June 9, 2018 – I spent the day railfanning with good friend Ryan Scott…

June 9, 2018 – I spent the day railfanning with good friend Ryan Scott between Princeton, Indiana and La Grange, Ky and this is perhaps my favorite shot from the trip, which was one of the last shots of the day!

Here we find a crew getting NS Heritage 8099, Southern Unit, ready for pickup by an, Duke Energy coal train, at the NS Yard Office in Princeton, Indiana, after storms passed through the area.

We got lots of great photographs, which you’ll see over the days to come and also met-up with several fellow railfans in person that we’ve been friends with on Facebook for sometime! A big shout out to Javid Beykzadeh for helping with our journey around Louisville and La Grange and other fellow railfans Adam Hill, Erik Landrum, Josh Kellerman that were at La Grange, Ky when we all caught the CSX Q231-08 with BNSF 791 Warbonnet street running through there. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #nsrailway #norfolksouthern #nsheritageunit

June 6, 2018 – CSX P902-05 passes through Nortonville, Ky

June 6, 2018 – CSX P902-05 passes through Nortonville, Ky as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision with CSXT 9999, 9992, Kentucky Car, Indiana Car, Baltimore Car and New York Car as it’s train. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #passengertrain #businesstrain #csxbusinesstrain

June 6, 2018 – Getting back into my newspaper days…

June 6, 2018 – Getting back into my newspaper days I caught CSX Q029-06 that was delayed at Crofton, Ky, on the Henderson Subdivision, as police removed 4 trespassers and two dogs from the train. Reports are that they boarded the train as it was stopped at Romney, Ky and someone reported it to CSX which stopped the train at Crofton where the conductor met a Christian County Sheriff and 8-9 other law enforcement, for a slow roll-by till they found them.

The “Hobos” were pretty surprised to see all the police presence, but a group of about 8-10 county and Hopkinsville City police were having lunch at the Crofton Diner next to the track when the call came over the radio and responded in force! They were removed from the train and sent on their way with a warning. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad

I’m honored to find out that my photo…

I’m honored to find out that my photo of Chicago’s Tower 18 Interlocking has been has been selected as the First Place Winner in the 2017-2018 National Railroad Hall of Fame Photography Contest! If you make it to Galesburg Illinois for the Railroad Days Festival (June 23-24) stop by the public exhibition drop by and check out all the photographs in the exhibit!

March 23, 2018 – Three “L” Rapid transit trains pass through tower 18 junction, just down from the Chicago Transit Authority’s Clark/Lake Street Station, during the evening rush hour in Chicago, Illinois. For decades, the Tower 18 junction at Lake & Wells was billed as the busiest railroad junction in the world. – #jimstrainphotos #illinoisrailroads #trains#nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways#railway #cta #commutertrains.

Norfolk Southern Railway’s Geometry Train “The Brick” at Huntingburg, Indiana

June 6, 2018 – The warm light of the setting sun illuminates the scene, at the eastern end of the yard at Huntingburg, Indiana, as westbound Autorack NS 276 passes Norfolk Southern Railway’s Geometry Train platform #38, commonly known as “The Brick” as it tests the siding.

Light from the bottom of the cars on the geometry train take a digital profile of the track which is used for maintenance and upgrades.

The NS Research platform 38 “The Brick” was rebuilt using the frame and trucks of former NS/NW EMD SD40 1620. It contains sensing and measuring equipment to record track geometry and rail profile (rail wear), as well as the power supply for itself and NS Research car. The Research 36 car contains the recording and processing equipment for the data supplied by NS 38. Here it’s being pulled by NS 9272 as it does its testing on the NS Southern-East District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #norfolksouthernrailway

June 5, 2018 – Day 218 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Water Fountain Art

June 5, 2018 – Day 218 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Water Fountain Art – Went to see the new Star Wars movie today and afterwards I found this image of the water fountain in the hallway as I was waiting on my sister. I’ve passed it countless times, but today I looked at it as a square photo and black and white! I think it works very well!

June 3, 2018 – Day 216 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Lucky Shot

June 3, 2018 – Day 216 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Lucky Shot – Don’t ask my how I got this shot as I don’t think I could reproduce it if I wanted to. I was photographing my niece Jeanne and her granddaughter Journey looking at pictures on her phone and this is the first shot I took. The others came out tack sharp, but I like the soft look of this photo the best! I’m very pleased with how it turned out. Remember, sometimes, you just have to be lucky! No special effects were applied to the picture.

May 31, 2018 – CSX Local J724-31 meets CSX W865-30…

May 31, 2018 – CSX Local J724-31 meets CSX W865-30 at the south end of Slaughters siding during a heavy rain, with BNSF 6162 leading a military train, as the both make their way along CSX’s Henderson Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #bnsf #bnsfrailway #militarytrain

May 28, 2018 – Norfolk Southern Railway Conrail Heritage Unit 8098…

May 28, 2018 – Norfolk Southern Railway Conrail Heritage Unit 8098 passes over the NS/Indiana Southern Diamond at Oakland City, Indiana as it heads east on the NS Southern-East District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #nsheritageunits

June 1, 2018 – Ft. Campbell Railroad GenSets USAX 6519 and 6520…

June 1, 2018 – Ft. Campbell Railroad GenSets USAX 6519 and 6520 pull southbound with a loaded military freight through a tunnel of trees, approaching the “Tiny Town” grade crossing, as it heads back to the post.

Both Locomotives are N-ViroMotive model 3GS-21B, manufactured by the National Railway Equipment Company, headquartered in Mount Vernon, Ill. Fort Campbell has about 40 miles of Army railroad tracks located both on post and leading to Hopkinsville where it interchanges with CSX on the Henderson Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #militaryrailroad #ftcampbellrail #usarail

June 1, 2018 – Day 214 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Back Road Barns

June 1, 2018 – Day 214 – iPhone 7 Plus Daily B/W Photo Challenge – Back Road Barns – I love traveling the back roads of Kentucky, or any state actually! Getting off the interstate system will take you though interesting places and towns that are treasure troves of pictures just waiting to be captured! Today I was making my way from Guthrie, Ky to Trenton, Ky, trying to get to a spot before a train, when I passed this scene on a road I’d not been along before. Well, needless to say, I missed the train picture!! I have an easy goal these days and that’s to travel at least one new road a month. It’s been going great and I always find a picture when I do it! Travel the roads less traveled… you won’t regret it!

CSX W865-30 Meets J726-31 Light Engines at North Hanson, Ky

May 31, 2018 – The Conductor from local 726-31, a local running light, does a roll-by inspection as CSX W865-30, a military train with BNSF 6162 leading, passes them at the Norton end of the siding at Hanson, Ky, as 865 continues it’s move southbound on CSX’s Henderson Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #bnsf #bnsfrailway #militarytrain

May 30, 2018 – Ft. Campbell Railroad…

May 30, 2018 – Ft. Campbell Railroad and the US Army were nice enough to send this beautiful train set my way for my birthday this afternoon!

I figured they’d move the cargo delivered to the Ft. Campbell Wye yesterday evening by CSX off the Henderson Subdivision, sometime this afternoon. So I set out around noon in search of the train and went all the way to the yards on the post and didn’t find the power anywhere! (I’m retired Air Force so I have access, although I don’t photograph on the post.)

When I came through Hopkinsville, Ky earlier there were two strings of flats with the equipment on them and I was pretty sure they were going to pick them up today, but not until I was on the road back to Hopkinsville from Ft. Campbell, did is see USAX 6519 and 6520 heading back to the post at Oak Grove, Ky. I kinda figured they’d got past me in the tree line somewhere as the power was gone from the post at Ft. Campbell. Either way, I’m happy with my birthday shot!! – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #militaryrailroad #ftcampbellrail #usarail

May 29, 2018 – Under a light rain, CSX W865-27 heads out of Sebree, Ky…

May 29, 2018 – Under a light rain, CSX W865-27 heads out of Sebree, Ky with BNSF 7976 and 988 leading a long military train as it makes its way south to Hopkinsville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad

May 28, 2018 – Norfolk Southern Railway Conrail Heritage Unit 8098…

May 28, 2018 – Norfolk Southern Railway Conrail Heritage Unit 8098 slowly makes it’s way downgrade at Douglas as it leads NS 285 East out of the yard at Princeton, Indiana with a load of containers and autoracks. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #nsheritageunits