passenger trains. The tracks themselves, formerly part of the Illinois Central Railroad, are now owned by the Canadian National Railway (CN). Freight trains run by CN pass through frequently.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Irex 11mm, f/4, 1/250, ISO 400

Illinois rail action of Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad and CN.

In this video we catch Illinois rail action of a Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad local on its way to Terre Haute, Indiana and one of their locals working the yard at Decatur, Illinois along with a CN manifest headed to Chicago from Siegal, Illinois on July 21st, 2021.

AMTRAK 390 heads north across the diamond at Tuscola, IL AMTRAK Siemens Charger SC-44, IDTX 4617, a morning commuter train, passes over the Decatur & Eastern Illinois, Union Pacific and Canadian National diamond at Tuscola, Illinois, as it leads northbound train 390, The Saluki, to Chicago on July 21st, 2021, on the CN Champaign Subdivision. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.

AMTRAK 390 heads north across the diamond at Tuscola, IL

AMTRAK Siemens Charger SC-44, IDTX 4617, a morning commuter train, passes over the Decatur & Eastern Illinois, Union Pacific and Canadian National diamond at Tuscola, Illinois, as it leads northbound train 390, The Saluki, to Chicago on July 21st, 2021, on the CN Champaign Subdivision.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.

Paducah and Louisville PRX1 departs Warrior Coal at Nebo, KY In this Infrared shot, Paducah and Louisville Railway 4516 leads a loaded coal train, and it begins its run from the Warrior Coal mine loop at Nebo, Ky on July 17th, 2021, on the Warrior Coal Mine lead. This load of coal is headed for Calvert City Terminal at Calvert City, KY. Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 150-600 @600mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 800.

Paducah and Louisville PRX1 departs Warrior Coal at Nebo, KY

In this Infrared shot, Paducah and Louisville Railway 4516 leads a loaded coal train, and it begins its run from the Warrior Coal mine loop at Nebo, Ky on July 17th, 2021, on the Warrior Coal Mine lead. This load of coal is headed for Calvert City Terminal at Calvert City, KY.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 150-600 @600mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 800.

Southbound load of coal at Chiles Junction, West Paducah, KY Canadian National 3050 leads a loaded coal train as it passes through Chiles Junction on its way south on the CN Bluford Subdivision at West Paducah, Kentucky on July 23rd, 2021. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

Southbound load of coal at Chiles Junction, West Paducah, KY

Canadian National 3050 leads a loaded coal train as it passes through Chiles Junction on its way south on the CN Bluford Subdivision at West Paducah, Kentucky on July 23rd, 2021.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

Infrared shot of CSX Q026 with CSXT 1776 Honoring our Veterans Unit at Mortons Gap, KY CSX Q026 heads through downtown Mortons Gap, Ky with CSXT 1776, Honoring our Veterans Unit, trailing as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision in this Infrared photograph shot just short of Mortons Junction, where the cut off track that bypasses downtown Earlington and Madisonville, Ky on July 15th, 2021. I'm really enjoying this new look for me and my railfan work! I hope you are as well! Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Irex 11mm, f/4.5, 1/250, ISO 800.

Infrared shot of CSX Q026 with CSXT 1776 Honoring our Veterans Unit at Mortons Gap, KY

CSX Q026 heads through downtown Mortons Gap, Ky with CSXT 1776, Honoring our Veterans Unit, trailing as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision in this Infrared photograph shot just short of Mortons Junction, where the cut off track that bypasses downtown Earlington and Madisonville, Ky on July 15th, 2021.

I’m really enjoying this new look for me and my railfan work! I hope you are as well!

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Irex 11mm, f/4.5, 1/250, ISO 800.

BNSF Coal unloads at Four Rivers Marine Terminal at West Paducah, KY BNSF 8875 and 5913 lead a loaded coal train through the loop at 4 Rivers Terminal at West Paducah, Kentucky as the terminal’s unit GMTX 2144 sits in a house track during the operation on July 23rd, 2021. Four Rivers Marine Terminal (FRT) is owned by SCH Services, LLC, and located at West Paducah, KY at Ohio River mile marker 943. Four Rivers has an annual throughput capacity of 10 MM tons. Illinois Basin and Powder River Basin coals are transferred from railcar to barge here. According to SCH Services Website: It is primarily designed as a direct train-to-barge transfer terminal, FRT offers its customers an unparalleled combination of access to major waterways and multiple Class I railroads. Our connection to the Paducah and Illinois Railroad gives FRT direct access to the BNSF, CN, and PAL railroads. Considering only the modern Olmsted Lock and Dam separates the terminal from the Mississippi River, FRT presents a unique option for rail-bound shipments destined for both southeastern customers and export through New Orleans. Four Rivers Terminal boasts a double, 150-car rail loop, coupled with a material handling system capable of transloading 4,000 tons of dry bulk material per hour. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

BNSF Coal unloads at Four Rivers Marine Terminal at West Paducah, KY

BNSF 8775 and 5913 lead a loaded coal train through the loop at 4 Rivers Terminal at West Paducah, Kentucky as the terminal’s unit GMTX 2144 sits in a house track during the operation on July 23rd, 2021.

Four Rivers Marine Terminal (FRT) is owned by SCH Services, LLC, and located at West Paducah, KY at Ohio River mile marker 943. Four Rivers has an annual throughput capacity of 10 MM tons. Illinois Basin and Powder River Basin coals are transferred from railcar to barge here.

According to SCH Services Website: It is primarily designed as a direct train-to-barge transfer terminal, FRT offers its customers an unparalleled combination of access to major waterways and multiple Class I railroads. Our connection to the Paducah and Illinois Railroad gives FRT direct access to the BNSF, CN, and PAL railroads. Considering only the modern Olmsted Lock and Dam separates the terminal from the Mississippi River, FRT presents a unique option for rail-bound shipments destined for both southeastern customers and export through New Orleans. Four Rivers Terminal boasts a double, 150-car rail loop, coupled with a material handling system capable of transloading 4,000 tons of dry bulk material per hour.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

Eastern Maine Railway Shortline 6403 trails at Chiles Junction, West Paducah, Ky Newly refurbished Eastern Maine Railway (EMRY) 6403, Owned by the New Brunswick Southern Railway (NBSR), trails as the third unit on the northbound Paducah to Centralia, IL BNSF local as it pulls north at Chiles Junction in West Paducah, Kentucky with BNSF 7901 and 6147 leading the way on July 23, 2021. Locomotive 6403 is the second of six units that are being refurbished by Progress Rail at Mayfield, KY, for NBSR out of Saint John, NB, Canada. The other units are 6402-6406 and they are all SD70M-2 units and were former NS locomotives. According to Wikipedia: The Eastern Maine Railway Company Limited (reporting mark EMRY) is a 99.5 mi U.S. short line railroad owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglomerate J.D. Irving Limited. EMRY was established as a corporate entity on November 10, 1994, by J.D. Irving Ltd. to purchase the 99.5 mile right of way and physical railway assets of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Mattawamkeag Subdivision rail line within the state of Maine, running from its eastern terminus at the Canada–United States border, this being the midpoint of the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge at Vanceboro, west to Brownville Junction. Both EMRY and NBSR began operations on January 6, 1995, approximately 1 week after Canadian Pacific Railway abandoned operations of its Canadian Atlantic Railway (CAR) subsidiary on December 31, 1994. In addition to owning the former CPR tracks in Maine, EMRY was an operating entity for the first several months of existence and had running rights over its sister company NBSR's tracks from the International Boundary east to the yard at McAdam, New Brunswick. In spring 1995 Irving Transportation Services consolidated its railway operations as Eastern Maine Railway Company Limited came under NBSR operational control. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

Eastern Maine Railway Shortline 6403 trails at Chiles Junction, West Paducah, Ky

Newly refurbished Eastern Maine Railway (EMRY) 6403, Owned by the New Brunswick Southern Railway (NBSR), trails as the third unit on the northbound Paducah to Centralia, IL BNSF local as it pulls north at Chiles Junction in West Paducah, Kentucky with BNSF 7901 and 6147 leading the way on July 23, 2021.

Locomotive 6403 is the second of six units that are being refurbished by Progress Rail at Mayfield, KY, for NBSR out of Saint John, NB, Canada. The other units are 6402-6406 and they are all SD70M-2 units and were former NS locomotives.

According to Wikipedia: The Eastern Maine Railway Company Limited (reporting mark EMRY) is a 99.5 mi U.S. short line railroad owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company, a holding company that is part of “Irving Transportation Services”, a division within the industrial conglomerate J.D. Irving Limited.

EMRY was established as a corporate entity on November 10, 1994, by J.D. Irving Ltd. to purchase the 99.5 mile right of way and physical railway assets of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Mattawamkeag Subdivision rail line within the state of Maine, running from its eastern terminus at the Canada–United States border, this being the midpoint of the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge at Vanceboro, west to Brownville Junction.

Both EMRY and NBSR began operations on January 6, 1995, approximately 1 week after Canadian Pacific Railway abandoned operations of its Canadian Atlantic Railway (CAR) subsidiary on December 31, 1994. In addition to owning the former CPR tracks in Maine, EMRY was an operating entity for the first several months of existence and had running rights over its sister company NBSR’s tracks from the International Boundary east to the yard at McAdam, New Brunswick. In spring 1995 Irving Transportation Services consolidated its railway operations as Eastern Maine Railway Company Limited came under NBSR operational control.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

NS 148 arrives at Decatur, Illinois as it passes the old Wabash Station Running elephant style, NS 9524, 3630, 1078 and 9598 lead train 148 (Avondale Yard - Kansas City, MO to East Yard - Decatur IL) as it passes the old Wabash Station on July 21st, 2021 on the NS Brooklyn District, as it arrives at Decatur, Illinois and approaches the Wabash/IC Crossover, before entering the yard, finishing its daily run. According to Wikipedia: The Decatur station, also known as the Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency, is a historic railway station located at 780 East Cerro Gordo Street in Decatur, Illinois. Built in 1901, the station served trains on the Wabash Railroad, the most economically significant railroad through Decatur. Architect Theodore Link designed the Classical Revival building. Amtrak discontinued service to the station in the 1983, and it has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Restored in 2002, it is now houses the Wabash Depot Antique Mall and sits close to the WABIC (Wabash - Illinois Central) railroad crossover. During its peak in 1907 there were 72 daily passenger trains, today, there are none that stop here. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 100.

NS 148 arrives at Decatur, Illinois as it passes the old Wabash Station

Running elephant style, NS 9524, 3630, 1078 and 9598 lead train 148 (Avondale Yard – Kansas City, MO to East Yard – Decatur IL) as it passes the old Wabash Station on July 21st, 2021 on the NS Brooklyn District, as it arrives at Decatur, Illinois and approaches the Wabash/IC Crossover, before entering the yard, finishing its daily run.

According to Wikipedia: The Decatur station, also known as the Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency, is a historic railway station located at 780 East Cerro Gordo Street in Decatur, Illinois. Built in 1901, the station served trains on the Wabash Railroad, the most economically significant railroad through Decatur. Architect Theodore Link designed the Classical Revival building. Amtrak discontinued service to the station in the 1983, and it has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Restored in 2002, it is now houses the Wabash Depot Antique Mall and sits close to the WABIC (Wabash – Illinois Central) railroad crossover. During its peak in 1907 there were 72 daily passenger trains, today, there are none that stop here.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 100.