BUGX 1752 heads into Troy, Indiana Ohio River Scenic Railway BUGX 1752 (EMD FP9A) leads the last train of the day, on May 1st, 2021, as it approaches the Indiana 64 crossing at Troy, Indiana as they begin their reverse move back downtown, where their passengers will be allowed to disembark for a walk around the riverfront and downtown. Afterwards they reboarded the train for the return trip to Tell City, IN. BUGX 1752 is an ex-CN Rebuilt EMD that is leased now by the Ohio River Scenic Railway from Dieselmotive Company of Northern California. It is a former Canadian National FP9A unit, which was recently sold by Pioneer RailCorp affiliate Keokuk Junction Railway to Dieselmotive and has become one of their lease units. Ohio River Scenic Railway is headquartered out of Tell City, Indiana and they run through Perry and Spencer Counties in southern Indiana on the weekends. For more and updated information visit their website at https://www.ohiorivertrain.com/ and take a ride behind this beautiful locomotive! Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

BUGX 1752 heads into Troy, Indiana

Ohio River Scenic Railway BUGX 1752 (EMD FP9A) leads the last train of the day, on May 1st, 2021, as it approaches the Indiana 66 crossing at Troy, Indiana as they begin their reverse move back downtown, where their passengers will be allowed to disembark for a walk around the riverfront and downtown. Afterwards they reboarded the train for the return trip to Tell City, IN.

BUGX 1752 is an ex-CN Rebuilt EMD that is leased now by the Ohio River Scenic Railway from Dieselmotive Company of Northern California. It is a former Canadian National FP9A unit, which was recently sold by Pioneer RailCorp affiliate Keokuk Junction Railway to Dieselmotive and has become one of their lease units.

Ohio River Scenic Railway is headquartered out of Tell City, Indiana and they run through Perry and Spencer Counties in southern Indiana on the weekends. For more and updated information visit their website at https://www.ohiorivertrain.com/ and take a ride behind this beautiful locomotive!

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

Northbound Paducah and Louisville Railway LG1 at Rosine, Ky Paducah and Louisville Railway 4516 and 2012 lead a loaded Louisville Gas and Electric (LG1) loaded coal train through the cut just north of Rosine, Kentucky as it makes its way toward Louisville on April 14th, 2021. 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 Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 100.

Northbound Paducah and Louisville Railway LG1 at Rosine, Ky

Paducah and Louisville Railway 4516 and 2012 lead a loaded Louisville Gas and Electric (LG1) loaded coal train through the cut just north of Rosine, Kentucky as it makes its way toward Louisville on April 14th, 2021.

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 Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 100.

Monticello Railway Museum's Southern 401 I’ve missed photographing steam last year and today I thought I’d share this shot from May 18, 2018 of Monticello Railway Museum's Southern 401 pulling into the depot at Monticello, Illinois, during Southern Rail Production's Photo Charter event. The engine is a 2-8-0 Consolidation class locomotive built for Southern Railway by Baldwin locomotive works in 1907. With the two shots under my belt, (not booze LOL) I’ve finally made plans for a 4-day trip to Strasburg, PA for a steam photo charter event there in November and planning for a trip to Chattanooga to chase steam there before that. Looking forward to both trips!! Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70mm @ 65mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 280.

Monticello Railway Museum’s Southern 401

I’ve missed photographing steam last year and today I thought I’d share this shot from May 18, 2018 of Monticello Railway Museum’s Southern 401 pulling into the depot at Monticello, Illinois, during Southern Rail Production’s Photo Charter event. The engine is a 2-8-0 Consolidation class locomotive built for Southern Railway by Baldwin locomotive works in 1907.

With the two shots under my belt, (not booze LOL) I’ve finally made plans for a 4-day trip to Strasburg, PA for a steam photo charter event there in November and planning for a trip to Chattanooga to chase steam there before that. Looking forward to both trips!!

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70mm @ 65mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 280.

Waiting for a crew at the TVA Shawnee Power Plant, West Paducah, KY An empty Burlington Northern Santa Fe coal train, with BNSF 6098 leading, sits tied down at the gate to the TVA Shawnee Power Plant, West Paducah, KY after dropping off a load of coal to the plant on April 3rd, 2021. Now it waits for a fresh crew to take the empty train back for another load of coal. Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 250.

Waiting for a crew at the TVA Shawnee Power Plant, West Paducah, KY

An empty Burlington Northern Santa Fe coal train, with BNSF 6098 leading, sits tied down at the gate to the TVA Shawnee Power Plant, West Paducah, KY after dropping off a load of coal to the plant on April 3rd, 2021. Now it waits for a fresh crew to take the empty train back for another load of coal.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 250.

Canadian National 3188 southbound with a load of ethanol Beautiful day, beautiful sunlight, signs of spring, Canadian National Railways 3188 leading a loaded ethanol train and a nice curve makes for a great picture as it heads south out of Fulton, Tennessee on the Fulton Subdivision on April 3rd, 2021. Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 500mm, f/6, 1/1000, ISO 220.

Canadian National 3188 southbound with a load of ethanol

Beautiful day, beautiful sunlight, signs of spring, Canadian National Railways 3188 leading a loaded ethanol train and a nice curve makes for a great picture as it heads south out of Fulton, Tennessee on the Fulton Subdivision on April 3rd, 2021.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 500mm, f/6, 1/1000, ISO 220.

RJ Corman Wye Work at Woodburn, Ky Fellow railfan Cooper Smith and I really lucked out when we railfanned the RJ Corman Memphis line on April 14th, 2021. We caught the northbound RJC ML25 at South Union, Kentucky and chased it up to the RJ Corman Distribution Center at Woodburn, Ky. After dropping their power on the wye and pulling one unit off they moved it on north and I got this shot of it just passing the switch before it was put in the track on the right! The train on the left then came out on the main and backed down on the main to pickup the cars and it continued north as MR25 to Louisville. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

RJ Corman Wye Work at Woodburn, Ky

Fellow railfan Cooper Smith and I really lucked out when we railfanned the RJ Corman Memphis line on April 14th, 2021. We caught the northbound RJC MR25 at South Union, Kentucky and chased it up to the RJ Corman Distribution Center at Woodburn, Ky.

After dropping their power on the wye and pulling one unit off they moved it on north and I got this shot of it just passing the switch before it was put in the track on the right! The train on the left then came out on the main and backed down on the main to pickup the cars and it continued north to Bowling Green, Ky.

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

Norfolk Southern 4334 and 4433 Southbound at Monarch, Madisonville, Ky Thanks to a heads up from good friend Bill Grady I found out this southbound NS empty coal train was coming out of Louisville, Ky and heading down the Paducah and Louisville Railway to pickup a load of coal from Warrior Coal at Madisonville, Ky. It left Louisville around midnight and I wasn't sure if I'd catch it on its way to the loadout, but I was fortunate enough to catch it passing over the CSX Henderson Subdivision at Monarch in Madisonville, Ky on April 20th, 2021. I was surprised to see it arrive with a single unit leading the train and the two units on the rear acting as DPUs. They do this from time to time when the train is empty and after it loads, what was the DPUs on the Southbound run become the lead units when it heads back north. One of these days I'll catch a scene here with trains on both tracks! I'm still working on it! Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

Norfolk Southern 4334 and 4433 Southbound at Monarch, Madisonville, Ky

Thanks to a heads up from good friend Bill Grady I found out this southbound NS empty coal train was coming out of Louisville, Ky and heading down the Paducah and Louisville Railway to pickup a load of coal from Warrior Coal at Madisonville, Ky.

It left Louisville around midnight and I wasn’t sure if I’d catch it on its way to the loadout, but I was fortunate enough to catch it passing over the CSX Henderson Subdivision at Monarch in Madisonville, Ky on April 20th, 2021.

I was surprised to see it arrive with a single unit leading the train and the two units on the rear acting as DPUs. They do this from time to time when the train is empty and after it loads, what was the DPUs on the Southbound run become the lead units when it heads back north.

One of these days I’ll catch a scene here with trains on both tracks! I’m still working on it!

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

CSX K443 southbound at Hopkinsville, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision A fellow railfan Frank Knight sent me a heads up on this train as it passed through Henderson, Ky early this morning on April 22nd, 2021 and here we find it passing the old Louisville and Nashville Depot in downtown Hopkinsville, Kentucky with BNSF 5202 and KCS 4677 leading a loaded ethanol train south. I tried catching this train at the south end of Slaughters, Hanson and at Nortonville, but ended up arriving at each of my spots as the train was passing through them! It seemed like every traffic light was red and every car that drove 10mph under the speed limit was between me and my next spot!! It happens sometimes and while I didn't get the shots I wanted at each of those locations, I did at several others! Sometimes you must be persistent! Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

CSX K443 southbound at Hopkinsville, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision

A fellow railfan Frank Knight sent me a heads up on this train as it passed through Henderson, Ky early this morning on April 22nd, 2021 and here we find it passing the old Louisville and Nashville Depot in downtown Hopkinsville, Kentucky with BNSF 5202 and KCS 4677 leading a loaded ethanol train south.

I tried catching this train at the south end of Slaughters, Hanson and at Nortonville, but ended up arriving at each of my spots as the train was passing through them! It seemed like every traffic light was red and every car that drove 10mph under the speed limit was between me and my next spot!! It happens sometimes and while I didn’t get the shots I wanted at each of those locations, I did at several others! Sometimes you must be persistent!

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

NS 224 WB meets NS 167 WB at East Junction, Princeton, Indiana Norfolk Southern Intermodal NS 224 heads east as it passes westbound NS 167 at East Junction as the two trains meet in Princeton, Indiana on April 21st, 2021 on the NS Southern East/West District. BUGX 1752, a former Canadian National FP9A unit, which was recently sold by Pioneer RailCorp affiliate Keokuk Junction Railway, trails as the last of 7 units 167 after it worked at the Princeton Yard, dropping off and picking up. BUGX 1752 was on the final leg of its journey to a new home at the Ohio River Scenic Railway in Tell City, Indiana, where it will power their tourist line trains that run through Perry and Spencer Counties in southern Indiana and I'm told that its first revenue run on the tourist line will be on April 24th, 2021 at 1pm. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 100.

NS 224 WB meets NS 167 EB at East Junction, Princeton, Indiana

Norfolk Southern Intermodal NS 224 heads west as it passes eastbound NS 167 at East Junction as the two trains meet in Princeton, Indiana on April 21st, 2021 on the NS Southern East/West District.

BUGX 1752, a former Canadian National FP9A unit, which was recently sold by Pioneer RailCorp affiliate Keokuk Junction Railway, trails as the last of 7 units 167 after it worked at the Princeton Yard, dropping off and picking up.

BUGX 1752 was on the final leg of its journey to a new home at the Ohio River Scenic Railway in Tell City, Indiana, where it will power their tourist line trains that run through Perry and Spencer Counties in southern Indiana and I’m told that its first revenue run on the tourist line will be on April 24th, 2021 at 1pm.

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

CN 5761 headed south at Fulton, Kentucky On April 3rd, 2021 Canadian National 5761 pulls away from the fuel racks on the CN Bluford Subdivision, as it passes the fuel racks on the CN Cairo Subdivision, on its way south with a manifest at Fulton, Kentucky as the last bit of sunlight rakes across the scene. The tracks on the other side of the engine are the West Tennessee Railroad, which interchanges with the CN here at Fulton. Fulton is also an Amtrak intercity train stop where the station is a flag stop on the City of New Orleans route, served only when passengers have tickets to and from the station. This is an unstaffed station; there is no agent and no assistance, and it normally passes through here in the dark. Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 550mm, f/8.5, 1/400, ISO 500.

CN 5761 headed south at Fulton, Kentucky

On April 3rd, 2021 Canadian National 5761 pulls away from the fuel racks on the CN Bluford Subdivision, as it passes the fuel racks on the CN Cairo Subdivision, on its way south with a manifest at Fulton, Kentucky as the last bit of sunlight rakes across the scene. The tracks on the other side of the engine are the West Tennessee Railroad, which interchanges with the CN here at Fulton.

Fulton is also an Amtrak intercity train stop where the station is a flag stop on the City of New Orleans route, served only when passengers have tickets to and from the station. This is an unstaffed station; there is no agent and no assistance, and it normally passes through here in the dark.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 550mm, f/8.5, 1/400, ISO 500.

BUGX on the move! BUGX 1752, a former Canadian National FP9A unit, which was recently sold by Pioneer RailCorp affiliate Keokuk Junction Railway, trails as the last unit on Norfolk Southern Railways train 167 as it sits at "Smoot" just west of Princeton, Indiana on April 21st, 2021, waiting to meet two eastbound trains on the NS Southern East/West District. The unit was on the final leg of its journey to a new home at the Ohio Scenic Railway in Tell City, Indiana, where it will power their tourist line trains that runs through Perry and Spencer Counties in southern Indiana. This was without a doubt the longest and shortest chase I've done in a long time! I started from my home in Richland, KY to travel to Princeton, IN to meet up with fellow railfan Ryan Scott to catch this train. Well, after the 1.5hr drive and hoping I hadn't missed it, I finally linked up with Ryan, who had been sitting a couple hours west of Princeton, waiting to catch it also! Well, needless to say, we were worried that we'd missed it somehow as it was last reported around Centralia, IL at 8am and the trip to Princeton normally takes a couple hours and by the time I linked up with Ryan it had been close to 4! Ryan jumped in with me (I like to drive) and we decided to head west looking for the train and low and behold, we found it in the siding at Smoot, just west of town! Well, it sat there for two west bounds before it headed into the yard for a crew change at Ohio Street. After the crew change, they had to do their work, where they dropped off one engine, picked up three more and then two exceptionally long stings of cars! Needless to say, it was 6pm before they finished their work, moved to East Junction where they where they had to wait for two more west bounds!! A total of 6 hours to move about 6 miles, but finally they made their way out of town to Huntingburg where they dropped of the FP9A unit for a local to take it to Tell City. Some days railfanning is like this! Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100.

BUGX on the move!

BUGX 1752, a former Canadian National FP9A unit, which was recently sold by Pioneer RailCorp affiliate Keokuk Junction Railway, trails as the last unit on Norfolk Southern Railways train 167 as it sits at “Smoot” just west of Princeton, Indiana on April 21st, 2021, waiting to meet two eastbound trains on the NS Southern East/West District.

The unit was on the final leg of its journey to a new home at the Ohio River Scenic Railway in Tell City, Indiana, where it will power their tourist line trains that runs through Perry and Spencer Counties in southern Indiana.

This was without a doubt the longest and shortest chase I’ve done in a long time!

I started from my home in Richland, KY to travel to Princeton, IN to meet up with fellow railfan Ryan Scott to catch this train. Well, after the 1.5hr drive and hoping I hadn’t missed it, I finally linked up with Ryan, who had been sitting a couple hours west of Princeton, waiting to catch it also!

Well, needless to say, we were worried that we’d missed it somehow as it was last reported around Centralia, IL at 8am and the trip to Princeton normally takes a couple hours and by the time I linked up with Ryan it had been close to 4!

Ryan jumped in with me (I like to drive) and we decided to head west looking for the train and low and behold, we found it in the siding at Smoot, just west of town!

Well, it sat there for two west bounds before it headed into the yard for a crew change at Ohio Street. After the crew change, they had to do their work, where they dropped off one engine, picked up three more and then two exceptionally long stings of cars! Needless to say, it was 6pm before they finished their work, moved to East Junction where they where they had to wait for two more west bounds!! A total of 6 hours to move about 6 miles, but finally they made their way out of town to Huntingburg where they dropped of the FP9A unit for a local to take it to Tell City. Some days railfanning is like this!

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100.

A rainbow of power waits at Kelly, Ky for a loaded coal to pass The early morning sun sends shadows and beautiful light across this scene, as CSX K442-19 waits in the siding at the north end of the siding at Kelly, Kentucky, with Canadian Pacific 8519, 9359, KCS 4699 and Ferromex 4054 as power, for loaded CSX coal train N040 to clear the way on April 20th, 2021. K442 was a combined empty ethanol train, heading back north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision with a length of 12,500 feet and with that length, there were only a few places along the line between Nashville, TN and Evansville, IN where they could meet other trains, and Kelly siding is one of those spots. I’d been following the progress of this train for a couple days and thanks to a heads up from fellow railfan Reed Reding about it being north of Nashville and then another railfan, Steve Miller that it was passing through Hopkinsville, Ky I decided it was time to get dressed (about 7:30am) and head south to find this interesting move! About 20 miles later I found it waiting in the siding at Kelly in plenty of time to catch it and then chase it back to Madisonville, catching it a few more times! Thanks to Reed and Steve, along with all the other railfans along the lines with updates!! This shot wouldn’t have happened without you!! Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

A rainbow of power waits at Kelly, Ky for a loaded coal to pass

The early morning sun sends shadows and beautiful light across this scene, as CSX K442-19 waits in the siding at the north end of the siding at Kelly, Kentucky, with Canadian Pacific 8519, 9359, KCS 4699 and Ferromex 4054 as power, for loaded CSX coal train N040 to clear the way on April 20th, 2021.

K442 was a combined empty ethanol train, heading back north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision with a length of 12,500 feet and with that length, there were only a few places along the line between Nashville, TN and Evansville, IN where they could meet other trains, and Kelly siding is one of those spots.

I’d been following the progress of this train for a couple days and thanks to a heads up from fellow railfan Reed Reding about it being north of Nashville and then another railfan, Steve Miller that it was passing through Hopkinsville, Ky I decided it was time to get dressed (about 7:30am) and head south to find this interesting move! About 20 miles later I found it waiting in the siding at Kelly in plenty of time to catch it and then chase it back to Madisonville, catching it a few more times!

Thanks to Reed and Steve, along with all the other railfans along the lines with updates!! This shot wouldn’t have happened without you!!

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

Two way meet at Courland, TN on the CSX Henderson Subdivision A southbound CSX K423 passes a northbound CSX E002 at Courtland, Tennessee as they head their separate ways on the Henderson Subdivision on April 19th, 2021. The southbound K423 was headed up by a SD40-2 leading, with two Canadian Pacific units, pulling a loaded ethanol train and the NB E002 was a 12,500ft empty coal train (actually two trains joined together) with two DPUs in the middle. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

Two way meet at Courland, TN on the CSX Henderson Subdivision

A southbound CSX K443 passes a northbound CSX E002 at Courtland, Tennessee as they head their separate ways on the Henderson Subdivision on April 19th, 2021.

The southbound K443 was headed up by a SD40-2 leading, with two Canadian Pacific units, pulling a loaded ethanol train and the NB E002 was a 12,500ft empty coal train (actually two trains joined together) with two DPUs in the middle.

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

Northbound Autorack on the CSX Mainline at Elizabethtown, KY I totally enjoy exploring new territory when it comes to railfanning and such was the case here on the CSX Mainline Subdivision, with fellow railfan and navigator, Cooper Smith on April 14th, 2021. Here we find CSXT 3005 leading autorack Q202 northbound through Elizabethtown, Ky on the CSX Mainline Subdivision. This sub runs between Nashville, TN and Louisville, Ky and while I have railfanned it before, it has been several years and I’ve really only explored it around the Bowling Green, Ky area. Cooper and I actually tried to catch this train at a crossing at the other end, but we saw where another autorack was in the siding and thought we’d go find the next crossing to get a shot of this passing the other. However, if you notice way down the track to the left where the other train sets, it has no power, plus it’s further back than we thought it’d be. Even with my long lens if it had power on it I don’t think it would have mattered. As it was this was shot at 850mm at over ¼ mile away. Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm with a 1.4 teleconverter @ 850mm, f/9, 1/640, ISO 1100.

Northbound Autorack on the CSX Mainline at Elizabethtown, KY

I totally enjoy exploring new territory when it comes to railfanning and such was the case here on the CSX Mainline Subdivision, with fellow railfan and navigator, Cooper Smith on April 14th, 2021.

Here we find CSXT 3005 leading autorack Q202 northbound through Elizabethtown, Ky on the CSX Mainline Subdivision. This sub runs between Nashville, TN and Louisville, Ky and while I have railfanned it before, it has been several years and I’ve really only explored it around the Bowling Green, Ky area.

Cooper and I actually tried to catch this train at a crossing at the other end, but we saw where another autorack was in the siding and thought we’d go find the next crossing to get a shot of this passing the other. However, if you notice way down the track to the left where the other train sets, it has no power, plus it’s further back than we thought it’d be. Even with my long lens if it had power on it I don’t think it would have mattered. As it was this was shot at 850mm at over ¼ mile away.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm with a 1.4 teleconverter @ 850mm, f/9, 1/640, ISO 1100.

Paducah and Louisville LG1 northbound at Summit, Kentucky I love a spot that allows for good use of leading lines in a photograph, such as this shot! Here, Paducah and Louisville 4516 and 2012 lead loaded coal train LG1 (Louisville Gas & Electric) as they make their way through Summit, Kentucky on April 14th, 2021 on the way to the LG power plant at Louisville, Ky. Judging from the right of way, maintenance of way crews are preparing to replace ties and rails in the curves here, which is a never-ending job on the railroad! From 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 line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986. The 223-mile 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 double track nearly 20 miles 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 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: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 290mm, f/7.6, 1/640, ISO 1800.

Paducah and Louisville LG1 northbound at Summit, Kentucky

I love a spot that allows for good use of leading lines in a photograph, such as this shot! Here, Paducah and Louisville 4516 and 2012 lead loaded coal train LG1 (Louisville Gas & Electric) as they make their way through Summit, Kentucky on April 14th, 2021 on the way to the LG power plant at Louisville, Ky.

Judging from the right of way, maintenance of way crews are preparing to replace ties and rails in the curves here, which is a never-ending job on the railroad!

From 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 line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986. The 223-mile 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 double track nearly 20 miles 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 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: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 290mm, f/7.6, 1/640, ISO 1800.

CSXT 5461 Seaboard System Railroad sticker unit works at Bowling Green, Ky On April 14th, 2021, my self and fellow railfan Cooper Smith spent the day chasing trains on the RJ Corman Memphis Line, the Paducah and Louisville Railway and the CSX Mainline Subdivision, when we I caught this shot of CSX Q587 working out of the south end of the CSX Memphis Junction Yard at Bowling Green, Kentucky on the CSX Mainline Subdivision. This unit carries the Seaboard System Railroad sticker, which is one of the many railroads CSXT has absorbed over the years. I along with many others wish CSXT would go a bit further like many other railroads and would paint some of their units in the roads they’ve acquired over the years. I haven’t really railfanned the Memphis line a lot over the years, despite it being only about 1.5 hours from my home, but with the success from this trip that will probably change! In fact, this circuit proved to be so well, I think it’ll become a frequent one in my railfanning. The Mainline subdivision runs from Nashville, TN, to Louisville, KY. The RJ Corman Memphis Line runs from Cumberland City, TN and Bowling Green, KY and the Paducah and Louisville Railway runs between Paducah and Louisville, Ky. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

CSXT 5461 Seaboard System Railroad sticker unit works at Bowling Green, Ky

On April 14th, 2021, my self and fellow railfan Cooper Smith spent the day chasing trains on the RJ Corman Memphis Line, the Paducah and Louisville Railway and the CSX Mainline Subdivision, when we I caught this shot of CSX Q587 working out of the south end of the CSX Memphis Junction Yard at Bowling Green, Kentucky on the CSX Mainline Subdivision.

This unit carries the Seaboard System Railroad sticker, which is one of the many railroads CSXT has absorbed over the years. I along with many others wish CSXT would go a bit further like many other railroads and would paint some of their units in the roads they’ve acquired over the years.

I haven’t really railfanned the Memphis line a lot over the years, despite it being only about 1.5 hours from my home, but with the success from this trip that will probably change! In fact, this circuit proved to be so well, I think it’ll become a frequent one in my railfanning.

The Mainline subdivision runs from Nashville, TN, to Louisville, KY. The RJ Corman Memphis Line runs from Cumberland City, TN and Bowling Green, KY and the Paducah and Louisville Railway runs between Paducah and Louisville, Ky.

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

The waiting game and a very long lens! On April 14th, 2021 RJ Corman 3801 sits on top of the rise coming north out of their Russellville, Kentucky Distribution Center as they work on connecting to the rest of their train, MR25, in preparation to head north toward Louisville, Kentucky. This shot illustrates just why I really enjoy my long telephoto lens!! This was shot from a public crossing probably ½ mile away from the train sitting here on top of the rise in a small cut and a tunnel of trees! There’s no way I could get this shot and this look without a long lens! It was shot with my Sigma 150-600mm lens with a Sigma 1.4 teleconverter at 850mm!! Having a long lens as part of your camera kit is a must! Also, what you can’t see from this show was just behind me at the crossing, which was a loaded ALCAN train with RJC 3837 leading, that was waiting on the main to head on south after MR25 cleared the tracks. That shot and a video will be coming in the next week, so stay tuned! Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm with a 1.4 teleconverter @ 850mm, f/9, 1/1000, ISO 1400.

The waiting game and a very long lens!

On April 14th, 2021 RJ Corman 3801 sits on top of the rise coming north out of their Russellville, Kentucky Distribution Center as they work on connecting to the rest of their train, MR25, in preparation to head north toward Louisville, Kentucky.

This shot illustrates just why I really enjoy my long telephoto lens!! This was shot from a public crossing probably ½ mile away from the train sitting here on top of the rise in a small cut and a tunnel of trees! There’s no way I could get this shot and this look without a long lens! It was shot with my Sigma 150-600mm lens with a Sigma 1.4 teleconverter at 850mm!! Having a long lens as part of your camera kit is a must!

Also, what you can’t see from this show was just behind me at the crossing, which was a loaded ALCAN train with RJC 3837 leading, that was waiting on the main to head on south after MR25 cleared the tracks. That shot and a video will be coming in the next week, so stay tuned!

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm with a 1.4 teleconverter @ 850mm, f/9, 1/1000, ISO 1400.

Even after 50 years as a professional photographer and being published a lot, it's always still a nice feeling to see my picture in a magazine for the first time! I have the honor of having my Ohio River Flooding photo in the May issue of Railfan and Railroad! This is my first published photo in their magazine and thanks to Otto and the crew for selecting it for publication!

Always feels great to be in print!

Even after 50 years as a professional photographer and being published a lot, it’s always still a nice feeling to see my picture in a magazine for the first time! I have the honor of having my Ohio River Flooding photo in the May issue of Railfan and Railroad! This is my first published photo in their magazine and thanks to Otto and the crew for selecting it for publication!

CSX Q025 Southbound prepares to cross the Ohio River On March 10th, 2021 CSX hot intermodal Q025 pulls up the final stretch of the viaduct as it prepares to cross over the Ohio River bridge at Henderson, Kentucky as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision from Rahm, Indiana. According to Wikipedia: The Henderson Bridge is a railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River between Henderson, Kentucky and Vanderburgh County, Indiana and the bridge is owned by CSX Transportation. The original bridge was constructed in 1884 to 1885 by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad at a cost of $2,000,000. The single-tracked bridge is approximately 3,686 feet long, and its longest span, at 525 feet, was reputed to be the longest trestle span in the world at that time. The bridge runs from the northern edge of Main Street in Henderson to the low water mark on the Indiana side, resting on 15 stone piers. It was designed to carry two 118,000-pound engines followed by 60,000-pound coal tenders, and its maximum uniform load capacity was 2,500 pounds per foot. A crowd of 8,000 watched the first train cross the bridge on July 13, 1885. Prior to the opening of the bridge, railroad passengers and freight had to be transferred to a ferry for the river crossing. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

CSX Q025 Southbound prepares to cross the Ohio River

On March 10th, 2021 CSX hot intermodal Q025 pulls up the final stretch of the viaduct as it prepares to cross over the Ohio River bridge at Henderson, Kentucky as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision from Rahm, Indiana.

According to Wikipedia: The Henderson Bridge is a railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River between Henderson, Kentucky and Vanderburgh County, Indiana and the bridge is owned by CSX Transportation. The original bridge was constructed in 1884 to 1885 by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad at a cost of $2,000,000 (It stood to the left where the pier is at).

The (Current bridge was built in 1932) single-tracked bridge is approximately 3,686 feet long, and its longest span, at 525 feet, was reputed to be the longest trestle span in the world at that time. The bridge runs from the northern edge of Main Street in Henderson to the low water mark on the Indiana side, resting on 15 stone piers.

The original bridge was designed to carry two 118,000-pound engines followed by 60,000-pound coal tenders, and its maximum uniform load capacity was 2,500 pounds per foot.

A crowd of 8,000 watched the first train cross the original bridge on July 13, 1885. Prior to the opening of the bridge, railroad passengers and freight had to be transferred to a ferry for the river crossing.

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

RJ Corman northbound at South Union, Kentucky on the Memphis Line With the exhaust flowing behind the train, RJ Corman’s 3803, 3863 and 3837 lead MR22 northbound on April 14th, 2021 as they pass the 1869 Shaker Tavern at South Union, Kentucky on an overcast spring day. Their next stop is the RJ Corman Railroad Distribution Center outside Russellville, Ky where they cut off this power and another train set combined its train with it and took the train on north on the Memphis Line. According to Roadtrippers.com: “The Shaker Tavern, built in 1869 as a business venture for the South Union Shakers, housed a hotel for the "people of the world." The Shakers leased the building to an outside interest for one hundred dollars a month, leaving its management to the "world." The Shaker Tavern maintained a thriving business for more than forty years, catering to the Victorian railroad travelers who stopped at South Union. The building's architectural features were clearly incorporated to attract the world's people, whose tastes differed dramatically from that of the Shakers. The stark simplicity of the buildings used by the Shakers contrasts greatly with the grand columned facade, intricate brickwork, and the ornate staircase of the Shaker Tavern.” Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 100.

RJ Corman northbound at South Union, Kentucky on the Memphis Line

With the exhaust flowing behind the train, RJ Corman’s 3803, 3863 and 3837 lead MR22 northbound on April 14th, 2021 as they pass the 1869 Shaker Tavern at South Union, Kentucky on an overcast spring day. Their next stop is the RJ Corman Railroad Distribution Center outside Russellville, Ky where they cut off this power and another train set combined its train with it and took the train on north on the Memphis Line.

According to Roadtrippers.com: “The Shaker Tavern, built in 1869 as a business venture for the South Union Shakers, housed a hotel for the “people of the world.” The Shakers leased the building to an outside interest for one hundred dollars a month, leaving its management to the “world.” The Shaker Tavern maintained a thriving business for more than forty years, catering to the Victorian railroad travelers who stopped at South Union. The building’s architectural features were clearly incorporated to attract the world’s people, whose tastes differed dramatically from that of the Shakers. The stark simplicity of the buildings used by the Shakers contrasts greatly with the grand columned facade, intricate brickwork, and the ornate staircase of the Shaker Tavern.”

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

Heading south at Poorhouse CSXT 970 leads Q503 southbound on April 9th, 2021, on a beautiful spring afternoon, as it heads through the location on the Henderson Subdivision that is called “Poorhouse” by the railroad crews. The name stems back to the days when the poorhouse for the community of Madisonville, Kentucky used to be close to this location in the days of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.

Heading south at Poorhouse

CSXT 970 leads Q503 southbound on April 9th, 2021, on a beautiful spring afternoon, as it heads through the location on the Henderson Subdivision that is called “Poorhouse” by the railroad crews. The name stems back to the days when the poorhouse for the community of Madisonville, Kentucky used to be close to this location in the days of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.

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