BNSF Leading the Way
BNSF 688 and 8355 lead Potash train CSX K810 as they take the siding at the south end of the Slaughters Siding, preparing to meet CSX Q025 at Slaughters, Kentucky as the head north on the Henderson Subdivision on October 17, 2020.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 400.
Southbound at Mortons Gap. Ky
BNSF 6357 heads up loaded ethanol train CSX K707 with a very dirty CP 8555 as it heads south out of Mortons Gap, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision with a long and heavy ethanol train.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 200.
Ethanol Train Meet at Mortons Junction
BNSF 6357 heads up loaded ethanol train CSX K707 as waits on the Earlington Cutoff at Mortons Junction, as empty ethanol train CSX K423 heads north on the Earlington main, on the Henderson Subdivision at Mortons Gap, Ky.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 200.
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 13, 2020 – BNSF 5954 leads CSX intermodal Q028-12 (Atlanta, GA – Chicago, IL) as it tops the rise while passing CSX Q647 in the siding at Kelly, Kentucky, as 28 heads north on the Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 370mm, f/9, 1/1250, ISO 900.
August 13, 2020 – BNSF 5954 leads CSX Q028-12 across the diamond at Trident as it heads north with a 10,000+ foot intermodal on the Henderson Subdivision at Madisonville, Ky.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/500, ISO 1600.
June 2, 2020 – A BNSF 3920 leads a intermodal train as it pulls out of the siding at River Junction on the BNSF River Subdivision at Terrell, Arkansas.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/11, 1/1250, ISO 100.
June 2, 2020 – A BNSF manifest train passes the Plum Point Energy Station at Osceola, AR as it heads north on the BNSF River Subdivision.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 490mm, f/10, 1/1250, ISO 400.
May 27, 2020 – BNSF 9259 heads up loaded coal train as it comes around a curve just south of Centralia, Illinois as it heads south on the BNSF Beardstown Subdivision.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 400mm, f/6, 1/1000 at ISO 320.
June 23, 2006 – Blast From The Past – It was a hot, dry day as a Piggyback with BNSF 5232 leading headed east, meeting a Mixed freight headed up by BNSF 4438 waiting to head west toward Bakersfield, in horseshoe curve in the valley at Caliente, California as they made their way through the Tehachapi Mountains on the UP Mojave Subdivision.
October 22, 2007 – Blast From The Past – BNSF 5971 leads a loaded coal train off the Buford Subdivision at Chiles Junction in West Paducah, Kentucky as it prepares to head down the Paducah and Louisville Railway bound for the coal Terminal at Calvert City, Kentucky.
May 1, 2005 – Blast From The Past – BNSF 2819 heads past the old interlocking tower at Shattuc, Illinois on BNSF’s Beardstown Subdivision as it crosses over the Illinois Subdivision.
From what I gather from the web, CSX closed the Illinois Subdivision through here at one point and used it for car storage, but then I find references to the line being used now by The Prairie Line, a shortline out of O’Fallon, IL (I’m now told the shortline hasn’t materialized yet). BNSF still owns and uses the Bardstown Sub. I’m also told that the diamond was removed in 2019, at least temporarily.
In the past this tower controlled the movements of trains on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad along with the B&O Railroad. It was closed sometime in the 1980’s and from what I can find on the web it was torn down in late 2014. I’ve also found reports where it was bought by a collector and moved. Whichever is correct, this picture isn’t to be replicated again today since the tower is now gone.
If you’d like to read a great piece on the tower, check out this article on The Trackside Photographer by Tom Gatermann, who visited the tower the same year as me.
http://thetracksidephotographer.com/tag/shattuc-tower/
Photograph the towers when and where you can as they continue to disappear from the railroad landscape.
June 24, 2006 – Blast From The Past – BNSF 4620 leads a mixed freight through the Tehachapi mountains after passing through tunnel 10 on the Mojave Subdivision, headed east toward Tehachapi, California.
June 23, 2006 – Blast From The Past – BNSF 4194 leads a train of reefers northbound after coming through the Tehachapi Loop as it heads north on Union Pacific’s Mojave Subdivision, just north of milepost 352.
June 21, 2006 – A Blast from the Past – BNSF 7784 leads three other units on a west bound intermodal at Cajon Summit at Hesperia, California as they begin their descent through the Cajon Pass toward Los Angeles on the BNSF Cajon Subdivision.
March 31, 2020 – Another of several photos I found on my old Mac G4 Laptop that I shot back in 2006 with my old Nikon D200 and thought I’d share a few of them. This mornings image was shot on June 20, 2006 and is of two BNSF intermodals making their way east and west through the Cajon Pass in Southern California on the Cajon Subdivision.
March 30, 2020 – I stumbled across this image and several others on my old Mac G4 Laptop that I shot back in 2006 with my old Nikon D200 and thought I’d share a few of them. This one is from June 6, 2006 of BNSF 4419 leading a business train east bound through Sullivan’s Curve just west of Cajon Junction in southern California, headed to Barstow, CA.
From the Web we learn that “Sullivan’s Curve is where the Union Pacific Palmdale Cutoff, and the BNSF mains 1 and 2 curve in a large horseshoe curve directly next to some large, rather impressive, rock formations. Promotional photos taken at this curve for the Santa Fe in the 1930’s through the 1950’s by photographer Herb Sullivan were fantastic, and made famous by their composition. The curve that he used so frequently was named in his honor, and rightfully so.”
March 25, 2020 – Looking like a long centipede with all its tanks, BNSF 6855 leads CSX K423-24 as it makes its way along the main at the south end of Slaughters Siding, as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision with a loaded ethanol train at Slaughters, Ky.
March 25, 2020 – BNSF 6855 leads CSX K423-24 as it makes its way through the S curve Anaconda, approaching the Peddler McDonald grade crossing, south of Robards, Kentucky on track 2, as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision with a loaded ethanol train.
A big shoutout to all the fellow fans that gave me heads up on this move! It was good to be able to keep my social distance by railfanning alone and also nice to get out of the house for the first time in three days, with nice weather finally to boot! Stay safe out there everyone and wash your hands!
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.
Click to purchase a copy of this: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/digital-art-bnsf-6353-leads-coal-train-jim-pearson.html
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.