CSX 459 leads empty coal train E300 across the Ohio River from Henderson, Ky as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision on February 17th, 2024. This train runs from Stilesboro, GA to Evansville, IN where it is passed off to the Evansville Western Railway for loading in southern Illinois.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/5000, ISO 220.
The engineer on Russian Diesel locomotive 15577199 waits for permission to depart from the yards at Moscow, Russia sometime during the winter months of 1992. This image is from a slide scan that I shot while I was taking part in a military humanitarian called Provide Hope.
For awhile I was the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Air Force’s Electronic Imaging Center stationed at Aviano, Italy, where Combat Camera was tasked to document the Provide Hope operation. I was there for six months, and we flew missions in and out of the USSR. This was on one trip to Moscow where we spent a couple days in the country, documenting the delivery of supplies to an orphanage. Of course, during my off time, I made sure to visit the train station that was just outside our hotel!
According to Wikipedia: Operation Provide Hope was a humanitarian operation conducted by the U.S. Air Force to provide medical equipment to former Soviet republics during their transition to capitalism. The operation was announced by Secretary of State James A. Baker, III on January 22–23, 1992 and the initial shipment of supplies was sent on February 10, 1992. Twelve US Air Force C-5 and C-141 was carrying an estimated 500 tons of bulk-food rations and medicines into Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Minsk, and Chisinau from Germany and Yerevan, Almaty, Dushanbe, Ashkhabad, Baku, Tashkent, and Bishkek from Turkey. In total, for nearly two weeks sixty-five missions flew 2,363 short tons (2,144 t) of food and medical supplies to 24 locations in the Commonwealth of Independent States during the initial phase of operation. Much of these supplies was left over from the buildup to the Persian Gulf War.
Small teams of US personnel from various government agencies (On-Site Inspection Agency, USAID, and USDA) had been placed in each destination shortly before the deliveries, to coordinate with local officials and to monitor to the best extent possible that the deliveries reached the intended recipients (i.e., orphanages, hospitals, soup kitchens, and needy families).
In this week’s Saturday Infrared Photo, CSXT 5351 leads intermodal train, I128, past the old Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad Depot. on the Henderson Subdivision as they head north on February 21st, 2024.
According to Wikipedia: “The L&N Railroad Depot in the Hopkinsville Commercial Historic District of Hopkinsville, Kentucky is a historic railroad station on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in 1892.
The year 1832 saw the first of many attempts to woo a railroad to Hopkinsville. This first attempt was to connect Hopkinsville to Eddyville, Kentucky. In 1868 Hopkinsville finally obtained a railroad station, operated by the Evansville, Henderson, & Nashville Railroad. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad acquired the railroad in 1879.
The Hopkinsville depot is a single-story frame building with a slate roof. It has six rooms: A Ladies Waiting room (the room closest to the street), a General Waiting Room, a Colored Waiting Room, a baggage room (the furthest room from the street), a ticket office (the only room which connected to all three waiting rooms), and a ladies’ restroom. Immediately outside were warehouses for freight, usually tobacco.
Its last long-distance (passenger) train was the Louisville and Nashville’s Georgian, last operating in 1968.
During its operating years, the Hopkinsville depot was a popular layover spot for those traveling by train. It was the only Louisville & Nashville station between Evansville, Indiana and Nashville, Tennessee where it was legal to drink alcohol. Hopkinsville got the nickname “Hop town” due to train passengers asking the conductors when they would arrive at Hopkinsville, so they could “hop off and get a drink”.
The Hopkinsville L&N Railroad Depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1975. CSX, which bought out the Louisville & Nashville, still run trains on the tracks next to the depot, but do not stop.”
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24 @ 10mm, f/5.6, 1/340, ISO 400.
This week we catch a three way meet at Kelly, Ky and the CSX Chesapeake & Ohio Heritage unit 1869, northbound on CSX I026 at Mortons Gap, Ky, all from the air. Sit back, turn up the sound, expand to full screen, enjoy and please like, share, subscribe, and thanks for watching!
CSXT 763 leads intermodal I128 as it emerges from the Red River Cut at Adams, Tennessee as it heads north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on February 27th, 2024. The overpass in the distance is hwy 41, a great spot to photograph trains from. Yesterday’s photo was shot from the bridge with my drone.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 170.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge steam locomotive D&RGW 473 pulls a K-28 100th Anniversary Special as it heads to Durango, Colorado from Goblin Fire (480.5) with Pigeon and Turret Peaks in the distance, on October 16th, 2023.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.
CSXT 3288 leads hot intermodal I025 as it passes through the Red River Cut at Adams, Tennessee as it heads south on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on February 27th, 2024. There’s 13 autoracks behind the power that contain Tesla’s bound for Florida, which run on this intermodal pretty much daily. From what I understand they are bound to overseas markets and come from California.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 300.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge steam locomotive D&RGW 473 leads a K-28 100th Anniversary Special as they head through the curve at Goblin Fire, Milepost 480.5, between Durango and Silverton, Colorado, on October 16th, 2023, with mid-train helper D&RGW 476.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 90mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO 110
RJ Corman engines set outside the engine house at Guthrie, Ky as their crew prepares to head out for their daily local run to the Clarksville, TN area on February 22nd, 2024, on the RJC Memphis Line.
This train is referred to as the Cumberland City turn and departs from Guthrie, Ky weekdays, usually in the morning, runs the Memphis Line to Cumberland City, TN and then returns after working industries like this one along the way.
The Memphis Line currently covers just over 113 track miles between Bowling Green, Ky and Cumberland City, TN, servicing 47 customers along the line. It interchanges with CSX on average six days a week at Bowling Green and Guthrie, Ky. The yard office for this line is located at Guthrie.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 110.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge steam locomotive D&RGW 473 leads a passenger train as it heads to Durango, Colorado from Goblin Fire (480.5) on October 17th, 2023.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 200mm, f/5, 1/1000, ISO 200.
Denver and Rio Grande Western steam charter with locomotives 476 and 473 as a mid-train helper pull a freight and passenger train through Horseshoe Curve during our two-day charter between Durango and Silverton, Colorado on October 17th, 2023.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 31, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 72.
CSX I128 climbs up the grade at middle Kelly on a wet, dreary day, as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision, on February 22nd, 2024. The long 600mm lens makes the tracks look worse than they are.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1250, ISO 2500.
Norfolk Southern NS 167, left, and NS 168 meet at East Douglas, just east of Princeton, Indiana on February 17th, 2024, on the NS Southern East District.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/2500, ISO 100.
CSX I128 approaches middle Courtland in a light, foggy rain, as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision, on February 22nd, 2024. The long 600mm lens makes the tracks look worse than they are.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1250, ISO 1250.
CSX I025 passes over Franklin Street, with the steeples from St Boniface Catholic Church in the background as they head south into Howell Yard at Evansville, Indiana on February 17th, 2024, on the Evansville Terminal Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 100.
Norfolk Southern 463 creeps through the yard at Princeton, Indiana as they head east with NS 279, on the NS Southern East District on February 17th, 2024.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 500mm, f/6, 1/1250, ISO 280.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) locomotive 3004 heads across the Bridge over the River Kwai, around 1988, as it heads to the Kanchanaburi Station on part of the original 258-mile (415-kilometer) long Thai-Burma Railway.
During WW II, Japan constructed this meter-gauge railway line from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. The line passing through the scenic Three Pagodas Pass runs for 250 miles. This is now known as the Death Railway.
The railway line was meant to transport cargo daily to India, to back up their planned attack on India. The construction was done using POWs and Asian slave laborers in unfavorable conditions. The work started in October 1942 and was completed in a year. Due to the difficult terrain, thousands of laborers lost their lives. It is believed that one life was lost for each sleeper (tie) laid in the track.
At the nearby Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, around 7,000 POWs, who sacrificed their lives in the railway construction, are buried. Another 2,000 are laid to rest at the Chungkai Cemetery.
The River Kwai Bridge became famous all over the world, when it was featured in movies and books. The cliff-hugging tracks and the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains and valleys were well captured in the David Lean movie.
This is another scan from a Fuji 6×17 film camera that I’ve shot in the past and on Saturday’s at 5pm CST I plan on highlighting some of these images and others shot on slide film, so check back then to see more images from around the world from my past travels!
Fuji 6×17, Fuji 105mm lens, other exposure information wasn’t recorded back then.
In this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we catch Denver and Rio Grande Western double header steam locomotives 473 and 476 as they pull a freight and passenger train through Whitehead Gulch during a two-day charter between Durango and Silverton, Colorado on October 16th, 2023.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24 @ 24mm, f/4.5, 1/45, ISO 400.
This week we catch trains from the ground and air on the CSX Henderson Subdivision and the NS Southern East District. Sit back, turn up the sound, expand to full screen, enjoy and please like, share, subscribe, and thanks for watching!
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive D&RGW 463 approaches the End of Standard Gauge crossing as it works at Antonito, Colorado with a passenger train after arriving back from Osier, Colorado, on the evening of October 19th, 2023.
According to their website: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a National Historic Landmark. At 64-miles in length, it is the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountain West.
Owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, the train crosses state borders 11 times, zigzagging along canyon walls, burrowing through two tunnels, and steaming over 137-foot Cascade Trestle. All trains steam along through deep forests of aspens and evergreens, across high plains filled with wildflowers, and through a rocky gorge of remarkable geologic formations. Deer, antelope, elk, fox, eagles and even bear are frequently spotted on this family friendly, off-the grid adventure.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 140mm, f/4.8, 1/2000, ISO 64.
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge steam locomotive D&RGW 476 runs as the mid-train locomotive on a K-28 100th Anniversary Special as they head through the curve at Goblin Fire, Milepost 480.5, between Durango and Silverton, Colorado, on October 16th, 2023, with D&RGW 473 leading the train.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: Nikon D810, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO 220.