PAL UK and U of L leading empty coal
A Paducah and Louisville Railway empty coal train travels along the Warrior Coal Mine Lead , with University of Kentucky (2012) and University of Louisville (2013) leading the way, as it approaches AC Slaton road at Madisonville, Ky as it makes its way to Warrior Coal mine to pick up another load of coal for the Calvert City Terminal on October 27, 2020 in a light foggy mist.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 100.
PAL Northbound loaded coal
Paducah and Louisville Railway University of Kentucky locomotive 2012 and 4503 lead the afternoon Louisville Gas and Electric coal train northbound at McHenry, Kentucky on its way to Louisville on September 21, 2020.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.
Lunch Break!
Union Pacific 6493 and 7188 pull away from their Paducah and Louisville Railway PRX2 loaded coal train just outside Princeton, Kentucky after the crew received permission to stop for lunch from PAL dispatch on October 17, 2020.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.
September 24, 2020 – Paducah & Louisville (PAL) 4512 and Evansville Western 4511 lead a 5,400ft loaded coal train across Barkley Dam at Grand Rivers, Kentucky on the Cumberland River, as they head for the Calvert City Coal Terminal at Calvert City, Ky.
Barkley Dam construction along with Kentucky Dam formed the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area by stopping the flow of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, forming Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake respectively and the PAL mainline runs right across the dam.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 100.
September 21, 2020 – Paducah and Louisville Railway University of Kentucky locomotive 2012 leads the afternoon Louisville Gas and Electric coal train as it skirts the downtown area of Central City, Kentucky on its way north to Louisville.
The grassy area below is the general location of the old Illinois Central depot from the days when passenger trains used to service Central City. There used to be an elevator that took the passengers up to the tracks to catch their trains.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.
September 17, 2020 – CSXT 3439 and 275 lead loaded coal train CSX N040 south on the Henderson Subdivision as it approaches the John Rivers Rd. crossing at south Casky in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 100.
September 14, 2020 – BNSF 5794 and 6299 lead a loaded coal train through the loop at the Calvert City Terminal in Calvert City, Kentucky as it is halfway through unloading its train.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
August 20, 2020 – CSXT 3182 heads up CSX E040-16 as it heads through the cross-over from track 2 to track 1 as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision at Nortonville, Kentucky. It set on track 2 as it waited for CSX Q025 to pass and its counterpart, loaded coal train N040-20 was also waiting for Q025 on the same track about 1/4 mile away from the cross-over.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 250mm, f/11, 1/1250, ISO 900.
July 20, 2020 – CSX loaded coal train N040-18 makes its way south through the Red River cut at Adams, Tennessee with CSXT 956 leading the way.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 195mm, f/5.3, 1/320, ISO 220.
July 17, 2020 – Norfolk Southern 3645 leads a empty coal train out of Ramsey, Indiana, as it heads west with an empty coal train on the NS Southern-East District.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 1400.
July 17, 2020 – Norfolk Southern 3645 leads a empty coal train as it passes through the cut at Tunnel Hill road overpass, just west of Ramsey, Indiana, with stormy skies looming to the east on the NS Southern-East District. This cut was constructed to bypass the original tunnel through this area and I’m told it can still be seen via Google Earth Maps of the area.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/5.6, 1/400, ISO 1600.
June 22, 2020 – Norfolk Southern locomotive 1098 leads empty coal train WYX1 past a string of empty grain cars at the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard at Madisonville, Kentucky as it heads for Warrior Coal Main in Nebo, Ky to pickup a load of coal.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 600mm, f/6.3, ISO 400.
June 4, 2020 – Paducah and Louisville Railway (PAL) 4504 & 4502 pull a northbound loaded coal train through Cecilia, Kentucky as they head north to the Louisville Gas & Electric plant at Louisville, Ky.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 24mm, f/8, 1/1250, ISO 560.
June 22, 2020 – A fresh Paducah and Louisville Railway crew climbs aboard Norfolk Southern locomotive 1098 at Central City, Kentucky as they prepare to continue to move empty coal train WYX1 on south to Warrior Coal mine, west of Madisonville, Ky.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 260mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 500.
June 26, 2020 – A scene about as timeless as railroading itself, the only thing that has changed is the equipment and people, is a crew change on the railroad. Here the crew on Paducah and Louisville’s LG1 that loaded the coal train at Warrior coal in Nebo, Kentucky does a briefing with the engineer and conductor at West Yard in Madisonville, that will take the train on to the Mill Creek Louisville Gas and Electric plant at Louisville.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/11, 1/1600, ISO 220.
June 18, 2020 – Tagged onto the end of a coal train as the DPU, Norfolk Southern 4001 “Sonic Bonnet” gets a top off on its sand as it sits at the Peabody Francisco Mine loadout at Francisco, Indiana on the NS Southern-East District as it prepares to depart for Duke Energy with another load of coal.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/13, 1/800, ISO 220.
June 22, 2020 – Norfolk Southern T4 locomotive 1098 leads empty coal train WYX1 through the pouring rain as it pulls up a hill as it heads south on the Paducah and Louisville Railway at Milepost 135, south of Bremen, Kentucky.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 5000.
June 16, 2020 – Paducah and Louisville loaded coal train PNX2 heads down the Warrior Coal lead after picking up a load of coal at the Warrior loadout at Nebo, Kentucky with 4518 leading the way.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 550mm, f/13, 1/1600sec, ISO 1000.
March 10, 2020 – CSXT 3066 leads CSX loaded coal train N320 south on the Henderson Subdivision Cutoff at MP HC 271.6, south of Madisonville, Ky. The trackage to the left leads to a switch that used to be for what was called the Grapevine Loadout, a spot where there was a temple where coal trucks used to haul coal to for loading onto L&N coal trains.
February 8, 2020 – BNSF 6353 & CN 2126 lead a northbound empty coal train, 7,400ft (135 car), with BNSF 5997 as the trailing DPU. Here it makes it’s way north through the valley approaching Caneyville, Kentucky where it will meet up with a fresh crew to take the train on to Louisville.