I was pleasantly surprised when the loaded coal train made it’s way past the empties at Nortonville, Ky as I was expecting a different train all together to come around the hill as I was prepared for a ethanol train to pass the empty coal train here. Somehow the loaded coal train snuck in front of him at Mortons Junction, just a few miles up the line.
I could actually hear the difference between the empty and loaded coal trains as they both snaked their way trough the S curve at Nortonville, Kentucky with their wheel flanges squealing away. The empties had a hollow sound of course and the loads being pulled by CSXT 3157 had a smoother sound as 3157 and it’s trailing unit #29 were pulling hard, even through there’s a relatively level grade, here on the Henderson Subdivision on January 30th, 2021.
This is a prime example of why I love long lenses, like my Sigma 150-600mm which was used for this shot! There’s no other way to get this shot, with the compression and in your face type of photography. It really adds impact to the image and allows an image that you just can’t get without a long lens! When out shooting your pictures always look for unique and different angles and shots to help add impact to your pictures!
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 360mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO 820.