October 23, 2019 - A crewmember from loaded coal train CSX N013 waves at the engineer on northbound Intermodal CSX Q028 as they meet at Nortonville, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision as he performs a roll by inspection.

A crewmember from loaded coal train CSX N013…

October 23, 2019 – A crewmember from loaded coal train CSX N013 waves at the engineer on northbound Intermodal CSX Q028 as they meet at Nortonville, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision as he performs a roll by inspection.

October 23, 2019 - CSXT 7916 leads loaded ballast train W089 as it pulls onto the Henderson Subdivision main from the siding at the north end of Latham in Hopkinsville, Kentucky as it continues its trip north.

CSXT 7916 leads loaded ballast train…

October 23, 2019 – CSXT 7916 leads loaded ballast train W089 as it pulls onto the Henderson Subdivision main from the siding at the north end of Latham in Hopkinsville, Kentucky as it continues its trip north.

Blast From The Past - 1986 -A night view of the Global Positioning System Satellite dish at 1879th Information Services Squadron, Falcon Air Station, Colorado. - USAF Photo by TSgt. James R. Pearson

Blast From The Past – 1986 -A night view…

Blast From The Past – 1986 -A night view of the Global Positioning System Satellite dish at 1879th Information Services Squadron, Falcon Air Station, Colorado. – USAF Photo by TSgt. James R. Pearson

September 21, 2019 - The John A. Chambliss "TAG 80" (Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railroad) leads, with the Southern 4501 all dressed up as L&N 1593, as it passes the old Peerless Woolen Mills at Chattanooga, Tennessee as it heads north on the Chattanooga & Chickamauga Railroad during the 2019 L&N Convention.

The John A. Chambliss “TAG 80″…

September 21, 2019 – The John A. Chambliss “TAG 80” (Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railroad) leads, with the Southern 4501 all dressed up as L&N 1593, as it passes the old Peerless Woolen Mills at Chattanooga, Tennessee as it heads north on the Chattanooga & Chickamauga Railroad during the 2019 L&N Convention.

Blast From The Past - 1994 - Today's photo serves a dual purpose. It's a photo taken during my military days, but is also my daily train photo. This is a mountain rack railway called the Gornergrat-Bahn as it heads up to Gornergrat from Zermatt, Switzerland, passing the Matterhorn in the background. It was taken during "Operation Deny Flight" which was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mission of the operation to include providing close air support for UN troops in Bosnia and carrying out coercive air strikes against targets in Bosnia. Twelve NATO members contributed forces to the operation and, by its end on 20 December 1995, NATO pilots had flown 100,420 sorties. For 6-months of this operation I was the photo editor for a Combat Camera team that worked out of Aviano, Italy covering the operations. On the weekends, our schedules allowed us some time to travel and on one three day weekend I took the train from Italy to Switzerland and made this photo, along with many other images. According to Wikipedia: The Gornergrat Railway (German: Gornergrat Bahn; GGB) is a mountain rack railway, located in the Swiss canton of Valais. It links the resort village of Zermatt, situated at 1,604 m (5,262 ft) above mean sea level, to the summit of the Gornergrat. The Gornergrat railway station is situated at an altitude of 3,089 m (10,135 ft), which makes the Gornergrat Railway the second highest railway in Europe after the Jungfrau, and the highest open-air railway of the continent. The line opened in 1898, and was the first electric rack railway to be built in Switzerland. The Gornergrat is a starting point for many hikes, as it lies surrounded by 29 peaks rising above 4,000 m (13,123 ft) in the Alps and several glaciers, including the Gorner Glacier (which is billed as the second longest glacier in the Alps). At the end of the line on Gornergrat, the Matterhorn is visible on a clear day. It is also a popular skiing area. Work on the railway started in 1896, five years after the Visp-Zermatt-Bahn had linked Zermatt to Visp and the Rhone Valley. The line opened on August 20, 1898, and was electrified from the start. Initially it only operated in summer, but year-round operation was extended to the lower section of the line in 1929, and to the summit in 1941.

Blast From The Past – 1994 – the Gornergrat-Bahn

Blast From The Past – 1994 – Today’s photo serves a dual purpose. It’s a photo taken during my military days, but is also my daily train photo. This is a mountain rack railway called the Gornergrat-Bahn as it heads up to Gornergrat from Zermatt, Switzerland, passing the Matterhorn in the background.

It was taken during “Operation Deny Flight” which was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mission of the operation to include providing close air support for UN troops in Bosnia and carrying out coercive air strikes against targets in Bosnia. Twelve NATO members contributed forces to the operation and, by its end on 20 December 1995, NATO pilots had flown 100,420 sorties.

For 6-months of this operation I was the photo editor for a Combat Camera team that worked out of Aviano, Italy covering the operations. On the weekends, our schedules allowed us some time to travel and on one three day weekend I took the train from Italy to Switzerland and made this photo, along with many other images.

According to Wikipedia: The Gornergrat Railway (German: Gornergrat Bahn; GGB) is a mountain rack railway, located in the Swiss canton of Valais. It links the resort village of Zermatt, situated at 1,604 m (5,262 ft) above mean sea level, to the summit of the Gornergrat. The Gornergrat railway station is situated at an altitude of 3,089 m (10,135 ft), which makes the Gornergrat Railway the second highest railway in Europe after the Jungfrau, and the highest open-air railway of the continent. The line opened in 1898, and was the first electric rack railway to be built in Switzerland.

The Gornergrat is a starting point for many hikes, as it lies surrounded by 29 peaks rising above 4,000 m (13,123 ft) in the Alps and several glaciers, including the Gorner Glacier (which is billed as the second longest glacier in the Alps). At the end of the line on Gornergrat, the Matterhorn is visible on a clear day. It is also a popular skiing area.

Work on the railway started in 1896, five years after the Visp-Zermatt-Bahn had linked Zermatt to Visp and the Rhone Valley. The line opened on August 20, 1898, and was electrified from the start. Initially it only operated in summer, but year-round operation was extended to the lower section of the line in 1929, and to the summit in 1941.

Blast From The Past - Members of the original Tuskegee Airmen, a group of distinguished black-American aviators, take part in the dedication ceremony of the Gen. Daniel "Chappie" James Center for Aerospace Science and Health Education at Tuskegee Airmen's Plaza, Tuskegee University. Gen. James was the nation's first black four-star Air Force general. - USAF Photo by TSgt. James R. Pearson

Blast From The Past – 1992 – Members of the original Tuskegee Airmen…

Blast From The Past – 1992 – Members of the original Tuskegee Airmen, a group of distinguished black-American aviators, take part in the dedication ceremony of the Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Center for Aerospace Science and Health Education at Tuskegee Airmen’s Plaza, Tuskegee University. Gen. James was the nation’s first black four-star Air Force general. – USAF Photo by TSgt. James R. Pearson

October 23, 2019 - Southbound CSX Intermodal Q025-23 prepares to pass the signals at the north end of Latham Siding at Hopkinsville, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision as loaded ballast train, W089 waits to continue it's move north, from the siding.

Southbound CSX Intermodal Q025-23…

October 23, 2019 – Southbound CSX Intermodal Q025-23 prepares to pass the signals at the north end of Latham Siding at Hopkinsville, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision as loaded ballast train, W089, waits to continue it’s move north, from the siding.

Blast From The Past - 1976 - Here I'm hanging off a building after repelling down to take a picture at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. I was on assignment to cover the training of the very first Air Force SWAT team and as always, looking for that unique perspective that helps tell the story. Over the years I've hung from the bottom of a helicopter tethered to a rope at 500+ feet in the air shooting pictures, to the backseat of a Norwegian fighter jet covering the first Artic Testing of the F-16 fighter and a lot other interesting locations and assignments over the years.

Blast From The Past – 1976 – Here I’m hanging off a building…

Blast From The Past – 1976 – Here I’m hanging off a building after repelling down to take a picture at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. I was on assignment to cover the training of the very first Air Force SWAT team and as always, looking for that unique perspective that helps tell the story. Over the years I’ve hung from the bottom of a helicopter tethered to a rope at 500+ feet in the air shooting pictures, to the backseat of a Norwegian fighter jet covering the first Artic Testing of the F-16 fighter and a lot other interesting locations and assignments over the years.

October 24, 2019 - CSX Intermodal Q028-23 heads north on the Henderson Subdivision as it approaches the Hubert Reid Road Crossing at Earlington, Ky on a beautiful fall afternoon. The switch that goes off to the right is the seldom used house track at Earlington. According to Wikipedia: Founded in 1870 by the St. Bernard Coal Co., Earlington was named a year later upon its incorporation for John Baylis Earle, the man who stuck the first pick into the hillside at the opening of Hopkins County's first commercial coal mine. Earle was a lawyer who was central to developing the coal industry in the region. Shortly after the town was founded, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad completed its line from Henderson to Earlington, and became the primary hauler in the area. The town boomed as both a coal center and as the center of L&N operations on the Evansville line.

CSX Intermodal Q028-23 heads north…

October 24, 2019 – CSX Intermodal Q028-23 heads north on the Henderson Subdivision as it approaches the Hubert Reid Road Crossing at Earlington, Ky on a beautiful fall afternoon. The switch that goes off to the right is the seldom used house track at Earlington.

According to Wikipedia: Founded in 1870 by the St. Bernard Coal Co., Earlington was named a year later upon its incorporation for John Baylis Earle, the man who stuck the first pick into the hillside at the opening of Hopkins County’s first commercial coal mine. Earle was a lawyer who was central to developing the coal industry in the region.

Shortly after the town was founded, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad completed its line from Henderson to Earlington, and became the primary hauler in the area. The town boomed as both a coal center and as the center of L&N operations on the Evansville line.

Blast From The Past - April 1, 1984 - A ground crewman wearing foul weather gear uses flashlights to signal a pilot as he maneuvers a C-5 Galaxy aircraft into position on the flight line during Exercise GLOBAL SHIELD '84 at Offutt Air Force Base, NE. - USAF Photo by SSgt. James R. Pearson

Blast From The Past – April 1, 1984 – A ground crewman wearing…

Blast From The Past – April 1, 1984 – A ground crewman wearing foul weather gear uses flashlights to signal a pilot as he maneuvers a C-5 Galaxy aircraft into position on the flight line during Exercise GLOBAL SHIELD ’84 at Offutt Air Force Base, NE. – USAF Photo by SSgt. James R. Pearson

October 23, 2019 - CSX Intermodal Q025-23 (Q025 Bedford Park, IL - Jacksonville, FL) snakes its way through the S curve as it heads south through Nortonville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision.

CSX Intermodal Q025-23…

October 23, 2019 – CSX Intermodal Q025-23 (Q025 Bedford Park, IL – Jacksonville, FL) snakes its way through the S curve as it heads south through Nortonville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision.

September 9, 2019 - Burlington Junction Railway 1517 works a string of refrigerated reefers at the Americold plant in Rochelle, Illinois on the City of Rochelle Railroad. According to Wikipedia: "The Burlington Junction Railway (reporting mark BJRY) is a Class III short line railroad which was chartered in 1985. Originally operating on the southernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the former Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway mainline in Burlington, Iowa after abandonment by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it provides short freight hauling, switching operations, locomotive repair, and transloading services, the latter currently handling over 3,000 carloads a year. Typical commodity types transported include chemicals and fertilizer." The BJRY operation in Rochelle is more sophisticated than most. First of all, the track is owned by the City of Rochelle Railroad. Second of all, it interchanges with UP as well as BNSF. It has enough track capacity to handle unit trains. It does not provide intermodal service because UP has its Global Three intermodal yard on the other side of town.

Burlington Junction Railway 1517…

September 9, 2019 – Burlington Junction Railway 1517 works a string of refrigerated reefers at the Americold plant in Rochelle, Illinois on the City of Rochelle Railroad.

According to Wikipedia: “The Burlington Junction Railway (reporting mark BJRY) is a Class III short line railroad which was chartered in 1985. Originally operating on the southernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the former Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway mainline in Burlington, Iowa after abandonment by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it provides short freight hauling, switching operations, locomotive repair, and transloading services, the latter currently handling over 3,000 carloads a year. Typical commodity types transported include chemicals and fertilizer.”

The BJRY operation in Rochelle is more sophisticated than most. First of all, the track is owned by the City of Rochelle Railroad. Second of all, it interchanges with UP as well as BNSF. It has enough track capacity to handle unit trains. It does not provide intermodal service because UP has its Global Three intermodal yard on the other side of town.

September 21, 2019 - The John A. Chambliss "TAG 80" sits next to L&N 1593 (Southern 4501) during a photo charter to the depot in Chickamauga, Georgia. Southern 4501, was all dressed up as L&N 1593, during the L&N Historical Society weekend at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) at Chattanooga, TN.

John A. Chambliss “TAG 80” sits next to L&N 1593

September 21, 2019 – The John A. Chambliss “TAG 80” sits next to L&N 1593 (Southern 4501) during a photo charter to the depot in Chickamauga, Georgia. Southern 4501, was all dressed up as L&N 1593, during the L&N Historical Society weekend at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) at Chattanooga, TN.

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2019 Pennyrile Fall Photography Weekend Gallery

October 18-19, 2019 – A selection of my favorite photos that I shot during the Pennyrile Forest State Resort Parks Fall Photography Weekend in Dawson Springs, Ky. Click on post title or photo and then thumbnails to view full photo.

September 21, 2019 - The John A. Chambliss "TAG 80" sits next to L&N 1593 (Southern 4501) during a photo charter to the depot in Chickamauga, Georgia. Southern 4501, was all dressed up as L&N 1593, during the L&N Historical Society weekend at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) at Chattanooga, TN.

The John A. Chambliss “TAG 80” sits next to L&N 1593…

September 21, 2019 – The John A. Chambliss “TAG 80” sits next to L&N 1593 (Southern 4501) during a photo charter to the depot in Chickamauga, Georgia. Southern 4501, was all dressed up as L&N 1593, during the L&N Historical Society weekend at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) at Chattanooga, TN.

Blast From The Past - Early 1990 - This is a photo of me in the high mountains of Tibet, China on a photo assignment to cover the airlifting of a Sikorsky Helicopter by way of a USAF C-5 Aircraft. I took a Polaroid Instant Camera with me and used it to take pictures of the local residents. Here I had just photographed a group of kids and they were all clamoring for the picture. Can't recall which one got this picture, but I did a bunch more till all the film was gone. The kids thought it was magic to watch the photo develop before their eyes, as did many of the other folks! This was my second and final trip to China before I retired from the Air Force.

Blast From The Past – Early 1990 – This is a photo of me in the high mountains of Tibet, China…

Blast From The Past – Early 1990 – This is a photo of me in the high mountains of Tibet, China on a photo assignment to cover the airlifting of a Sikorsky Helicopter by way of a USAF C-5 Aircraft. I took a Polaroid Instant Camera with me and used it to take pictures of the local residents.

Here I had just photographed a group of kids and they were all clamoring for the picture. Can’t recall which one got this picture, but I did a bunch more till all the film was gone. The kids thought it was magic to watch the photo develop before their eyes, as did many of the other folks!

This was my second and final trip to China before I retired from the Air Force.