August 29, 2020 – The light from the early morning sunrise illuminates the scene as Canadian National 9634 and 8879 lead CN L533-91 around a curve as they head west into Teutopolis, Illinois on CN’s Effingham Subdivision.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 460mm, f/6 1/1000, ISO 180.
September 17, 2020 – CSXT 710 & 3050 run point on CSX Q025-17 as they pull their hot intermodal train across the Sulfur Fork Creek Trestle headed south on the Henderson Subdivision at Springfield, Tennessee.
They were running a bit late today as they encountered a truck on the tracks somewhere between Hopkinsville, Ky and this point, putting their train into emergency. From what I could find out no one was hurt in the incident, put it did cause a delay, which they don’t like to have happen on this, one of four hot intermodals that run daily between Jacksonville, Florida and Chicago, Illinois on this subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.
September 13, 2020 – Norfolk Southern 168, with NS Pennsylvania Heritage unit 8102 leading on the NS Southern East District, departs the west end of the siding at Ayrshire Township, Indiana as it heads west toward St. Louis, MO.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 150mm, f/5.6, 1/1600, ISO 360.
September 17, 2020 – CSXT 3439 and 275 lead loaded coal train CSX N040 south on the Henderson Subdivision as it approaches the John Rivers Rd. crossing at south Casky in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 100.
September 17, 2020 – CSXT 3439 and 20 lead CSX Q026-16 across the Sulfur Creek Trestle, north of Springfield, TN as they lead the hot intermodal north on the Henderson Subdivision to Chicago, IL from Jacksonville, FL.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
September 14, 2020 – BNSF 5794 and 6299 lead a loaded coal train through the loop at the Calvert City Terminal in Calvert City, Kentucky as it is halfway through unloading its train.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
September 15, 2020 – CSX Q513-15 sits at the south end of Howell Yard after making a pickup as it waits for CSX Q028, 648 and 512 to clear his location so it can continue its move south on the Henderson Subdivision, with United States Army 4607 and 1869 running dead in tow as its last two units.
Both Army units have been refurbished and I found out that 4607 is heading to Hopkinsville, KY (Ft. Campbell) and 1869 is heading to Leland, NC.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.
September 12, 2020 – CSX K811 heads south on the Henderson Subdivision as it passes the old Louisville & Nashville Depot at Henderson, Kentucky.
From various sources on the web: The first L&N depot in Henderson, at Fourth and Adams streets, was constructed in 1875. The two-story, wood-framed passenger depot for the L&N cost $2,000 to erect and contained five offices and two waiting rooms. The Ohio Valley Railroad was built in 1892 between Hopkinsville and Gracey, who had built a depot at Ninth Street. The Ohio Valley was acquired by the IC in 1897.
A replacement depot, built of brick and granite, was constructed by the local firm Bailey & Koerner opened at the cost of $25,000 on July 1, 1902. The Union Station replaced the separate stations for the L&N and the IC. The former L&N depot was converted into the residence for the local yard foreman while the former IC station was used until it was demolished in November 1942.
By 1922, Union Station was handling 24 passenger trains daily, but the advent of the automobile and the construction of the interstate highway system and parkways in the region decimated passenger trains. The IC ceased passenger operations on February 13, 1941, and the station was closed by the L&N after it ceased passenger trains in 1971.
In 2015, the city requested bids to either demolish or restore Union Station. 7 Two companies placed bids to tear down the building while Architectural Renovators of Evansville, Indiana submitted the only bid to restore the depot. The city awarded the contract to Architectural Renovators in December and agreed to pay $80,000 towards restoring the building: Additionally, the city deeded the building over to Architectural Renovators, who were required to begin construction within six months and to complete exterior restoration within 36 months or be forced to give up the deed to the building.
Work to restore the building began almost immediately although the restoration company found the inside in worse condition than expected. A new roof was installed by the conclusion of 2016, with all exterior work mostly finished by February 2017. There’s been no visible work on the depot since then.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 100.
September 13, 2020 – I got word from a fellow railfan out of Louisville, Austin Bell, that Norfolk Southern 168 was headed west from Louisville, Kentucky with NS Pennsylvania Heritage unit 8102 leading on the NS Southern East District. He knew it was one of three that I still needed to fill my collection of the 20 Heritage Paint Units that NS has put out. (Now I need NS 1065 and NS 1700)
I typically don’t railfan Sundays as I do church and edit the videos from the live stream in the afternoon and update our web locations with the same. However, I answered the call this afternoon and made the 1.5 hour drive to Princeton, Indiana to capture this shot of the train as it heads west through the yard at Princeton with my drone!
I actually caught it starting at west end of Ashire, Indiana and chased it to Princeton and was able to catch it at several spots along the route with my D800 and the drone, but in this case the drone won out because of the new angle it gives me!
I also met up with a lot of railfan friends that were trackside for the same train and got to finally meet Railfan Julian (6 year old railfan that loves trains) and his mom!
If you want to encourage young railfans I invite you to give his page a like here on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/railfan.julian.5
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/100, ISO 100.
September 12, 2020 – CSXT 945 leads Q503 south as it makes its way up the final leg of the viaduct to the bridge across the Ohio river at Henderson, Ky as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision on the dog days of summer!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.
September 10, 2020 – Paducah and Louisville 4518 & 4522 lead PRX1, a loaded coal train, as they depart Warrior Coal at Nebo, Kentucky, headed southbound for the barge loading and blending facility at Calvert City, Ky.
I’ve shot trains coming out of here for well over 15 years now and this is the first time I’m able to get this view thanks to my new camera platform, the DJI Mavic Mini Drone. To say this device has opened up a whole new world of pictures and videos is an understatement!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm lens (24mm Equivalent), f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.
September 7, 2020 – CSXT 872 heads up loaded grain train G419 as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision at Nortonville, Kentucky.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, Lens 4.5mm (24mm Equivalent), f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100.
September 7, 2020 – CSXT 3244 leads loaded ethanol train K423-05 off the Earlington Cutoff track at Mortons Junction as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision at Mortons Gap, Kentucky on a beautiful summer afternoon.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, Lens 4.5mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.
September 7, 2020 – A topside view of the hottest intermodals on the CSX system, Q025 passes through Mortons Junction as it heads south on the the Henderson Subdivision at Mortons Gap, Kentucky.
I’ll also point out that this is a cropped image from high up and the drone was moved out of the way before the train moved directly under it.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, Lens 4.5mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.
September 7, 2020 – CSXT 3350 heads up Q028-06 as it passes under the Paducah and Louisville Railway line at Monarch as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision at Madisonville, Ky. My goal is to one day catch a train on both tracks at this spot! Now that I have a new vantage point, it will eventually happen!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm lens, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.
August 29, 2020 – The engineer on RSSX LEAF switchers 8345 and 3429, keeps a watchful eye on the track ahead, as he passes an idling 8407, while working the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) yard at Decatur, Illinois.
According to the ADM website: At ADM, we unlock the power of nature to provide access to nutrition worldwide. With industry-advancing innovations, a complete portfolio of ingredients and solutions to meet any taste, and a commitment to sustainability, we give customers an edge in solving the nutritional challenges of today and tomorrow.
We’re a global leader in human and animal nutrition and the world’s premier agricultural origination and processing company. Our breadth, depth, insights, facilities and logistical expertise give us unparalleled capabilities to meet needs for food, beverages, health and wellness, and more. From the seed of the idea to the outcome of the solution, we enrich the quality of life the world over.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 360mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 140.
August 29, 2020 – In this long lens shot from a public crossing we see Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (DERI) HLCX 4210 as it crosses over the Wabash & Illinois Central (WABIC) diamond at Decatur, Illinois as it heads back to its yard after working various industries around the city.
According to Wikipedia: The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (reporting mark DREI) is an American regional railroad that is a subsidiary of Watco Companies operating in eastern Illinois and western Indiana.
In January 2018, CSX Transportation announced that it was seeking offers to buy the Decatur Subdivision and the Danville Secondary Subdivision as part of a system-wide sale of low-traffic routes, and in July, Watco, via the DREI, was identified as the winning bidder. Following regulatory approval from the Surface Transportation Board, The DREI began operations on September 9, 2018.
The DREI operates two intersecting routes totaling 126.7 miles (203.9 km)—the former Decatur Subdivision between Montezuma, Indiana and Decatur, Illinois, and the former Danville Subdivision between Terre Haute, Indiana and Olivet, Illinois. It interchanges traffic with CSX, the Eastern Illinois Railroad, the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Canadian National Railway, and the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad is headquartered in Decatur, Illinois.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 460mm, f/6, 1/1000, ISO 220.
August 29, 2020 – One of the things I love about this railfanning hobby of ours is the people, young and “older” alike! I and fellow railfan SteelRails Ryan Scott headed up to the Decatur, Illinois area for a day of railfanning. With the help of fellow railfans, Mike Jacobs, Isaiah Bradford’s Photography, Mark Jensen and David Higdon Jr. we had a great time and caught a lot of trains, which you’ll see over the next few weeks! It was also great meeting Mike, Isaiah and Mark in person as I’ve been friends with them for sometime here on Facebook. Here everyone was shooting an approaching NS train that was arriving at Decatur, Illinois.
August 29, 2020 – Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (DERI) 101 with 4235 & 4236 leading the way, passes the Top Flight Grain elevators at Pierson Station, Illinois as it heads east to Terre Haute, Indiana (where they interchange with CSX) on the former CSX Danville Subdivision (now the DERI).
According to Wikipedia: The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (reporting mark DREI) is an American regional railroad that is a subsidiary of Watco Companies operating in eastern Illinois and western Indiana.
In January 2018, CSX Transportation announced that it was seeking offers to buy the Decatur Subdivision and the Danville Secondary Subdivision as part of a system-wide sale of low-traffic routes, and in July, Watco, via the DREI, was identified as the winning bidder. Following regulatory approval from the Surface Transportation Board, The DREI began operations on September 9, 2018.
The DREI operates two intersecting routes totaling 126.7 miles (203.9 km)—the former Decatur Subdivision between Montezuma, Indiana and Decatur, Illinois, and the former Danville Subdivision between Terre Haute, Indiana and Olivet, Illinois. It interchanges traffic with CSX, the Eastern Illinois Railroad, the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Canadian National Railway, and the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad is headquartered in Decatur, Illinois.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 31mm, f/5, 1/1000, ISO 100.