BNSF 3783 leads loaded ethanol train B797 as they pass under the highway 41 overpass at Mannington, Kentucky on March 28th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision as it heads south.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1622, ISO 200.
This is the shot that almost wasn’t! One of the critical things about drone photography is timing and sometimes it doesn’t go as planned! When I pressed the shutter for this photo the Seaboard System unit was places where the nose of the trailing unit is at.
There’s always a delay between the time you shoot the picture unit the drone receives the signal to shoot, and that difference always seems to depend on distance and lay of the land.
I always have my drone set to do a burst of 7 images and normally the one of the shots are right where I want it. In this shot of the Seaboard System Heritage Unit leading CSX M500 north across Gum Lick Trestle at Kelly, Kentucky, on March 28th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision; this is the first image on the drone. All the other six, after it the engine was cut off! It’s a bit tighter than I like but it works.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 120.
CSXT 8845 heads up CSX W053 as they pull north through the siding with a weed sprayer train at Slaughters, Kentucky as they meet southbound grain train G407, on March 26th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 110.
CSXT 3242 passes a long string of maintenance of way equipment in the house track at Hanson, Kentucky on March 26th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision as it heads north with empty coal train E320.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 340.
CSX E040 crosses over the Red River at Adams, TN with CSXT 4742 leading a combined empty coal and ethanol train (B622) on March 18th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.
CSX I025 with CSX NC&SL Heritage Unit 1851 leading, heads south into the S curve at Nortonville, Ky, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on January 27th, 2025. This train typically runs with autoracks behind the power which contain Tesla’s bound for Florida.
According to a CSX Press Release: September 20, 2024 – Railroads have long played a crucial role in shaping the economic and cultural landscapes of the United States. Among these storied lines is the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis (NC&StL) Railway, a key player in the growth of the Southeast. CSX has unveiled its 19th heritage locomotive, a tribute to the NC&StL Railway, celebrating the rich legacy of a system integral to regional development.
Operating from 1851 to 1957, the NC&StL Railway was a vital freight and passenger route, connecting communities across Tennessee and other Southern states. It facilitated the movement of goods and people, boosting commerce and fostering community development along its routes. The railway’s strategic links between Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis significantly contributed to the urban and industrial growth of these cities, supporting industries such as agriculture, coal, and manufacturing.
To honor the historical significance of the NC&StL Railway, CSX introduced the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis heritage locomotive. This initiative is part of CSX’s broader program to preserve the legacy of railroads that are now part of its extensive network. Each heritage unit is carefully crafted to pay homage to the unique identity and history of its predecessor, featuring colors and designs reminiscent of the original rail lines.
Tech Info: Nikon Z6ii Mirrorless, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 420mm, f/6, 1/2500, ISO 560.
CSX President,s Passenger train P001 heads south up the viaduct approaching the bridge over the Ohio River at Henderson, Ky from Evansville, IN, with CSX Gevo units 3310, 3271 leading and CSXT 1 & 2 trailing as they pull 11 cars at a little over 1,000 ft long. Not sure, but I heard they had problems with PTC on CSXT 1 & 2 and that’s why they had to put the Gevos on the front on June 10th, 2021.
CSX has repainted two of its F40PH locomotives, to be used on its business train, into predecessor Baltimore & Ohio’s blue, gray, and black paint scheme. CSX1 is former 9998 (former Amtrak 288) and from what I can find out CSXT 2 is the former F40PH 9993 (former Amtrak 395) but can’t really confirm it for sure. The other F40s are expected to be painted in the same scheme in the coming months as they are cycled through the shops.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
In this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we catch Union pacific 7212 leading CSX M813 as it heads south out of Mortons Gap, Kentucky, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on March 18th, 2025.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 70-300 @1006mm, f/5, 1/1000, ISO 400.
Saturday Edited Video from Jim Pearson Photography In this week’s video I’m taking you on a tour of some of my favorite spots to railfan between Princeton and Madisonville, Ky on the Paducah and Louisville Railway.
Sit back, turn up the sound, expand to full screen and enjoy the trains!! Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to Subscribe and Ring the Notification Bell so you won’t miss any of my future videos! Have a blessed day everyone!!
CSXT 8845 heads up CSX W053 as they work their way north under the North Main Street overpass with a weed spraying train at Madisonville, Kentucky on March 26th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 160.
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.
LORAM Railgrinder 305 waits in the siding at Crofton, Kentucky as they wait on B211 to clear so they can continue to grind their way south on March 24th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
According to Wikipedia: A railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track. Rail grinders were developed to increase the lifespan of the tracks being serviced for rail corrugation. Rail grinding is a process that is done to stop deformation due to use and friction on railroad tracks by removing deformations and corrosion.
Railroad tracks that experience continual use are more likely to experience corrugation and overall wear. Rail grinders are used to grind the tracks when rail corrugation is present, or before corrugation begins to form on the tracks. Major freight train tracks use rail grinders for track maintenance based on the interval of tonnage, rather than time.
Transit systems and subways in major cities continue to use scheduled rail grinding processes to combat the corrugation common to heavily used tracks. Rail-grinding equipment may be mounted on a single self-propelled vehicle or on a dedicated rail-grinding train which, when used on an extensive network, may include crew quarters. The grinding wheels, of which there may be more than 100, are set at controlled angles to restore the track to its correct profile.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 140.
LORAM Railgrinder 305 heads south at Nortonville, Kentucky as they grind their way south on March 24th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
According to Wikipedia: A railgrinder (or rail grinder) is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track. Rail grinders were developed to increase the lifespan of the tracks being serviced for rail corrugation. Rail grinding is a process that is done to stop deformation due to use and friction on railroad tracks by removing deformations and corrosion.
Railroad tracks that experience continual use are more likely to experience corrugation and overall wear. Rail grinders are used to grind the tracks when rail corrugation is present, or before corrugation begins to form on the tracks. Major freight train tracks use rail grinders for track maintenance based on the interval of tonnage, rather than time.
Transit systems and subways in major cities continue to use scheduled rail grinding processes to combat the corrugation common to heavily used tracks. Rail-grinding equipment may be mounted on a single self-propelled vehicle or on a dedicated rail-grinding train which, when used on an extensive network, may include crew quarters. The grinding wheels, of which there may be more than 100, are set at controlled angles to restore the track to its correct profile.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 120.
Film Wednesday – 1993 – Today’s slide scans are from a trip I took between Aviano, Italy and Zermatt, Switzerland. This image is from the section of the trip where I was on the Glacier Express that took me into Zermatt. I haven’t a clue exactly to the location where this commuter trainset was crossing over one of the many bridges that dot the landscape in this area. If anyone recognizes this location, let me know in the comments.
Got this from a follower: This is on the Centovalli-Bahn at Borgnone, Switzerland.
Tech Info: Camera, Nikon F3, Kodachrome Slide Film, no other data recorded, Scanned with a PlusTek 82001i Film Scanner.
Film Wednesday – 1993 – Today’s slide scans are from a trip I took between Aviano, Italy and Zermatt, Switzerland. While at Zermatt I rented a car for the day and got out and about where I caught this shot of the Fuurka-Oberalp train on one of many viaducts in Switzerland. I haven’t a clue exactly to the location where this train set was at and again If anyone recognizes this location, let me know in the comments.
Also, got this from a follower: Got this from a follower: This is the Grengiols Viaduct for the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn at Grengiols, Switzerland.
According to Wikipedia: The Furka Oberalp Railway (German: Furka Oberalp Bahn) is a narrow-gauge mountain railway in Switzerland with a gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in). It runs in the Graubünden, Uri and Canton of Valais. Since January 1, 2003, it is part of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn when it merged with the BVZ Zermatt-Bahn.
The line begins in Disentis in the canton of Graubünden, where there is a connection to the Rhätische Bahn (RhB). It then runs over the Oberalp Pass to Andermatt in the canton of Uri. Through the Furka Base Tunnel, it reaches the Goms District area and Brig in the canton of Valais. In Brig, it connects to the BVZ Zermattbahn since 1930.
The first half of the line was opened by the French company Brig-Furka-Disentis Bahn (BFD) in 1914. Trains could go as far as Gletsch, starting from Brig. Construction of the second part over the Furka Pass and Oberalp Pass was well under way when the war situation in France halted all works by 1915. The company lingered on but was finally bankrupt in 1923. Two years later the railway had a new owner, called Furka Oberalp Bahn, founded by the cantons and the neighbouring railway companies. Construction work resumed, now with important federal funds, and on July 4, 1926, regular through services between Brig and Disentis could start. RhB trains reached Disentis under electric traction in 1922.
In 1930 the tracks of the newly electrified BVZ reached Brig, which gave birth to the famous Glacier Express. The oncoming crisis and the war limited the number of tourists. Nevertheless, the FO line was considered to be of strategic importance. This finally made funds available to electrify the line and purchase the necessary motive power. At the same time the Andermatt–Disentis line was protected against avalanches to allow winter services.
Tech Info: Camera, Nikon F3, Kodachrome Slide Film, no other data recorded, Scanned with a PlusTek 82001i Film Scanner.
CSXT 5350 leads X503 as they head south through Elmwood Curve, just north of Slaughters, Kentucky, on March 17th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision at sunset.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 380.
CSX E040 crosses over the Red River at Adams, TN with a combined empty coal and ethanol train (B622) and the We Are One CSX locomotive 4720 as a mid-train DPU on March 18th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. This is my first time catching this locomotive out in the wild and while I wish it had been leading but I’ll take what I can get! I totally love the look of this locomotive!
According to a CSX press release, January 14, 2025 – CSX has introduced the ONE CSX locomotive, a specially designed engine to symbolize the company’s commitment to fostering collaboration, inclusion, and mutual respect across its workforce.
“This locomotive celebrates our ONE CSX team and culture,” said CSX President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Hinrichs. “I am so proud to work with 23,000 members of our ONE CSX team every day to keep America moving.”
The locomotive’s vibrant design was created by Jody Cremeans, a Carman Painter at CSX’s mechanical shop in Huntington, West Virginia. Cremeans’ design reflects the company’s cultural pillars of valuing, appreciating, including, and respecting every individual within its organization. Employees at CSX’s Waycross, Georgia, mechanical shop brought the design to life, meticulously painting and polishing the locomotive to perfection.
Prominently displayed on the locomotive are the logos of 14 labor unions that represent CSX employees, reinforcing the company’s commitment to collaboration. This special detail of the locomotive further exemplifies CSX’s focus on working together to deliver exceptional customer service while ensuring every employee feels valued and connected.
“The ONE CSX cultural initiative has been a great way for management and craft employees to come together, to work together and to value each other,” explained Jon Guest, Assistant Superintendent at the CSX Waycross Terminal.
The ONE CSX locomotive serves as a rolling tribute to the importance of teamwork and mutual respect within the organization. For CSX, its success is directly tied to creating a workplace that fosters unity and celebrates each employee’s contributions.
The new locomotive stands as a testament to the power of shared purpose within the organization and represents CSX’s aspiration to continue building an inclusive and respectful workplace.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 130.
Steam Railroading Institute’s Pere Marquette 1225 passes the Carland Elevator at Carland, Michigan, as they run one of their last North Pole Express passenger train between Owosso and to the Village of Ashley, Michigan, for their Ashley Country Christmas, on December 16th, 2023.
According to their website, Pere Marquette 1225, the largest and most impressive piece in the Steam Railroading Institute’s collection, is one of the largest operating steam locomotives in Michigan. The 1225 was built in October of 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the Pere Marquette Railway. It’s part of the National Register of Historic Structures and is renowned for its role in the 2004 Warner Brothers Christmas Classic, THE POLAR EXPRESS™. 1225’s blueprints were used as the prototype for the locomotive image as well as its sounds to bring the train in the animated film to life!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 260.
Pere Marquette 1225 heads out of Owosso, Michigan as it approaches the Robbins Furniture Company Warehouse Number 3, with the morning North Pole Express excursion train that runs between Owosso and to the Village of Ashley Country Christmas, on December 16th, 2023.
According to their website, Pere Marquette 1225, the largest and most impressive piece in the Steam Railroading Institute’s collection, is one of the largest operating steam locomotives in Michigan. The 1225 was built in October of 1941 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the Pere Marquette Railway. It’s part of the National Register of Historic Structures and is renowned for its role in the 2004 Warner Brothers Christmas Classic, THE POLAR EXPRESS™. 1225’s blueprints were used as the prototype for the locomotive image as well as its sounds to bring the train in the animated film to life!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 400.
CSX E040 waits at Guthrie, Ky with ethanol train (B622) and the We Are One CSX locomotive 4720 as a mid-train DPU at Guthrie, Kentucky on March 18th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. This is my first time catching this locomotive out in the wild and while I wish it had been leading but I’ll take what I can get! I totally love the look of this locomotive!
According to a CSX press release, January 14, 2025 – CSX has introduced the ONE CSX locomotive, a specially designed engine to symbolize the company’s commitment to fostering collaboration, inclusion, and mutual respect across its workforce.
“This locomotive celebrates our ONE CSX team and culture,” said CSX President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Hinrichs. “I am so proud to work with 23,000 members of our ONE CSX team every day to keep America moving.”
The locomotive’s vibrant design was created by Jody Cremeans, a Carman Painter at CSX’s mechanical shop in Huntington, West Virginia. Cremeans’ design reflects the company’s cultural pillars of valuing, appreciating, including, and respecting every individual within its organization. Employees at CSX’s Waycross, Georgia, mechanical shop brought the design to life, meticulously painting and polishing the locomotive to perfection.
Prominently displayed on the locomotive are the logos of 14 labor unions that represent CSX employees, reinforcing the company’s commitment to collaboration. This special detail of the locomotive further exemplifies CSX’s focus on working together to deliver exceptional customer service while ensuring every employee feels valued and connected.
“The ONE CSX cultural initiative has been a great way for management and craft employees to come together, to work together and to value each other,” explained Jon Guest, Assistant Superintendent at the CSX Waycross Terminal.
The ONE CSX locomotive serves as a rolling tribute to the importance of teamwork and mutual respect within the organization. For CSX, its success is directly tied to creating a workplace that fosters unity and celebrates each employee’s contributions.
The new locomotive stands as a testament to the power of shared purpose within the organization and represents CSX’s aspiration to continue building an inclusive and respectful workplace.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 130.
CSX Heritage Units, L&N 1850 and NYC 1853 lead CSX I026-22 as they head into the S curve at Nortonville, Kentucky as they make their way north at dusk, on the Henderson Subdivision on March 22nd, 2025.
According to CSXT: CSX has introduced the sixth and eighth locomotives in its heritage series, a freshly painted unit honoring the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Designated CSX 1850, the locomotive will be placed into service, carrying the L&N colors across the 20,000-mile CSX network.
Designated CSX 1853 is in recognition of the year the NYC was founded; this heritage unit was repainted in a special design combining the current CSX colors with the traditional gray and white of the NYC system.
The paint schemes were designed and applied at the CSX Locomotive Shop in Waycross, Georgia, which has produced all units in the heritage series celebrating the lines that came together to form the modern CSX. Like the other heritage locomotives, these units combine the heritage railroads iconic logo and colors on the rear two-thirds of the engine with today’s CSX colors and markings on the cab end.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 800.