PAL MOW at West Yard, Madisonville, Ky

May 10, 2013 – A bit of a blast from the past of two maintenance of way workers for the Paducah and Louisville Railroad work, in a light rain, on a switch at West Yard in Madisonville, Ky.

CSX Q586-23 Northbound at Henderson, Ky

September 23, 2017 – CSX Q586-23 rounds the curve leading approaching the old L&N Depot at Henderson, Ky as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision.

UP 8444 and SP 4449 headed up Cajon Pass, California

May 8, 1989 – Throwback Saturday! This is a scan from a slide I made of Southern Pacific’s 4449 and Union Pacific’s 8444 (now 844) as they headed up the Cajon Pass in southern California. This was after they were on display for the 50th Anniversary of Los Angeles Union Station in 1989. It was an amazing thing to watch, photograph and chase!

CSX Q512-05 NB with UP Power, Nortonville, Ky

October 5, 2017 – CSX Q512-05 heads through Nortonville, Ky, with UP 7903 leading, as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision. At left is a crossover switch waiting to be installed as part of a double track main that is being constructed between Nortonville and Mortons Gap, Ky.

CSX W951-05 NB Light Engine Move, Nortonville, Ky

October 5, 2017 – CSX W951-05, a light engine move by CSXT 3315, passes through the construction under the bridge just north of Romney as it makes its way north on the Henderson Subdivision at Nortonville, Ky. CSX is working on connecting the sidings at Romney and Nortonville to create a two track main which will run approximately 5 miles from south of Mannington and Mortons Gap, Ky.

CSX loaded coal train N321 southbound at Crofton, Ky

September 30, 2017 – Loaded CSX coal train N321 heads south on the Henderson Subdivision, after passing through the north end of Crofton, Ky with CSXT 3473 leading! For those that saw the truck in the crossing photo this is the frame 20 seconds later right before it entered the crossing.

CSX Q648-28 slowly pulls into the south end of the siding at Crofton, Ky

September 30, 2017 – CSX Q648-28 slowly pulls into the south end of the siding at Crofton, Ky. on the Henderson Subdivision. to wait for a southbound hot intermodal that is still 14 miles away at Nortonville, Ky. Sometimes a good photo doesn’t have to show the train closeup!! Think outside the box sometimes with your shooting!! –

I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone is willing to take a chance…

September 30, 2017 – I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone is willing to take a chance on getting hit by a train. For what, to save 5 minutes? I was all setup with my long lens at a crossing in Crofton, Ky, to photograph a nice long shot of loaded CSX coal train N321 heading south on the Henderson Subdivision, when this truck cut around the gates and right in front of the train, which wasn’t much more than probably 100 yards from the crossing. Never, ever worth risking your life for something like this!!

CSX N302 SB loaded coal at Henderson, Ky

September 23, 2017 – Loaded coal train CSX N302 passes under signals on the south side of Ohio River Bridge at Henderson, Ky as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision.CSX N302 SB looaded coal at Henderson, Ky

TVRM Railfest-Southern 630 & 4501 EB at Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, TN

September 9, 2017 – POWER! There’s nothing like a living, breathing, moving steam locomotive and when you put two together it’s amazing sight to see and witness! Here we have Southern steam locomotives 630 and 4501 after exiting Missionary Ridge Tunnel on their way back to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum shops, at East Chattanooga, TN, after a full day of passenger runs during the museum’s recent 2017 Railfest.

The crew of this fully loaded CSX Grain Express train…

September 15, 2017 – The crew of this fully loaded CSX Grain Express train wait patiently for a southbound signal on the number 2 track just before John Rivers Road Crossing at Casky Yard, Hopkinsville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision.

Southern steam locomotive 4501 rounds a curve…

September 9, 2017 – Southern steam locomotive 4501 rounds a curve, with it’s passenger train, as it heads west to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, TN, from their East Chattanooga Shops, during 2017 Railfest. #jimstrainphotos

BNSF 7145 and 4116 lead CSX hot intermodal Q028-23

September 23, 2017 – BNSF 7145 and 4116 lead CSX hot intermodal Q028-23 as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision at Henderson, Ky. I got a heads up from fellow railfan Ricky Bivins about this train heading through Mortons Gap, Ky, which is about 8 miles from my home in Richland. By the time I finally got ahead of it to where I could setup and get this shot I had to travel about 45 miles north of Mortons Gap to Henderson in order to do so. Good thing it was I-69 all the way as it showed up shortly after I got there!

Planes, Trains, and …. Southern steam locomotives

September 9, 2017 – Planes, Trains, and …. Southern steam locomotives 630 and 4501 sit at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, TN as they prepare for the first run of the day at their 2017 Railfest, as a plane takes off over them to parts unknown, as early railfans work to get their “perfect shots” of the newly arrived locomotives.

CSX N855-15 and Q513 at Hybird, Evansville, IN

September 20, 2017 – CSX N855-15 and Q513 sit at the north end of Hybird at Evansville, Indiana, as they both wait for a signal to depart from Howell Yard and head south on the Henderson Subdivision. N855 is headed up by CSXT 2498, an ex-Conrail unit still with Conrail class lights.

CSX Q513 (Avon, IN – Waycross, GA) departs Howell Yard…

September 20, 2017 – CSX Q513 (Avon, IN – Waycross, GA) departs Howell Yard with UP units 7191, 9608 and lease unit KLWX 5749 trailing, that is a ex-CP unit, as they head south on the Henderson Subdivision with northbound Q648 (Waycross, GA – Chicago, IL) waiting in the distance to enter the yard.

630 exiting Missionary Ridge Tunnel, East Chattanooga, TN

September 9, 2017 – Southern Railway steam locomotive 630 bursts from the east end of Missionary Ridge Tunnel with a loaded passenger train during the 2017 Railfest at Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, as it heads for the station at East Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Completed in 1858 the tunnel is the primary reason TVRM runs on the three-mile section of the former Southern Railway. As railroad equipment grew too large to pass through and the single-track tunnel became a traffic jam for an otherwise double-track railroad, Southern Railway abandoned the three mile portion of the line and built a new section around the end of Missionary Ridge, avoiding the tunnel altogether.

The museum restored rails through the tunnel in 1971 and continues to use the pre-Civil War Tunnel on a daily basis.

Southern Railway steam 4501 westbound to Chattanooga, TN

September 9, 2017 – In the quietness of the early morning the sound of the approaching steam locomotive is heard before it can be seen. Anticipation builds as Southern Railways 4501 pulls into view with a loaded passenger train west, around a sweeping curve, on the return trip to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum at Chattanooga, TN during 2017 Railfest.