CSX S983, led by Union Pacific 4016, waits for southbound M513 to clear just short of John Rivers Road crossing at Casky Yard in Hopkinsville, Ky, as it leads 5 new Brightline Cars bound for Florida on May 27th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 120. #railroad #railroads #train, #trains #railway #railway #steamtrains #railtransport #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailways #besttrainphotograph #bestphoto #photographyoftrains #bestsoldpicture #JimPearsonPhotography #Brightline #passengertrains #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone

CSX S983, led by Union Pacific 4016, waits for southbound M513 to clear…

CSX S983, led by Union Pacific 4016, waits for southbound M513 to clear just short of John Rivers Road crossing at Casky Yard in Hopkinsville, Ky, as it leads 5 new Brightline Cars bound for Florida on May 27th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 120.

During our run to Seattle, Washington my sister and I traveled along the Columbia River Gorge on our recent trip and the only Union Pacific Equipment I caught on this day was this Maintenance of Way Equipment at The Dalles in Oregon. It was busy picking up ties on the Portland Subdivision,down from The Dalles Dam, on June 20th, 2023, with UP 958200 leading. At the far end of the equipment, you can see where they are picking up ties along the right-of-way and I’ll be posting another shot showing that end tomorrow morning. An unusual and cool looking piece of equipment for sure! From what I can find online Union Pacific took delivery of the RELCO built MofW work train set #958200 in July 2019. The set is made up of special flats/gons and a rebuilt SD-40-2 locomotive (former number unknown). The trailing unit was numbered UP 958201. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #trainphotographer #railroadphotographer #jimpearsonphotography #trains #mavic3classic #drones #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone #UnionPacific #MOWtrainset #oregontrains

Union Pacific Maintenance of Way Equipment at The Dalles in Oregon

During our run to 2023 Seattle, Washington my sister and I traveled along the Columbia River Gorge on our recent trip and the only Union Pacific Equipment I caught on this day was this Maintenance of Way Equipment at The Dalles in Oregon. It was busy picking up ties on the Portland Subdivision, down from The Dalles Dam, on June 20th, 2023, with UP 958200 leading.

From what I can find online Union Pacific took delivery of the RELCO built MofW work train set #958200 in July 2019. The set is made up of special flats/gons and a rebuilt SD-40-2 locomotive (former number unknown). The trailing unit was numbered UP 958201.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100.

September 18th, 2024, BNSF 7115, 9128 and Ferromex 4050 lead an northbound train through Tehachapi Loop on the Union Pacific Mojave Subdivision at Keene, California. According to Wikipedia: The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral, or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert. Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains 77 feet (23 m) in elevation and makes a 1,210-foot-diameter (370 m) circle. Any train that is more than 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track passes through Tunnel 9, the ninth tunnel built as the railroad was extended from Bakersfield. The line averages about 36 freight trains each day. Passenger trains such as Amtrak's San Joaquin are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour. Its frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508. One of the engineering feats of its day, the Loop was built by Southern Pacific Railroad to ease the grade over Tehachapi Pass. Construction began in 1874, and the line opened in 1876. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 100. #railroad #railroads #train, #trains #railway #railway #steamtrains #railtransport #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailways #besttrainphotograph #bestphoto #photographyoftrains #bestsoldpicture #JimPearsonPhotography #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone #TehachapiLoop

BNSF 7115, 9128 and Ferromex 4050 lead an northbound train through Tehachapi Loop

September 18th, 2024, BNSF 7115, 9128 and Ferromex 4050 lead an northbound train through Tehachapi Loop on the Union Pacific Mojave Subdivision at Keene, California.

According to Wikipedia: The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral, or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert.

Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains 77 feet (23 m) in elevation and makes a 1,210-foot-diameter (370 m) circle. Any train that is more than 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track passes through Tunnel 9, the ninth tunnel built as the railroad was extended from Bakersfield.

The line averages about 36 freight trains each day. Passenger trains such as Amtrak’s San Joaquin are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour. Its frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508.

One of the engineering feats of its day, the Loop was built by Southern Pacific Railroad to ease the grade over Tehachapi Pass. Construction began in 1874, and the line opened in 1876.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 100.

Union Pacific 9771 leads CSX S982 as the waits to meet a northbound at Sebree, Kentucky with a set of five new passenger cars for Brightline in Florida on March 26th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, in the golden light of the setting sun. According to Wikipedia: Brightline is a privately run intercity rail route between Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida that runs on track owned by Florida East Coast Railway. An extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport was expected to open in 2023. Brightline is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad in the United States. Its development started in March 2012 as All Aboard Florida by Florida East Coast Industries; a Florida real estate developer owned by Fortress Investment Group. Construction began in November 2014 and the route opened in January 2018. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 250. #railroad #railroads #train, #trains #railway #railway #railtransport #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailways #besttrainphotograph #bestphoto #photographyoftrains #bestsoldpicture #JimPearsonPhotography #trainsfromadrone #csxhendersonsubdivision #onecsx #brightline #unionpacific

Union Pacific 9771 leads CSX S982 as the waits to meet a northbound at Sebree, Kentucky

Union Pacific 9771 leads CSX S982 as the waits to meet a northbound at Sebree, Kentucky with a set of five new passenger cars for Brightline in Florida on March 26th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, in the golden light of the setting sun.

According to Wikipedia: Brightline is a privately run intercity rail route between Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida that runs on track owned by Florida East Coast Railway. An extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport was expected to open in 2023.

Brightline is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad in the United States. Its development started in March 2012 as All Aboard Florida by Florida East Coast Industries; a Florida real estate developer owned by Fortress Investment Group. Construction began in November 2014 and the route opened in January 2018.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 250.

This is one of the last images from my DJI Air 2 drone before it ended up in the top of a 30’ oak tree the next day at Dexter, MO after a Fly Away. In this shot Engineer Ed Dickens waves from the cab as Union Pacific’s 4014, the Big Boy, passes under the signal bridge in downtown McRae, Arkansas on Friday, on August 27th, 2021, as they head north on the UP Hoxie subdivision on its way to Popular Bluff, MO. The Big Boy is an articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive which was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York in 1941. There were a total 25 of these giants built and of the eight remaining locomotives this is the only operational one. According to Wikipedia: “The locomotive operated in revenue service until 1959, when it was donated to the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in late 1961 and thereafter displayed in Fairplex at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California. In 2013, UP re-acquired the locomotive and launched a restoration project at their Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In May 2019, No. 4014 was operated for the first time after sitting dormant for almost six decades. It ran its first excursion, double-headed with Union Pacific 844, three days later on May 4, 2019. Now part of the Union Pacific's heritage fleet, it now operates in excursion service, in addition to hauling revenue freight during ferry moves.” The Big Boy is currently on a month-long tour around the Midwest through, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming before heading home to Cheyenne, Wyoming on September 7th. For the route and schedule visit: https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm to see if it’s stopping near you! Tech Info: Wide Photo: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100, August 27, 2021. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #jimpearsonphotography

Engineer Ed Dickens waves from the cab as Union Pacific’s 4014, the Big Boy at McRae, Arkansas

This is one of the last images from my DJI Air 2 drone before it ended up in the top of a 30′ oak tree the next day at Dexter, MO after a Fly Away in 2021.

In this shot Engineer Ed Dickens waves from the cab as Union Pacific’s 4014, the Big Boy, passes under the signal bridge in downtown McRae, Arkansas on Friday, on August 27th, 2021, as they head north on the UP Hoxie subdivision on its way to Popular Bluff, MO.


The Big Boy is an articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive which was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York in 1941. There were a total 25 of these giants built and of the eight remaining locomotives this is the only operational one.

According to Wikipedia: “The locomotive operated in revenue service until 1959, when it was donated to the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in late 1961 and thereafter displayed in Fairplex at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California.

In 2013, UP re-acquired the locomotive and launched a restoration project at their Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In May 2019, No. 4014 was operated for the first time after sitting dormant for almost six decades.

It ran its first excursion, double-headed with Union Pacific 844, three days later on May 4, 2019. Now part of the Union Pacific’s heritage fleet, it now operates in excursion service, in addition to hauling revenue freight during ferry moves.”

The Big Boy is currently on a month-long tour around the Midwest through, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming before heading home to Cheyenne, Wyoming on September 7th.

Tech Info: Wide Photo: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100, August 27, 2021.

Union Pacific’s 4014, the Big Boy, passes over the Black River as it approaches downtown Corning, Arkansas on Friday, August 27th, 2021, as they head north on the UP Hoxie subdivision on its way to Poplar Bluff, AR. The Big Boy is an articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive which was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York in 1941. There were a total 25 of these giants built and of the eight remaining locomotives this is the only operational one. According to Wikipedia: “The locomotive operated in revenue service until 1959, when it was donated to the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in late 1961 and thereafter displayed in Fairplex at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California. In 2013, UP re-acquired the locomotive and launched a restoration project at their Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In May 2019, No. 4014 was operated for the first time after sitting dormant for almost six decades. It ran its first excursion, double-headed with Union Pacific 844, three days later on May 4, 2019. Now part of the Union Pacific's heritage fleet, it now operates in excursion service, in addition to hauling revenue freight during ferry moves.” The Big Boy is currently on a month-long tour around the Midwest through, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming before heading home to Cheyenne, Wyoming on September 7th. For the route and schedule visit: https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm to see if it’s stopping near you! Tech Info: Wide Photo: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100, August 27, 2021. #trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #jimpearsonphotography

Union Pacific’s 4014, the Big Boy, passes over the Black River as it approaches downtown Corning, Arkansas

Union Pacific’s 4014, the Big Boy, passes over the Black River as it approaches downtown Corning, Arkansas on Friday, August 27th, 2021, as they head north on the UP Hoxie subdivision on its way to Poplar Bluff, AR.

The Big Boy is an articulated 4-8-8-4 steam locomotive which was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York in 1941. There were a total 25 of these giants built and of the eight remaining locomotives this is the only operational one.

According to Wikipedia: “The locomotive operated in revenue service until 1959, when it was donated to the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in late 1961 and thereafter displayed in Fairplex at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California.

In 2013, UP re-acquired the locomotive and launched a restoration project at their Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In May 2019, No. 4014 was operated for the first time after sitting dormant for almost six decades.

It ran its first excursion, double-headed with Union Pacific 844, three days later on May 4, 2019. Now part of the Union Pacific’s heritage fleet, it now operates in excursion service, in addition to hauling revenue freight during ferry moves.”

The Big Boy is currently on a month-long tour around the Midwest through, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming before heading home to Cheyenne, Wyoming on September 7th. For the route and schedule visit: https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm to see if it’s stopping near you!

Tech Info: Wide Photo: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100, August 27, 2021.

Union Pacific 9771 leads CSX S982 as the heads south out of Sebree, Kentucky as a set of five new passenger cars for Brightline in Florida on March 26th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, in the golden light of the setting sun. Unfortunately, the last car in the consist has already been hit by a tagger somewhere along it’s run from California. According to Wikipedia: Brightline is a privately run intercity rail route between Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida that runs on track owned by Florida East Coast Railway. An extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport was expected to open in 2023. Brightline is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad in the United States. Its development started in March 2012 as All Aboard Florida by Florida East Coast Industries; a Florida real estate developer owned by Fortress Investment Group. Construction began in November 2014 and the route opened in January 2018. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 140. #railroad #railroads #train, #trains #railway #railway #railtransport #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailways #besttrainphotograph #bestphoto #photographyoftrains #bestsoldpicture #JimPearsonPhotography #trainsfromadrone #csxhendersonsubdivision #onecsx #brightline #unionpacific

Union Pacific 9771 leads CSX S982 as the heads south out of Sebree, Kentucky with Brightline Cars

Union Pacific 9771 leads CSX S982 as the heads south out of Sebree, Kentucky as a set of five new passenger cars for Brightline in Florida on March 26th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, in the golden light of the setting sun.

Unfortunately, the last car in the consist has already been hit by a tagger somewhere along it’s run from California.

According to Wikipedia: Brightline is a privately run intercity rail route between Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida that runs on track owned by Florida East Coast Railway. An extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando International Airport was expected to open in 2023.

Brightline is the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger railroad in the United States. Its development started in March 2012 as All Aboard Florida by Florida East Coast Industries; a Florida real estate developer owned by Fortress Investment Group. Construction began in November 2014 and the route opened in January 2018.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 140.

September 18th, 2024, BNSF 7115, 9128 and Ferromex 4050 lead an northbound train through Tehachapi Loop on the Union Pacific Mojave Subdivision at Keene, California. According to Wikipedia: The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral, or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert. Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains 77 feet (23 m) in elevation and makes a 1,210-foot-diameter (370 m) circle. Any train that is more than 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track passes through Tunnel 9, the ninth tunnel built as the railroad was extended from Bakersfield. The line averages about 36 freight trains each day. Passenger trains such as Amtrak's San Joaquin are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour. Its frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508. One of the engineering feats of its day, the Loop was built by Southern Pacific Railroad to ease the grade over Tehachapi Pass. Construction began in 1874, and the line opened in 1876. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 100. #railroad #railroads #train, #trains #railway #railway #steamtrains #railtransport #railroadengines #picturesoftrains #picturesofrailways #besttrainphotograph #bestphoto #photographyoftrains #bestsoldpicture #JimPearsonPhotography #trainsfromtheair #trainsfromadrone #TehachapiLoop

BNSF 7115, 9128 and Ferromex 4050 lead an northbound train through Tehachapi Loop

September 18th, 2024, BNSF 7115, 9128 and Ferromex 4050 lead an northbound train through Tehachapi Loop on the Union Pacific Mojave Subdivision at Keene, California.

According to Wikipedia: The Tehachapi Loop is a 3,779-foot-long (0.72 mi; 1.15 km) spiral, or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley to Mojave in the Mojave Desert.

Rising at a steady two-percent grade, the track gains 77 feet (23 m) in elevation and makes a 1,210-foot-diameter (370 m) circle. Any train that is more than 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long—about 56 boxcars—passes over itself going around the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track passes through Tunnel 9, the ninth tunnel built as the railroad was extended from Bakersfield.

The line averages about 36 freight trains each day. Passenger trains such as Amtrak’s San Joaquin are banned from the loop, although the Coast Starlight can use it as a detour. Its frequent trains and scenic setting make the Tehachapi Loop popular with railfans. In 1998, it was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also designated as California Historical Landmark #508.

One of the engineering feats of its day, the Loop was built by Southern Pacific Railroad to ease the grade over Tehachapi Pass. Construction began in 1874, and the line opened in 1876.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 100.