September 4, 2019 - The last glow of the day starts to fade from the sky a crews get things ready for a night photo shoot in Duluth, Minnesota at a recent photo charter at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. 

Locomotives from left, Minnesota Steel #7 a 0-4-0ST "Tank Engine" built by Porter in 1915; Soo Line #2719, Duluth, Missabe a Class H-23, 4-6-2 "Pacific" built by ALCO in 1923;   Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway #332 a  2-8-0 consolidation class built by Pittsburg Works in 1906 and Duluth & Northern Minnesota #14 a 2-8-2 "Mikado" built by Baldwin in 1913.

The last glow of the day starts to fade from the sky…

September 4, 2019 – The last glow of the day starts to fade from the sky a crews get things ready for a night photo shoot in Duluth, Minnesota at a recent photo charter at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

Locomotives from left, Minnesota Steel #7 a 0-4-0ST “Tank Engine” built by Porter in 1915; Soo Line #2719, Duluth, Missabe a Class H-23, 4-6-2 “Pacific” built by ALCO in 1923; Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway #332 a 2-8-0 consolidation class built by Pittsburg Works in 1906 and Duluth & Northern Minnesota #14 a 2-8-2 “Mikado” built by Baldwin in 1913.

September 21, 2019 - Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593, heads into a curve at Chattanooga, Tennessee as it heads south to Chickamauga, GA, during the 2019 L&N Convention.

Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593…

September 21, 2019 – Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593, heads into a curve at Chattanooga, Tennessee as it heads south to Chickamauga, GA, during the 2019 L&N Convention.

September 28, 2019 - CSXT 3201 leads Q503-27 as it crests the hill at the north end of Crofton Siding as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision at Crofton, Ky in the early morning light.

CSXT 3201 leads Q503-27 as it crests the hill…

September 28, 2019 – CSXT 3201 leads Q503-27 as it crests the hill at the north end of Crofton Siding as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision at Crofton, Ky in the early morning light.

September 22, 2019 - CSX W032-17, with CSXT 4062 a SD40-3 leading, meets a northbound Q581 at Sherwood, Tennessee, as it heads north on the Chattanooga Subdivision with a load of MOW equipment.

CSX W032-17, with CSXT 4062 a SD40-3 leading…

September 22, 2019 – CSX W032-17, with CSXT 4062 a SD40-3 leading, meets a northbound Q581 at Sherwood, Tennessee, as it heads north on the Chattanooga Subdivision with a load of MOW equipment.

September 21, 2019 - Somewhere on the ground behind remotely controlled engine NS 6181 stands a remote operator that is working on building a train as one of the towers at NS DeButts Yard and the train is bathed in the late evening light at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Remotely controlled engine NS 6181 at Chattanooga, TN

September 21, 2019 – Somewhere on the ground behind remotely controlled engine NS 6181 stands a remote operator that is working on building a train as one of the towers at NS DeButts Yard and the train is bathed in the late evening light at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

September 5, 2019 - The Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332 steam locomotive from the Lake Superior Railroad Museum passes over the Big Sucker Creek Trestle, on the North Shore Line, as it pulls a photo excursion freight train north toward Twin Harbors from Duluth, Minnesota.

According to Wikipedia: Duluth & Northeastern 28 (also known as Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332) is a restored 2-8-0 (consolidation) locomotive built in 1906 by the Pittsburgh Works of American Locomotive Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was restored to operating condition by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum from 2011-2017, and now operates in excursion service on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332 passes over the Big Sucker Creek Trestle

September 5, 2019 – The Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332 steam locomotive from the Lake Superior Railroad Museum passes over the Big Sucker Creek Trestle, on the North Shore Line, as it pulls a photo excursion freight train north toward Twin Harbors from Duluth, Minnesota.

According to Wikipedia: Duluth & Northeastern 28 (also known as Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 332) is a restored 2-8-0 (consolidation) locomotive built in 1906 by the Pittsburgh Works of American Locomotive Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was restored to operating condition by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum from 2011-2017, and now operates in excursion service on the North Shore Scenic Railroad.

September 4, 2019 - Part of the photo line during the night photo shoot in Duluth, Minnesota at a recent photo charter at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum on the North Shore Line.

The Photo Line!!

September 4, 2019 – Part of the photo line during the night photo shoot in Duluth, Minnesota at a recent photo charter at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum on the North Shore Line. I really enjoy taking part in photo charters! They give you an opportunity to photograph trains in spots that would otherwise be unavailable.

September 20, 2019 - CSX empty coal train E303 heads across the liftbridge at Bridgeport, Alabama as it heads north over the Tennessee River on the Chattanooga Subdivision. From what I can find on the web, "The original span was a swing type drawbridge constructed in 1852 by the Nashville & Chattanooga RR. That structure was replaced in 1890 by another swing type by successor line Louisville & Nashville. Current span was completed in 1981. The central lift section was taken from another bridge that had been abandoned on an L&N line at Danville, TN. It was dismantled, shipped to this site, and reassembled in place."

CSX empty coal train E303 heads across the liftbridge…

September 20, 2019 – CSX empty coal train E303 heads across the liftbridge at Bridgeport, Alabama as it heads north over the Tennessee River on the Chattanooga Subdivision. From what I can find on the web, “The original span was a swing type drawbridge constructed in 1852 by the Nashville & Chattanooga RR. That structure was replaced in 1890 by another swing type by successor line Louisville & Nashville. Current span was completed in 1981. The central lift section was taken from another bridge that had been abandoned on an L&N line at Danville, TN. It was dismantled, shipped to this site, and reassembled in place.”

September 21, 2019 - A NS mixed freight slowly makes its way through DeButts Yard at Chattanooga, Tennessee with a Caterpillar Earth Mover High and Wide Load on its way south on the CNO&TP Third District.

A NS mixed freight slowly makes its way…

September 21, 2019 – A NS mixed freight slowly makes its way through DeButts Yard at Chattanooga, Tennessee with a Caterpillar Earth Mover High and Wide Load on its way south on the CNO&TP Third District.

September 22, 2019 - The early morning sunlight bathes the nose of BNSF 5749 as it makes its way past NS DeButts Yard at Chattanooga, Tennessee with a loaded coal train as it heads along the CNO&TP Third District.

According to Wikipedia: The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (abbreviated: CNO&TP; (reporting mark CNTP)) is a railroad that runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, forming part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system.

The physical assets of the road were initially financed by the city of Cincinnati in the 1870s, and are still owned by the city. It is the only such long-distance railway owned by a municipality in the United States. The CNO&TP continues to lease that property and operates one rail line, the Cincinnati Southern Railway, between Cincinnati and Chattanooga.

The early morning sunlight bathes the nose of BNSF 5749…

September 22, 2019 – The early morning sunlight bathes the nose of BNSF 5749 as it makes its way past NS DeButts Yard at Chattanooga, Tennessee with a loaded coal train as it heads along the CNO&TP Third District.

According to Wikipedia: The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (abbreviated: CNO&TP; (reporting mark CNTP)) is a railroad that runs from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, forming part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system.

The physical assets of the road were initially financed by the city of Cincinnati in the 1870s, and are still owned by the city. It is the only such long-distance railway owned by a municipality in the United States. The CNO&TP continues to lease that property and operates one rail line, the Cincinnati Southern Railway, between Cincinnati and Chattanooga.

September 22, 2019 - CSX W032-17, with CSXT 4062 a SD40-3 leading, passes the depot at Stevenson, Alabama as it heads north on the Chattanooga Subdivision with a load of MOW equipment.

According to Wikipedia: The Stevenson Railroad Depot and Hotel are a historic train station and hotel in Stevenson, Alabama. They were built circa 1872 as a joint project of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad and the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, whose lines converged in Stevenson. When the Memphis & Charleston was purchased by the Southern Railway in 1898, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (who had taken over the N&C in 1880) took sole control of the depot and operated it until 1976. 

It was converted into a history museum in 1982. Both buildings are brick with gable roofs and Italianate details. The depot has a central, second-story tower that was added in 1887. The three-story hotel had a lobby, dining room, and kitchen on the first floor and eight large guest rooms on the upper floors. The buildings were listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1975 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The building is now operated as the Stevenson Railroad Depot Museum and features area railroad and Civil War artifacts

CSX W032-17, with CSXT 4062 a SD40-3 leading…

September 22, 2019 – CSX W032-17, with CSXT 4062 a SD40-3 leading, passes the depot at Stevenson, Alabama as it heads north on the Chattanooga Subdivision with a load of MOW equipment.

According to Wikipedia: The Stevenson Railroad Depot and Hotel are a historic train station and hotel in Stevenson, Alabama. They were built circa 1872 as a joint project of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad and the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, whose lines converged in Stevenson. When the Memphis & Charleston was purchased by the Southern Railway in 1898, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (who had taken over the N&C in 1880) took sole control of the depot and operated it until 1976.

It was converted into a history museum in 1982. Both buildings are brick with gable roofs and Italianate details. The depot has a central, second-story tower that was added in 1887. The three-story hotel had a lobby, dining room, and kitchen on the first floor and eight large guest rooms on the upper floors. The buildings were listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1975 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The building is now operated as the Stevenson Railroad Depot Museum and features area railroad and Civil War artifacts

September 22, 2019 - Norfolk Southern 1206 leads a early morning mixed freight across the Tenbridge, over the Tennessee River, as it heads south on the CNO&TP Third District at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Norfolk Southern 1206 leads a early morning…

September 22, 2019 – Norfolk Southern 1206 leads a early morning NS 179-21 across the Tenbridge, over the Tennessee River, as it heads south on the CNO&TP Third District at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

WEB-09.21.19 L&N 1593 from overpass, Chickamumga, GA

Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593…

September 21, 2019 – Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593, approaches the Hwy 27 overpass on the Chattanooga & Chickamauga Railroad, as it heads south into Chickamauga, Georgia, during the 2019 L&N Convention, at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

September 20, 2019 - Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593, sits next to Southern 630, during the Annual L&N Convention night shoot, at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593…

September 20, 2019 – Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593, as it sits next to Southern 630, for the Annual L&N Convention, at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee during a night photo shoot.

September 19, 2019 - The sun begins to set over the Paducah and Louisville Railway at the crossing from West Yard in Madisonville, Ky as we approach the first day of fall.

The sun begins to set…

September 19, 2019 – The sun begins to set over the Paducah and Louisville Railway at the crossing from West Yard in Madisonville, Ky as we approach the first day of fall.

September 6, 2019 - Soo Line/Wisconsin Central FP7 Number 2500-A sits in the station at Two Harbors, Minnesota  as the CN yard man and the engineer from our photo excursion train talk on the platform. Everyone from the photo excursion passenger train on the North Shore Scenic Railroad with are off the train shooting their photos of the train set, as we all wait for permission into the CN yard at Two Harbors so our train can be turned and head back to Duluth, Minnesota. 

According to Wikipedia: With steam operations on North American Railroads being converted to diesel operations, Electro-Motive, along with other locomotive builders, began building demonstrator units to be tested by various railroads. Electro-Motive built a set of three FP7 units, 7001 (A-unit) and 7002 & 7003 (B-units). In November 1949, Canadian Pacific Railway tested these units. Canadian Pacific owned most of the Soo Line, and after testing the three demonstrator units, they were sent to the Soo Line.

In April 1950, Soo Line ran the set from Minneapolis, MN to Portal, ND then Duluth, MN to Winnipeg. 7001 hosted the United Kingdom's Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII, in its cab through North Dakota. Soo Line was so impressed with the set, that it purchased them for use on Wisconsin Central. In May 1950, they were delivered as WC 2500-A, 2500-B, and 2501-B.

WC 2500-A often pulled Soo's Laker from Chicago to Duluth. Although numbered as Wisconsin Central, 2500 was painted in Soo Line's maroon and gold scheme. In 1960 Wisconsin Central became part of the Soo Line, and 2500 was repainted into the red and gray Soo Line scheme. When passenger service was discontinued in the 1960s, 2500 was used to pull freight trains.

Soo Line/Wisconsin Central FP7 Number 2500-A…

September 6, 2019 – Soo Line/Wisconsin Central FP7 Number 2500-A sits in the station at Two Harbors, Minnesota as the CN yard man and the engineer from our photo excursion train talk on the platform. Everyone from the photo excursion passenger train on the North Shore Scenic Railroad with are off the train shooting their photos of the train set, as we all wait for permission into the CN yard at Two Harbors so our train can be turned and head back to Duluth, Minnesota.

According to Wikipedia: With steam operations on North American Railroads being converted to diesel operations, Electro-Motive, along with other locomotive builders, began building demonstrator units to be tested by various railroads. Electro-Motive built a set of three FP7 units, 7001 (A-unit) and 7002 & 7003 (B-units). In November 1949, Canadian Pacific Railway tested these units. Canadian Pacific owned most of the Soo Line, and after testing the three demonstrator units, they were sent to the Soo Line.

In April 1950, Soo Line ran the set from Minneapolis, MN to Portal, ND then Duluth, MN to Winnipeg. 7001 hosted the United Kingdom’s Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII, in its cab through North Dakota. Soo Line was so impressed with the set, that it purchased them for use on Wisconsin Central. In May 1950, they were delivered as WC 2500-A, 2500-B, and 2501-B.

WC 2500-A often pulled Soo’s Laker from Chicago to Duluth. Although numbered as Wisconsin Central, 2500 was painted in Soo Line’s maroon and gold scheme. In 1960 Wisconsin Central became part of the Soo Line, and 2500 was repainted into the red and gray Soo Line scheme. When passenger service was discontinued in the 1960s, 2500 was used to pull freight trains.

September 8, 2019 - CTA Blue Line train 117 crests a hill coming out of downtown Chicago, Illinois as it approaches the Damen Station, headed toward O'Hare airport.

CTA Blue Line train 117 crests a hill…

September 8, 2019 – CTA Blue Line train 117 crests a hill coming out of downtown Chicago, Illinois as it approaches the Damen Station, headed toward O’Hare airport.