Taking the siding at Crofton, Ky

The southbound daily local from Casky yard in Hopkinsville, KY, CSX J732-13, slides into the siding at the north end of Crofton, KY to meet northbound Q512 on January 13th, 2021 after completing it's work at Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, KY on the Henderson Subdivision with three SD40's leading the way.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

Taking the siding at Crofton, Ky

The southbound daily local from Casky yard in Hopkinsville, KY, CSX J732-13, slides into the siding at the north end of Crofton, KY to meet northbound Q512 on January 13th, 2021 after completing it’s work at Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, KY on the Henderson Subdivision with three SD40’s leading the way.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

Making the climb at Kelly, Kentucky

I could hear the rumble of the train as it pulled hard upgrade coming north at Kelly, Kentucky before CSXT 293 crested the top of the rise as it headed up CSX Q512-13 on the Henderson Subdivision, making for this nice long lens shot (700mm) on a cold late winter afternoon in Western Kentucky. The long lens exaggerates the wavy look of the tracks.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 with a 1.4 teleconverter @700mm f/10, 1/1250, ISO 1400.

Making the climb at Kelly, Kentucky

I could hear the rumble of the train as it pulled hard upgrade coming north at Kelly, Kentucky before CSXT 293 crested the top of the rise as it headed up CSX Q512-13 on the Henderson Subdivision, making for this nice long lens shot (700mm) on a cold late winter afternoon in Western Kentucky. The long lens exaggerates the wavy look of the tracks.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 with a 1.4 teleconverter @700mm f/10, 1/1250, ISO 1400.

CSX K870-12 Southbound loaded CP Potash Test Train

CSX K870-12 with CP 9364 and CEFX 1002 leading, lead a 8,500ft loaded potash "Test" train south on the Henderson Subdivision through Nortonville, Kentucky on January 13, 2021. 

CN has been running these potash trains for awhile and I'm told this is a test train from CP to look at the feasibility of doing the same on a regular basis on CSX. The train also had CP 8135 and 9739 as mid-train DPU units.

According to Wikipedia: Potash  includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. The name derives from pot ash, which refers to plant ashes or wood ash soaked in water in a pot, which was the primary means of manufacturing the product before the Industrial Era. The word "potassium" is derived from "potash".

Potash is produced worldwide in amounts exceeding 90 million tons per year, mostly for use in fertilizer. Various kinds of fertilizer-potash constitute the single greatest industrial use of the element potassium in the world. Potassium was first derived in 1807 by electrolysis of caustic potash (potassium hydroxide).

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

CSX K870-12 Southbound loaded CP Potash Test Train, Nortonville, Ky

CSX K870-12 with CP 9364 and CEFX 1002 leading, lead a 8,500ft loaded potash “Test” train south on the Henderson Subdivision through Nortonville, Kentucky on January 13, 2021.

CN has been running these potash trains for awhile and I’m told this is a test train from CP to look at the feasibility of doing the same on a regular basis on CSX. The train also had CP 8135 and 9739 as mid-train DPU units.

According to Wikipedia: Potash includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. The name derives from pot ash, which refers to plant ashes or wood ash soaked in water in a pot, which was the primary means of manufacturing the product before the Industrial Era. The word “potassium” is derived from “potash”.

Potash is produced worldwide in amounts exceeding 90 million tons per year, mostly for use in fertilizer. Various kinds of fertilizer-potash constitute the single greatest industrial use of the element potassium in the world. Potassium was first derived in 1807 by electrolysis of caustic potash (potassium hydroxide).

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

CSXT 3114 and 241 lead Q025 South at Nortonville, Ky

CSX hot intermodal Q025-13 (Bedford Park, IL - Jacksonville, FL Daily) rounds the curve coming into Romney at Nortonville, Kentucky as CSXT 3114 leads the train south on the Henderson Subdivision on a beautiful winter's morning on track 1. 

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

CSXT 3114 and 241 lead Q025 South at Nortonville, Ky

CSX hot intermodal Q025-13 (Bedford Park, IL – Jacksonville, FL Daily) rounds the curve coming into Romney at Nortonville, Kentucky as CSXT 3114 leads the train south on the Henderson Subdivision on a beautiful winter’s morning on track 1.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.

CSX W870-12 Southbound loaded CP Potash Test Train

CSX W870-12 approaches J. Knight Road crossing between Crofton and Kelly, Kentucky as CP 9364 and CEFX 1002 head a 8,500ft loaded potash "Test" train south on the Henderson Subdivision. CN has been running these potash trains for awhile and I'm told this is a test train from CP to look at the feasibility of doing the same on a regular basis on CSX. The train also had CP 8135 and 9739 as mid-train DPU units.

According to Wikipedia: Potash  includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. The name derives from pot ash, which refers to plant ashes or wood ash soaked in water in a pot, which was the primary means of manufacturing the product before the Industrial Era. The word "potassium" is derived from "potash".

Potash is produced worldwide in amounts exceeding 90 million tons per year, mostly for use in fertilizer. Various kinds of fertilizer-potash constitute the single greatest industrial use of the element potassium in the world. Potassium was first derived in 1807 by electrolysis of caustic potash (potassium hydroxide).

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @32mm f/10, 1/640, ISO 320.

CSX K870-12 Southbound loaded CP Potash Test Train

CSX K870-12 approaches J. Knight Road crossing between Crofton and Kelly, Kentucky as CP 9364 and CEFX 1002 head a 8,500ft loaded potash “Test” train south on the Henderson Subdivision. CN has been running these potash trains for awhile and I’m told this is a test train from CP to look at the feasibility of doing the same on a regular basis on CSX. The train also had CP 8135 and 9739 as mid-train DPU units.

According to Wikipedia: Potash includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. The name derives from pot ash, which refers to plant ashes or wood ash soaked in water in a pot, which was the primary means of manufacturing the product before the Industrial Era. The word “potassium” is derived from “potash”.

Potash is produced worldwide in amounts exceeding 90 million tons per year, mostly for use in fertilizer. Various kinds of fertilizer-potash constitute the single greatest industrial use of the element potassium in the world. Potassium was first derived in 1807 by electrolysis of caustic potash (potassium hydroxide).

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @32mm f/10, 1/640, ISO 320.

The crew on CSX K423-05 does a roll-by inspection of Q500

The Crew on CSX loaded tank train K423-05 does a roll-by inspection at the south end of the siding at Slaughters, Kentucky on January 6th, 2021 as CSX Q500 passes them headed north on the Henderson Subdivision at dusk.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 400.

The crew on CSX K423-05 does a roll-by inspection of Q500

The Crew on CSX loaded tank train K423-05 does a roll-by inspection at the south end of the siding at Slaughters, Kentucky on January 6th, 2021 as CSX Q500 passes them headed north on the Henderson Subdivision at dusk.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 400.

Paducah and Louisville load of coal southbound on a winter's day

A loaded Paducah and Louisville coal train pulls south out of Warrior Coal Mine at Nebo, Kentucky, as it starts its run to Calvert City Terminal in Calvert City, Kentucky on a cold December 11th, 2020.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

Paducah and Louisville load of coal southbound on a winter’s day

A loaded Paducah and Louisville coal train pulls south out of Warrior Coal Mine at Nebo, Kentucky, as it starts its run to Calvert City Terminal in Calvert City, Kentucky on a cold December 11th, 2020.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

Paducah and Louisville WW1 NB at Monarch

The January 8, 2021 Paducah and Louisville Railway local WWW1 returns south running engines light after dropping off a string of cars at CSX's Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, Kentucky. Here the power is crossing over CSX's Henderson Subdivision at the location called Monarch as it heads back to the yard at Princeton, Kentucky under stormy skies with PAL 2101 leading 2104 and 2106. The drone was moved away from the track before the train went under it.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 200.

Paducah and Louisville WW1 NB at Monarch

The January 8, 2021 Paducah and Louisville Railway local WW1 returns south running engines light after dropping off a string of cars at CSX’s Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, Kentucky. Here the power is crossing over CSX’s Henderson Subdivision at the location called Monarch as it heads back to the yard at Princeton, Kentucky under stormy skies with PAL 2101 leading 2104 and 2106. The drone was moved away from the track before the train went under it.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 200.

Southbound CSX K423 at Sebree, Ky

CSXT 117 in YN2 paint leads 5294 and 5280 as they move loaded ethanol train K423-05 southbound out of Sebree, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision as the low light from the setting sun rakes shadows across the rolls of harvested corn and the cars on it's train.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

Southbound CSX K423 at Sebree, Ky

CSXT 117 in YN2 paint leads 5294 and 5280 as they move loaded ethanol train K423-05 southbound out of Sebree, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision as the low light from the setting sun rakes shadows across the rolls of harvested corn and the cars on it’s train.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

Dashing through the snow!

Paducah and Louisville Railways 2012 (University of Louisville) locomotive leads PBX1, a loaded coal train, as it moves down the grade coming out of the Warrior Coal Mine loadout as heavy snow blows through the mine lead area at Madisonville, Ky on the early afternoon hours of January 7th, 2021.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 with a 1.4 Teleconverter @700mm f/10, 1/640, ISO 1400.

Dashing through the snow!

Paducah and Louisville Railways 2012 (University of Louisville) locomotive leads PBX1, a loaded coal train, as it moves down the grade coming out of the Warrior Coal Mine loadout as heavy snow blows through the mine lead area at Madisonville, Ky on the early afternoon hours of January 7th, 2021.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 with a 1.4 Teleconverter @700mm f/10, 1/640, ISO 1400.

CSXT 117 in YN2 Paint leads K423-05 South on the Henderson Subdivision

CSX loaded tank train K423-05 leads it's snake like train as it makes it's way through Anaconda between Robards and Sebree, Kentucky on January 6th, 2021 as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

CSXT 117 in YN2 Paint leads K423-05 South on the Henderson Subdivision

CSX loaded tank train K423-05 leads it’s snake like train as it makes it’s way through Anaconda between Robards and Sebree, Kentucky on January 6th, 2021 as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

CSXT 3222 heads north on EVWR out of Evansville, Indiana

After picking up empty coal train CSX E302 (Stilesboro, GA - Evansville, IN) at Howell Yard, a Evansville Western Railway crew heads north on their railroad as they approach the S curve, just south of the Peerless Road Crossing at in Evansville, Indiana with CSXT 3222 leading the way on New Years Day, January 1st, 2021.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @270mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 5000.

CSXT 3222 heads north on EVWR out of Evansville, Indiana

After picking up empty coal train CSX E302 (Stilesboro, GA – Evansville, IN) at Howell Yard, a Evansville Western Railway crew heads north on their railroad as they approach the S curve, just south of the Peerless Road Crossing at in Evansville, Indiana with CSXT 3222 leading the way on New Years Day, January 1st, 2021.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 70-300 @270mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 5000.

BNSF and CN meet at Reevesville, Illinois

On January 2nd, 2020 a empty BNSF grain train sits in the siding at Reevesville, Illinois as a empty CN coal train heads north, on CN’s Bluford Subdivision, under the old Illinois Central Steam Train coaling tower.

According to Wikipedia: A coaling tower, coal stage or coaling station was a facility used to load coal as fuel into railway steam locomotives. Coaling towers were often sited at motive power depots or locomotive maintenance shops.

Coaling towers were constructed of wood, steel-reinforced concrete, or steel. In almost all cases coaling stations used a gravity fed method, with one or more large storage bunkers for the coal elevated on columns above the railway tracks, from which the coal could be released to slide down a chute into the waiting locomotive’s coal storage area. The method of lifting the bulk coal into the storage bin varied. The coal usually was dropped from a hopper car into a pit below tracks adjacent to the tower. From the pit a conveyor-type system used a chain of motor-driven buckets to raise the coal to the top of the tower where it would be dumped into the storage bin; a skip-hoist system lifted a single large bin for the same purpose. Some facilities lifted entire railway coal trucks or wagons. Sanding pipes were often mounted on coaling towers to allow simultaneous replenishment of a locomotive’s sand box.

As railroads transitioned from the use of steam locomotives to the use of diesel locomotives in the 1950s the need for coaling towers ended. Many reinforced concrete towers remain in place if they do not interfere with operations due to the high cost of demolition incurred with these massive structures.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/120, ISO 400.

BNSF and CN meet at Reevesville, Illinois

On January 2nd, 2020 a empty BNSF grain train sits in the siding at Reevesville, Illinois as a empty CN coal train heads north, on CN’s Bluford Subdivision, under the old Illinois Central Steam Train coaling tower.

According to Wikipedia: A coaling tower, coal stage or coaling station was a facility used to load coal as fuel into railway steam locomotives. Coaling towers were often sited at motive power depots or locomotive maintenance shops.

Coaling towers were constructed of wood, steel-reinforced concrete, or steel. In almost all cases coaling stations used a gravity fed method, with one or more large storage bunkers for the coal elevated on columns above the railway tracks, from which the coal could be released to slide down a chute into the waiting locomotive’s coal storage area. The method of lifting the bulk coal into the storage bin varied. The coal usually was dropped from a hopper car into a pit below tracks adjacent to the tower. From the pit a conveyor-type system used a chain of motor-driven buckets to raise the coal to the top of the tower where it would be dumped into the storage bin; a skip-hoist system lifted a single large bin for the same purpose. Some facilities lifted entire railway coal trucks or wagons. Sanding pipes were often mounted on coaling towers to allow simultaneous replenishment of a locomotive’s sand box.

As railroads transitioned from the use of steam locomotives to the use of diesel locomotives in the 1950s the need for coaling towers ended. Many reinforced concrete towers remain in place if they do not interfere with operations due to the high cost of demolition incurred with these massive structures.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/120, ISO 400.

Sunset arrival of Northbound CSX Q512-01 at Howell Yard, Evansville, IN

They say what you do on the first day of the New Year you'll continue to do till the next New Year and so of course I spent the day chasing trains around the Evansville, Indiana area.

Here we find the crew on CSX Q512 as they pull to a stop at the north end of CSX Howell Yard in Evansville as they prepare to conduct a crew change before heading on north, as dusk falls over the yard on New Years day, January 1st, 2021.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/120, ISO 400.

Sunset arrival of Northbound CSX Q512-01 at Howell Yard, Evansville, IN

They say what you do on the first day of the New Year you’ll continue to do till the next New Year and so of course I spent the day chasing trains around the Evansville, Indiana area.

Here we find the crew on CSX Q512 as they pull to a stop at the north end of CSX Howell Yard in Evansville as they prepare to conduct a crew change before heading on north, as dusk falls over the yard on New Years day, January 1st, 2021.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/120, ISO 400.