July 21, 2020 – A storm moves to the northeast across southern Indiana as signals on the CSX CE&D Subdivision glow at “middle King” siding at Princeton, Indiana after a southbound had just passed through.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/11, 30 seconds, ISO 2000.
June 2, 2020 – It was the dead of night, crickets, frogs and an occasional car passing through the crossing breaking the silence at the Rosewood Crossing, as the moon illuminated the tracks headed out of the south end of the Paducah and Louisville Railway at Paducah, Kentucky toward Mayfield. Moonlight provides a mystical light in my opinion.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mn, f/5, 30 seconds, +2 stops, ISO 640 on a Gitzo Tripod, camera timer, 3 second delay, Mirror Locked up.
June 18, 2020 – After a 3 hour wait for maintenance-of-way to clear up, the crew of a southbound Indiana Railroad train from Indianapolis (INRD) with engine 9005 leading, meets and does their job briefing with northbound INRD 9004 and INRD’s 25th Anniversary engine 9025 trailing, at the north end of BLS Siding at Switz City, Indiana, to trade off trains at dusk.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 50mm @ 1.4, 1/320, ISO 2,500,
June 18, 2020 – Indiana Railroad (INRD) 9004 leads SAHW-18 (Switz City, IN – Hiawatha, IN), as engineer Travis Collins keeps a watchful eye as he passes through the diamond over the Indiana Southern Railroad at Switz City, Indiana, as he heads north on the INRD Indianapolis Subdivision, as the last light of the day fades from the sky.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 50mm @ 1.4, 1/125, ISO 6,400, Car head lights for lighting.
June 2, 2020 – The LED signal at the P&I Junction in Paducah, Ky illuminates the tracks approaching the switch, behind the camera, as a full moon begins to dip low in the sky over the scene. It’s so bright it gives a Martian like view along the tracks as they disappear toward the bridge over the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm @ f/4, 30 seconds, ISO 400.
January 1, 2020 – I spent New Years Day trackside between the CN at Fulton, Ky the CSX Memphis Subdivision and the West Tennessee Railroad (WTRR) in Jackson, Tennessee yesterday with good friend and fellow photographer Ryan Scott of IndianaRails! We had a great trip and although moving trains were pretty scarice, we had the good fortune of catching a few nice gems and knocking this shortline off our bucket list.
We both plan on returning to chase the WTRR between Jackson and Fulton, now that we kinda have a better feel for where things are at! A big shout out to all the folks that gave us suggestions along the way! It’s folks like you that help make this passion so much fun!
This photograph is of a CN intermodal as it takes on fuel at late dusk at Fulton, Kentucky before continuing on it’s northbound trip on the Cario Subdivision. It was shot from a crossing with my Nikkor 70-300mm lens at 300mm. ISO was 1,000, exposure was 1/4 second at f/5.6 on a tripod. This is also just north of the Amtrak station in Fulton and so the platform helped nicely with its lighting.
December 12, 2019 – CSX Q500 waits in the dark at the north end of Latham Siding as it waits for its counterpart, Q501 to pass it, at Hopkinsville, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision.
September 20, 2019 – Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593, sits on the turntable at the shops in East Chattanooga, during the Annual L&N Convention night shoot, at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
September 20, 2019 – Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593, sits next to Southern 630, during the Annual L&N Convention night shoot, at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
September 20, 2019 – Southern 4501, all dressed up as L&N 1593, as it sits next to Southern 630, for the Annual L&N Convention, at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee during a night photo shoot.
July 25, 2019 – Visitors of all ages love the interactive waterfall at Romare Bearden Park in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, even late at night!
July 25, 2019 – Wework Building, Uptown, Charlotte, North Carolina.
January 21, 2019 – A Paducah and Louisville railway local passes through PAL’s West Yard, with 3808 leading on its way south, as the last light of day begins to fade from the sky. Parked at the right is PAL 3801 (GP38), University of Louisville Cardinals engine. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #pal #palrailway
October 6, 2018 – Signals reflect off the side of CSX Q647, as makes its way through Howell Yards, in Evansville, Indiana, as it continues south to it’s final destination of Waycross, GA. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
October 6, 2018 – Against the night sky glow from Evansville, Indiana the headlights from CSX E306 lights up the railing as it heads slowly down the viaduct at Rham, Indiana with its empty coal train after crossing over the Ohio River on the Henderson Subdivision. Nikon D800, 4 min exposure at f/11 at ISO 100 with a Nikon 18mm lens. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
October 6, 2018 – Against the night sky glow from Evansville, Indiana the headlights from CSX E306 lights up the railing as it heads slowly down the viaduct at Rham, Indiana with its empty coal train after crossing over the Ohio River on the Henderson Subdivision. Nikon D800, 4 min exposure at f/11 at ISO 100 with a Nikon 18mm lens. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
October 6, 2018 – Two CSX empty coal trains sit at the north end of Howell Yard in Evansville, Indiana as they wait for crews to take them to their destination. Nikon D800, 3 min exposure at f/16 at ISO 100 with a Sigma 24-70 @70mm. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
October 5, 2018 – Did some night railfanning tonight with fellow railfan Ryan Scott around CSX Howell yard at Evansville, Indiana. This photo shows a southbound CSX Q503 as it moves slowly through the yard and at one point coming to a stop, during my 3 minute exposure. Lens: Sigma 24-70 at 70mm f/11, on a Nikon D800 full frame camera and the ISO was 100. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
During my recent trip to Chicago to photograph trains I caught this light painter at work along the shoreline as I was shooting the Chicago Skyline at night. Hope everyone enjoys something a little different!
September 1, 2018 – St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad steam locomotive 1630 sits in the station at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, waiting for it’s 8pm run, as the last light of day begins to fade from the sky.
According to Wikipedia, the locomotive was built in 1918 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for use in Russia as a class Ye locomotive. However, it, along with approximately 200 other locomotives, remained in the United States, due to the inability of the Bolshevik government to pay for them, following the Russian Revolution.
1630 was converted from 5 ft (1,524 mm) Russian track gauge to 4 ft 8 1/2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge. After being re-gauged, #1630 was sold to the USRA and was numbered 1147. Shortly after, 1147 was briefly leased for use on the Pennsylvania Railroad.
In 1920, the locomotive was sold to the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway, where it was used as a mixed traffic engine. In 1951, the locomotive was sold to Eagle-Picher, who used it to haul lead ore from a mine to their smelter.
In 1967, the locomotive was donated to the Illinois Railway Museum, in Union, Illinois, where they began restoring it in 1972, it returned to operating condition in 1974 and made its first revenue run. Sometime after arriving at the museum, 1630 was restored from her Eagle Picher appearance back to her Frisco appearance. 1630 was taken out of service in 2004, and after more than six years undergoing repairs and a federally mandated rebuild, it was returned to operational condition on October 30, 2013.
On Memorial Day weekend 2014, the locomotive returned to excursion service. In 2016, the locomotive received a cylinder overhaul, which according to Steam department curator, Nigel Bennett, made the locomotive, “probably more powerful than she has been since her [sic] first arrival at IRM in the 1970s.” The locomotive, during Memorial Day weekend 2016, pulled 137 empty coal cars in storage at the museum as what was considered to be one of the longest revenue freight trains powered by a steam locomotive in at least 25 years as said by IRM’s Steam department curator. – #jimstrainphotos #illinoisrailroads #steamtrains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #illinoisrailwaymuseum #steamtrain
September 23, 2014 – The last light of day reflects off the side of a eastbound Union Pacific intermodal with 8059 leading at Lordsburg, New Mexico on the Lordsburg Subdivision. – #jimstrainphotos #newmexicorailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #up #uprailroad