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.
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
A study in contrasts in Infrared, Nashville, Tennessee
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.
Railfan action at on July 15th and 20th, 2021 at Slaughters, KY and around the Nashville, TN area.
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.
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 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 CanadaUnited 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.
CSX Q028 heads north from Mortons Gap, KY
CSXT 3213 snakes its way through the valley after passing through Mortons Junction on June 16th, 2021 as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision at Mortons Gap, Kentucky with its hot intermodal train.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 70-300 @ 300mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 800.
CSX Q647 heads south through the S curve at Nortonville, KY
I love a good S curve, combined with a long lens to help bring in tight for what I refer to as in your face photography rail photography! Throw in the look of Infrared and this is pretty much what I come back with! Its CSXT 946 as it leads CSX Q647 south at Nortonville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision on July 20th, 2021.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 70-300 @ 280mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 400.
CSXT 3194 Law Enforcement Unit leads CSX Q025 SB at Hanson, KY
I don’t normally railfan on Sunday mornings as I run the live broadcast of our church services, but when I got word that the CSX Law Enforcement locomotive was leading CSX Q025 I was hoping (praying) things would work out where I could get a shot of it coming through the north end of Hanson, KY on the Henderson Subdivision on July 18th, 2021.
My church is about 5 miles from this spot, and I stopped by there early at 10am and set everything up for the live broadcast (5 iPhone Cameras) as I had reports that the train had passed through Henderson, KY at 9:50am and I got to Hanson at 10:30. Eight minutes later the train crested the hill in time for me to capture this infrared view of Q025 passing through the tunnel of trees with my converted Fuji XT-1 and able to make it back to church with 10 minutes to spare, before services began! Answered prayers!
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 70-300 @ 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.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 150-600 @ 300mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 400.
CSX G371 loaded grain express train at Mortons Gap, KY
Well, I finally made the plunge and had my Fuji XT-1 mirrorless camera converted to infrared (IR)! I’ve been toying with this idea for some time as I’ve always loved the look of black and white IR photography and have thought that the subject of railroads would lend themselves to this technique! Even at 71 years old it’s never too late to learn something new! I hope you all enjoy my journey!
In this shot we find CSXT 3313 as pulls off the Earlington cutoff at Mortons Junction at Mortons Gap, Kentucky on its way north on the Henderson Subdivision on July 16th, 2021 with loaded Grain Express train CSX G371.
I’m really loving the starkness that the B&W infrared photography gives me in these images!
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4, 1/1000, ISO 200.
CSX Track Inspection trainset W001 at Mortons Junction, Mortons Gap, KY
CSXT 6025 leads CSX W001 inspection train as it passes through Mortons Junction at Mortons Gap, Kentucky with Southern Pacific Birch Grove, CSX Florence and TGC2 Geometry Car trailing, as they make their way south on the Henderson Subdivision on July 13, 2021.
Research from a friend reveals: Built by The Budd Company in 1950 as 6 double bedroom, 10 roomette sleeping car 9020 for service on the Southern Pacific’s Los Angeles-New Orleans “Sunset Limited.” The car was acquired by Amtrak in 1971 and renumbered 2696. Converted to Heritage 10-6 sleeper with handicapped roomette in 1980 and renumbered to 2451 and named Birch Grove.
The Car was retired in 1995 and sold to Cincinnati Railway Company. It was upgraded 2002-03 and had a complete interior upgrade in 2005. As of 2014 it was owned by the Cincinnati Railway Company.
CSX purchased the Birch Grove car from the Cincinnati Railway in September of 2020 and from what I find online they plan to use it as part of its executive fleet. They also bought the dome car Moonlight Dome from them for the same reason.
According to 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.
One of the earliest track geometry cars was Car T2 used by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Project HISTEP (High-Speed Train Evaluation Program). It was built by the Budd Company for Project HISTEP to evaluate track conditions between Trenton and New Brunswick, NJ, where the DOT had established a section of track for testing high-speed trains, and accordingly, the T2 ran at 150 miles per hour or faster.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 100.
CSX W998-12 NB with a high and wide load at Mortons Gap, KY
Well, I finally made the plunge and had my Fuji XT-1 mirrorless camera converted to infrared (IR)! Ive been toying with this idea for some time as I’ve always loved the look of black and white IR photography and have thought that the subject of railroads would lend themselves to this technique! Even at 71 years old it’s never too late to learn something new! I hope you all enjoy my journey!
In this shot we find CSXT 322 as it leads a high and wide load of windmill parts consisting of motors and housings as it heads north through downtown Mortons Gap, Kentucky on its way north on the Henderson Subdivision on July 15th, 2021.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 200.
CSX Track Inspection trainset W001 at Breton, KY
CSXT 6025 leads CSX W001 as it passes through Breton, Kentucky, southbound with Southern Pacific Birch Grove, CSX Florence and TGC2 Geometry Car, as they make their way down the Henderson Subdivision on July 13, 2021.
Research from a friend reveals: Built by The Budd Company in 1950 as 6 double bedroom, 10 roomette sleeping car 9020 for service on the Southern Pacific’s Los Angeles-New Orleans “Sunset Limited.” The car was acquired by Amtrak in 1971 and renumbered 2696. Converted to Heritage 10-6 sleeper with handicapped roomette in 1980 and renumbered to 2451 and named Birch Grove. The Car was retired in 1995 and sold to Cincinnati Railway Company. It was upgraded 2002-03 and had a complete interior upgrade in 2005. As of 2014 it was owned by the Cincinnati Railway Company.
CSX purchased the Birch Grove car from the Cincinnati Railway in September of 2020 and from what I find online they plan to use it as part of its executive fleet. They also bought the dome car Moonlight Dome from them for the same reason.
According to 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.
One of the earliest track geometry cars was Car T2 used by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Project HISTEP (High-Speed Train Evaluation Program). It was built by the Budd Company for Project HISTEP to evaluate track conditions between Trenton and New Brunswick, NJ, where the DOT had established a section of track for testing high-speed trains, and accordingly, the T2 ran at 150 miles per hour or faster.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.