An infrared shot (taken the now old fashion way) from the overpass on highway 85, a few miles south of Central City, Kentucky as Paducah and Louisville Railways Louisville Gas and Electric loaded coal train, LG1, passes through the cut there on its way north with another load for the power plant, as PAL University of Kentucky locomotives, 4522 and 2012 lead the way.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @18mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 200, August 13, 2021.
Paducah and Louisville University of Kentucky locomotives 4522 and 2012 lead the Louisville Gas & Electric loaded coal train across the trestle at Big Clifty, Kentucky as it heads north along highway 62 on its way to the Louisville Gas and Electric power plant in the Kosmosdale neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky.
According to their website: “The Mill Creek Generation Station is LG&E’s largest coal-fired power plant, with a generating capacity of 1,465 megawatts. Mill Creek sits on 544 acres in southwest Jefferson County, Ky.
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw an unprecedented increase in the construction of new industrial, commercial, and residential facilities in the Louisville area.
As customers demand for energy increased, LG&E needed additional generating capability to guarantee supply and ensure reliability. Mill Creek began commercial operation in 1972 to meet this growing demand.”
Tech Info: Wide Photo: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100, August 17, 2021.
I spent this afternoon chasing the Paducah and Louisville Railway LG1 loaded coal train from Madisonville to Eastview, Kentucky. The latter was my goal for this chase as I’ve never photographed the cut at Eastview before and it’s been on my list for a while now.
I got to the location about 10 minutes before the train and checked out the scene with my Nikon first as the cut is right up against the bridge on Meeting Creek Road and I wasn’t sure I wanted or even needed to use the drone at this location. After consideration I decided to launch the drone as I felt it could give me the best platform for a shot that would offer the best perspective that was different from other photos I’ve seen taken from here.
With the drone in place, it was a short wait as I captured Paducah and Louisville University of Kentucky locomotives 4522 and 2012 lead the Louisville Gas & Electric loaded coal train as it made its way north and through the cut at Eastview, Kentucky.
Tech Info: Wide Photo: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100, August 17, 2021.
CSX N302 heads south as it snakes its way through the valley as its tail end still exits Baker Tunnel back around the hills at Ridgetop, Tennessee on the Henderson Subdivision, as the light of day begins to fade from the scene. This trainset runs from Evansville, IN (EVWR) to Stilesboro, GA with a load of coal from the Sugar Camp Mine at Akin, IL and is headed to Georgia Power’s Bowen Plant to help keep the lights on!
Tech Info: Wide Photo: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/50, ISO 100, June 12, 2021.
![Paducah and Louisville Railway PRX1 at Calvert City, Kentucky
Paducah and Louisville Railway 3811, 4504 and 4516 lead loaded coal train PRX1 around the outer loop at the Calvert City Terminal in Calvert City, Kentucky on July 23, 2021, after picking up a load of coal for the TVA Shawnee Power Plant in West Paducah, KY.
According to 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 (430 km) line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986. The 223-mile (359 km) 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 multiple main tracks nearly 20 miles (32 km) 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 (375 km) 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: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/240, ISO 100.](http://www.jimpearsonphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WEB-07.23.21-PAL-PRX1-at-Calvert-City-KY-1170x878.jpg)
Paducah and Louisville Railway 3811, 4504 and 4516 lead loaded coal train PRX1 around the outer loop at the Calvert City Terminal in Calvert City, Kentucky on July 23, 2021, after picking up a load of coal for the TVA Shawnee Power Plant in West Paducah, KY.
According to 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 (430 km) line was purchased from Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in August 1986. The 223-mile (359 km) 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 multiple main tracks nearly 20 miles (32 km) 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 (375 km) 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: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/240, ISO 100.
In this Infrared shot, Paducah and Louisville Railway 4516 leads a loaded coal train, and it begins its run from the Warrior Coal mine loop at Nebo, Ky on July 17th, 2021, on the Warrior Coal Mine lead. This load of coal is headed for Calvert City Terminal at Calvert City, KY.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 150-600 @600mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 800.
Canadian National 3050 leads a loaded coal train as it passes through Chiles Junction on its way south on the CN Bluford Subdivision at West Paducah, Kentucky on July 23rd, 2021.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
CSXT 3322 and 322 lead as CSX J801-06 creeps along as it starts to load at the Warrior Coal mine loop, just outside of Nebo, Kentucky on June 7th, 2021 under stormy skies. This train comes out of CSX Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, Ky where it will return to after loading and be combined with another loaded coal train of similar length before heading south on the Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 100.
A loaded Norfolk Southern Duke Energy coal train pulls west from the Charger mine at the HBD-DED Ayrshire just outside Winslow, Indiana as NS 224, a daily Louisville to St. Louis train, waits on the NS Southern East-West District main for it to clear Hatfield Junction on May 1st, 2021.
The lash-up on 224 is Norfolk Southern NS 4096 GE AC44C6M DC to AC Rebuilt (C40-9), NS 1844 EMD SD70ACU DC to AC Rebuilt (SD70), and NS 1068 EMD SD70ACe Erie Heritage Unit and runs daily from Louisville to St. Louis.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.
CSXT 3322 and 322 lead as CSX J801-06 creeps along as it begins loading at the Warrior Coal mine loop, just outside of Nebo, Kentucky on June 7th, 2021 under stormy skies. This train comes out of CSX Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, Ky where it will return to after loading and be combined with another loaded coal train of similar length before heading south on the Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 100.
CSXT 3322 and 322 lead as CSX J801-06 creeps along as it starts to load at the Warrior Coal mine loop, just outside of Nebo, Kentucky on June 7th, 2021 under stormy skies. This train comes out of CSX Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, Ky where it will return to after loading and be combined with another loaded coal train of similar length before heading south on the Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 100.
A Paducah and Louisville Railway (PAL) crew pulls an empty coal drag into the north end of their yard in downtown Paducah, Kentucky on May7th, 2021 after finishing their run from the loadout at Calvert City, Ky, with DPU 6252 leading.
The PAL crew will tie the train down in the south end of the yard where itll wait for a BNSF crew to take it on south for another load of coal.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 380mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 450.
On May 28th, 2021 Paducah and Louisville Railways UK 2012 leads on LG1 (Louisville Gas and Electric) as the train pulls away from the Warrior Coal Mine loop, just outside Nebo, Kentucky as it begins its trip north to the Louisville Gas and Electric power plant just outside Louisville, Ky to deliver yet another load of coal!
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm with a 1.4 teleconverter @ 850mm, f/9, 1/1600, ISO 1800.
On May 8th, 2021 Paducah and Louisville Railway’s 4516 and 4503 bring up the rear as DPUs on LG1 (Louisville Gas and Electric) as the last few cars pass under the loadout at Warrior Coal Mine, just outside Nebo, Kentucky.
Once finished loading this train made its way north to the Louisville Gas and Electric power plant just outside Louisville, Ky to deliver yet another load of black gold! This train runs loaded toward Louisville every other day and the empties run on the opposite days back to Warrior Coal or Armstrong Coal at McHenry, Ky for loading.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 100.
Paducah and Louisville Railways specialty painted University of Kentucky unit 2012 leads a loaded coal train through the unloading pit at Calvert City Terminal as it prepares to unload its coal on May 7th, 2021 at Calvert City, Kentucky.
Calvert City Terminal is located at Mile 14 on the lower Tennessee River, near its confluence with the Ohio River, Calvert City Terminal is strategically located on the Paducah and Louisville Railroad in a large industrial park at Calvert City, Kentucky. This central location provides ready access to BNSF, CNIC, UP, NS, and CSX railroads, as well as the Tennessee, Cumberland, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
Paducah and Louisville Railway 2013 (University of Louisville Unit) and 4518 lead the Louisville Gas and Electric (LG1) as it snakes its way out of the Warrior Coal loadout on May 8th, 2021 at Nebo, Kentucky on the 2021 National Train Day.
According to the Web: National Train Day is a holiday thats honors the history of the train in the U.S and promotes rail travel for all Americans. Its observed annually on the Saturday closest to the 10th of May every year and is an opportunity for everyone to learn about how trains have revolutionized civilization and united a country at the same time.
National Train Day was invented in May of 2008 by Amtrak. They wanted a way to promote rail travel, to spread information about trains to the public, and to reiterate the history of trains, so they invented this holiday. In 2011, Amtrak used the holiday as a part of its 40th-anniversary celebration. Amtrak discontinued National Train Day in 2015 to replace it with Amtrak Train Days, but people all over the world continue to celebrate this holiday as it was originally imagined.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/240, ISO 100.
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.
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.
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.
![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.](http://www.jimpearsonphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WEB-04.14.21-PAL-LG1-NB-at-Summit-Ky.jpg)
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.
I was afraid I’d miss this loaded coal train CSX N302 at first light on the Red River bridge at Adams, Tennessee as it made its way south on the Henderson Subdivision.
I left my house at about 5:30am, much earlier than I’m accustomed to getting out, but I was meeting fellow railfan Cooper Smith at 7am at Guthrie, Kentucky and we were to meet at the CSX yard in Guthrie to do a full day of railfanning in the snow.
After stopping to shoot the sun popping over the horizon just north of Trenton, Ky I got back in my nice and toasty SUV after getting my shot in the cold 14 degree weather and headed on south to meet up with Cooper. It was about this time I found out that he was running late and that there was a loaded coal train just ahead of me headed south.
This was just after the last big snowfall that swept through the region the day before and even though the Kentucky and Tennessee road crews had do a great job of plowing US 41, which follows the Henderson Subdivision, there was still ice on the roads to contend with so I was worried that I wouldn’t make it to this spot and get the drone up before the train got there, but as you can tell, lady luck was smiling in my direction!
I arrived at this spot probably about 10 minutes before the train on February 19th, 2021 and the sun was just above the tree line here and was sending that beautiful early morning golden light, raking across the bare trees. A great start to a great day of being trackside, even if it was real early and went till after dark! We both came back with some great shots!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.