A foreign power meet at the north end of Rankin, Ky

CSX Q647 rolls past the head end of CSX K442 at the north end of the siding at Rankin, Kentucky as it makes its way south on the Henderson Subdivision on May 7th, 2021 where it prepares to pass Progress Rail 7205 (SD70ACe-T4), trailing behind Canadian Pacific 9736.

According to Wikipedia: Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products, and diesel engines for the rail industry.

The company is owned by Caterpillar through its subsidiary Progress Rail. Electro-Motive Diesel traces its roots to the Electro-Motive Engineering Corporation, a designer and marketer of gasoline-electric self-propelled rail cars founded in 1922 and later renamed Electro-Motive Company.

In 1930, General Motors purchased Electro-Motive Company and the Winton Engine Co. and in 1941 expanded EMC’s realm to locomotive engine manufacturing as Electro-Motive Division.

In 2005, GM sold EMD to Greenbriar Equity Group and Berkshire Partners, which formed Electro-Motive Diesel to facilitate the purchase. In 2010, Progress Rail completed the purchase of Electro-Motive Diesel from Greenbriar, Berkshire, and others.

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

CN 2852 leads Northbound W986 at Robards, Ky with Windmill Train

We get trains on the CSX Henderson Subdivision from time to time that haul windmill motors and housings, but this is the first I can recall being led by a Canadian National and Union Pacific locomotive!

It was early morning on May 4th, 2021 when I first heard that this train was finally making its way up the Henderson Subdivision from Nashville, Tennessee. I found this out after I had already committed to going to Evansville, Indiana to chase CSX W992-28, the high and wide move that was tied down at Harwood Siding in Evansville.

Well, after getting there and sitting waiting for a crew (it had been there more than 12hrs) I decided if I wanted a chance to catch a shot and video of W986 that I needed to head back south.

Of course, I did catch the high and wide move the next day and if you haven’t already you can see a shot of it on any of my sites and a video will be coming soon, but back to W986.

I had planned to catch this train at Rahm where it comes across the Ohio river into Evansville, but with the weather and darkening skies I decided not to chance missing it where I could get a shot with my drone, so I made my way to the north end of Anaconda at Robards, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision and caught it heading south there with CN 2852 leading.

As you can tell from the photo the light was fading fast and the train was moving fast! I didnt have time to do much more than get the drone up and in position before the train hit this spot. If I had gotten there a bit earlier, I probably would have boosted my ISO a little, to up the shutter speed, but actually I think I like the little bit of motion blur on the lead unit as it gives a feeling of speed! Details below on the Tech stuff!

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/80, ISO 100.

Northbound Paducah and Louisville Railway LG1 at Rosine, Ky

Paducah and Louisville Railway 4516 and 2012 lead a loaded Louisville Gas and Electric (LG1) loaded coal train through the cut just north of Rosine, Kentucky as it makes its way toward Louisville on April 14th, 2021.

According to Wikipedia: The Paducah & Louisville Railway is a Class II railroad that operates freight service between Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky. The line is located entirely within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The 270-mile line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 100.

Waiting for a crew at the TVA Shawnee Power Plant, West Paducah, KY

An empty Burlington Northern Santa Fe coal train, with BNSF 6098 leading, sits tied down at the gate to the TVA Shawnee Power Plant, West Paducah, KY after dropping off a load of coal to the plant on April 3rd, 2021. Now it waits for a fresh crew to take the empty train back for another load of coal.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 250.

RJ Corman Wye Work at Woodburn, Ky

Fellow railfan Cooper Smith and I really lucked out when we railfanned the RJ Corman Memphis line on April 14th, 2021. We caught the northbound RJC MR25 at South Union, Kentucky and chased it up to the RJ Corman Distribution Center at Woodburn, Ky.

After dropping their power on the wye and pulling one unit off they moved it on north and I got this shot of it just passing the switch before it was put in the track on the right! The train on the left then came out on the main and backed down on the main to pickup the cars and it continued north to Bowling Green, Ky.

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

Norfolk Southern 4334 and 4433 Southbound at Monarch, Madisonville, Ky

Thanks to a heads up from good friend Bill Grady I found out this southbound NS empty coal train was coming out of Louisville, Ky and heading down the Paducah and Louisville Railway to pickup a load of coal from Warrior Coal at Madisonville, Ky.

It left Louisville around midnight and I wasn’t sure if I’d catch it on its way to the loadout, but I was fortunate enough to catch it passing over the CSX Henderson Subdivision at Monarch in Madisonville, Ky on April 20th, 2021.

I was surprised to see it arrive with a single unit leading the train and the two units on the rear acting as DPUs. They do this from time to time when the train is empty and after it loads, what was the DPUs on the Southbound run become the lead units when it heads back north.

One of these days I’ll catch a scene here with trains on both tracks! I’m still working on it!

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

CN 5761 headed south at Fulton, Kentucky

On April 3rd, 2021 Canadian National 5761 pulls away from the fuel racks on the CN Bluford Subdivision, as it passes the fuel racks on the CN Cairo Subdivision, on its way south with a manifest at Fulton, Kentucky as the last bit of sunlight rakes across the scene. The tracks on the other side of the engine are the West Tennessee Railroad, which interchanges with the CN here at Fulton.

Fulton is also an Amtrak intercity train stop where the station is a flag stop on the City of New Orleans route, served only when passengers have tickets to and from the station. This is an unstaffed station; there is no agent and no assistance, and it normally passes through here in the dark.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 550mm, f/8.5, 1/400, ISO 500.

A rainbow of power waits at Kelly, Ky for a loaded coal to pass

The early morning sun sends shadows and beautiful light across this scene, as CSX K442-19 waits in the siding at the north end of the siding at Kelly, Kentucky, with Canadian Pacific 8519, 9359, KCS 4699 and Ferromex 4054 as power, for loaded CSX coal train N040 to clear the way on April 20th, 2021.

K442 was a combined empty ethanol train, heading back north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision with a length of 12,500 feet and with that length, there were only a few places along the line between Nashville, TN and Evansville, IN where they could meet other trains, and Kelly siding is one of those spots.

Id been following the progress of this train for a couple days and thanks to a heads up from fellow railfan Reed Reding about it being north of Nashville and then another railfan, Steve Miller that it was passing through Hopkinsville, Ky I decided it was time to get dressed (about 7:30am) and head south to find this interesting move! About 20 miles later I found it waiting in the siding at Kelly in plenty of time to catch it and then chase it back to Madisonville, catching it a few more times!

Thanks to Reed and Steve, along with all the other railfans along the lines with updates!! This shot wouldnt have happened without you!!

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

Northbound Autorack on the CSX Mainline at Elizabethtown, KY

I totally enjoy exploring new territory when it comes to railfanning and such was the case here on the CSX Mainline Subdivision, with fellow railfan and navigator, Cooper Smith on April 14th, 2021.

Here we find CSXT 3005 leading autorack Q202 northbound through Elizabethtown, Ky on the CSX Mainline Subdivision. This sub runs between Nashville, TN and Louisville, Ky and while I have railfanned it before, it has been several years and I’ve really only explored it around the Bowling Green, Ky area.

Cooper and I actually tried to catch this train at a crossing at the other end, but we saw where another autorack was in the siding and thought we’d go find the next crossing to get a shot of this passing the other. However, if you notice way down the track to the left where the other train sets, it has no power, plus it’s further back than we thought it’d be. Even with my long lens if it had power on it I don’t think it would have mattered. As it was this was shot at 850mm at over ¼ mile away.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm with a 1.4 teleconverter @ 850mm, f/9, 1/640, ISO 1100.

Paducah and Louisville LG1 northbound at Summit, Kentucky

I love a spot that allows for good use of leading lines in a photograph, such as this shot! Here, Paducah and Louisville 4516 and 2012 lead loaded coal train LG1 (Louisville Gas & Electric) as they make their way through Summit, Kentucky on April 14th, 2021 on the way to the LG power plant at Louisville, Ky.

Judging from the right of way, maintenance of way crews are preparing to replace ties and rails in the curves here, which is a never-ending job on the railroad!

From Wikipedia: The Paducah & Louisville Railway (reporting mark PAL) is a Class II railroad that operates freight service between Paducah and Louisville, Kentucky. The line is located entirely within the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The 270-mile line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986. The 223-mile main route runs between Paducah and Louisville with branch lines from Paducah to Kevil and Mayfield, Kentucky, and another from Cecilia to Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The PAL interchanges with Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and Canadian National (CN), formerly Illinois Central Railroad, in Paducah. In Madisonville, the line interchanges with CSX Transportation (CSXT).

In Louisville, the line interchanges with the Indiana Railroad (INRD), CSX Transportation (CSXT) and Norfolk Southern (NS). Class III line connections are at Princeton with the Fredonia Valley Railroad (FVRR) and at Louisville with the Louisville and Indiana Railroad (LIRC). The line today carries over 200,000 carloads of traffic on a CTC-controlled mainline with welded rail and even a section of double track nearly 20 miles long between Paducah and just east of Calvert City. This is a huge improvement from the little amount of traffic and poor condition the line was in by the time the ICG had sold it.

Today it is a big regional class II railroad connecting with four class I railroads (listed above), as well as the three shortline connections it makes which are also listed above. It has 270 route-miles of track, of which 233 miles are its mainline running between its namesake towns of Paducah and Louisville, as well as branch lines to Mayfield, Kevil, and Elizabethtown. The railroad serves “many chemical plants and other manufacturing companies, several coal mines, numerous clay and stone quarries, lumber and propane distributors, farm [including a few large grain elevators] and mine equipment suppliers, warehouses, transloads, bulk terminals, riverports, and one military base.”

The parent company of the PAL, P&L Transportation, also operates the Evansville Western Railway and the Appalachian and Ohio Railroad.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 290mm, f/7.6, 1/640, ISO 1800.

CSXT 5461 Seaboard System Railroad sticker unit works at Bowling Green, Ky

On April 14th, 2021, my self and fellow railfan Cooper Smith spent the day chasing trains on the RJ Corman Memphis Line, the Paducah and Louisville Railway and the CSX Mainline Subdivision, when we I caught this shot of CSX Q587 working out of the south end of the CSX Memphis Junction Yard at Bowling Green, Kentucky on the CSX Mainline Subdivision.

This unit carries the Seaboard System Railroad sticker, which is one of the many railroads CSXT has absorbed over the years. I along with many others wish CSXT would go a bit further like many other railroads and would paint some of their units in the roads theyve acquired over the years.

I havent really railfanned the Memphis line a lot over the years, despite it being only about 1.5 hours from my home, but with the success from this trip that will probably change! In fact, this circuit proved to be so well, I think itll become a frequent one in my railfanning.

The Mainline subdivision runs from Nashville, TN, to Louisville, KY. The RJ Corman Memphis Line runs from Cumberland City, TN and Bowling Green, KY and the Paducah and Louisville Railway runs between Paducah and Louisville, Ky.

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

The waiting game and a very long lens!

On April 14th, 2021 RJ Corman 3801 sits on top of the rise coming north out of their Russellville, Kentucky Distribution Center as they work on connecting to the rest of their train, MR25, in preparation to head north toward Louisville, Kentucky.

This shot illustrates just why I really enjoy my long telephoto lens!! This was shot from a public crossing probably ½ mile away from the train sitting here on top of the rise in a small cut and a tunnel of trees! Theres no way I could get this shot and this look without a long lens! It was shot with my Sigma 150-600mm lens with a Sigma 1.4 teleconverter at 850mm!! Having a long lens as part of your camera kit is a must!

Also, what you cant see from this show was just behind me at the crossing, which was a loaded ALCAN train with RJC 3837 leading, that was waiting on the main to head on south after MR25 cleared the tracks. That shot and a video will be coming in the next week, so stay tuned!

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm with a 1.4 teleconverter @ 850mm, f/9, 1/1000, ISO 1400.

Always feels great to be in print!

Even after 50 years as a professional photographer and being published a lot, it’s always still a nice feeling to see my picture in a magazine for the first time! I have the honor of having my Ohio River Flooding photo in the May issue of Railfan and Railroad! This is my first published photo in their magazine and thanks to Otto and the crew for selecting it for publication!

RJ Corman northbound at South Union, Kentucky on the Memphis Line

With the exhaust flowing behind the train, RJ Cormans 3803, 3863 and 3837 lead MR22 northbound on April 14th, 2021 as they pass the 1869 Shaker Tavern at South Union, Kentucky on an overcast spring day. Their next stop is the RJ Corman Railroad Distribution Center outside Russellville, Ky where they cut off this power and another train set combined its train with it and took the train on north on the Memphis Line.

According to Roadtrippers.com: The Shaker Tavern, built in 1869 as a business venture for the South Union Shakers, housed a hotel for the “people of the world.” The Shakers leased the building to an outside interest for one hundred dollars a month, leaving its management to the “world.” The Shaker Tavern maintained a thriving business for more than forty years, catering to the Victorian railroad travelers who stopped at South Union. The building’s architectural features were clearly incorporated to attract the world’s people, whose tastes differed dramatically from that of the Shakers. The stark simplicity of the buildings used by the Shakers contrasts greatly with the grand columned facade, intricate brickwork, and the ornate staircase of the Shaker Tavern.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 100.

Heading south at Poorhouse

CSXT 970 leads Q503 southbound on April 9th, 2021, on a beautiful spring afternoon, as it heads through the location on the Henderson Subdivision that is called Poorhouse by the railroad crews. The name stems back to the days when the poorhouse for the community of Madisonville, Kentucky used to be close to this location in the days of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.

CSX Q512-09 south at Mortons Gap, Ky with 7 units

CSX Q512 with another string of seven locomotives that had GMTX 2141 and 2133 trailing as the last units, make their way downgrade from Mortons Junction at Mortons Gap, Kentucky on April 8th, 2021 as they head south on the Henderson Subdivision.

Q512 was running on this beautiful spring day with CSXT 5312, 711, 4329, 8851, 4226, GMTX 2133, 2141 as power and was 10,590 feet long. I didn’t really notice, but I’m fairly sure the last 4 units weren’t running. The loads behind the power are truck frames.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.

CSX Q512 with 7 units waiting to head north at Slaughters, Ky

I was sitting at a local restaurant here in Madisonville, Ky with several other rail friends where we had just ordered our lunch when I got the first notice from another friend that CSX Q512 was headed north on the Henderson Subdivision with 7 locomotives! At the time it was passing the signals at Oak Hill, just south of Mortons Gap, Ky on April 6th, 2021!

Of course, I really didnt expect to catch it as I felt it would probably pass by when we were in the middle of our meal and pretty much resigned myself to missing this move. Next, I got a phone call about the move from another friend and then a message from another friend that it was passing through Mortons Gap, and still one more that it was at Earlington!

Well, my meal arrived, and I didnt wolf it down, but did get it finished (Over easy eggs, Hash Browns and Bacon with wheat toast) and bid farewell to the others and decided to see if I could catch it. I even thought about flying from the parking lot down to Monarch, which was about ½ mile away, but when I stepped out the door at the restaurant (Swaggy Ps) there was the head end of the power passing just across the street in the tree line! Luck was on my side!!!

I was able to get on I-69 at Madisonville and get far enough ahead of the train, running with CSXT 305, 3357, 78, GMTX 2158, 2160, 2156, and ARNX 3045! Of course, only the CSX units were under power as the others were dead in tow.

I was able to get shots with the drone from the south end of Slaughters, Ky where it took the siding to wait for Q503! This gave me plenty of time to get to the north end of the siding and capture this shot, in beautiful light, of the entire consist of power!

Sometimes things just come together!

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

Signs of Spring at the Paducah and Louisville Railway as CN heads to Fulton, Ky!

With signs of spring in the trees, Canadian National Fulton to Paducah (FUPU) turn heads over the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard as it heads back to Fulton, Ky after making its drop-off and pick-up at Paducah, Ky.

I’ve been trying to catch this shot ever since I got my first drone and it finally happened today, April 3rd, 2021st while myself and fellow railfan Ryan Scott spent the day chasing trains around Paducah and Fulton, Ky! While we didn’t get a lot of trains, what we did catch was nice and you’ll see more in the days to come!

Roll-by inspection at the south end of Slaughters, Kentucky

The crew on CSX K423 conducts a roll-by inspection on hot intermodal, CSX Q028 as they roll through the siding at the south end of Slaughters, Kentucky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, as their loaded Ethanol train with BNSF 9100 leading sits on the main on March 25th, 2021.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 460mm, f/6, 1/1000, ISO 640.

CSX W809 waits with its military load at Nortonville, Ky

The crew on southbound military train W809 waits just north of the signals at Romney on March 30th, 2021 as they chat with a member of a track crew that is welding on the switch here on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, out of frame to the left.

Not only are they waiting for the track crew, but they were also waiting on the arrival of hot intermodal, CSX Q025, which will be coming from the north around the curve in the distance, which was still several miles away.

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

Canadian National northbound on the CSX Henderson Subdivision

Canadian National 3246, 2235, 2518, 2605 and 2293 lead an empty ethanol tank train on March 25th, 2021, after passing the location called Romney, on the CSX Henderson subdivision as it heads north at Nortonville, Ky.

Unit trains of one type or another are some of my favorite trains to photograph and video and when you throw into the mix foreign power on top of that and it makes me want to chase all day long!! I just love the uniformity of the cars, like snakes winding their way along the landscape.

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