An infrared photo of CSX X648 heading north as it takes the cut off at Mortons Junction in Mortons Gap, Kentucky, with CSXT 4792 leading the way on the Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 150-600 @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 200, September 1, 2021.
Continuing with my chase of CSX J732 on the Henderson Subdivision from yesterday with CSXT 4083, 4049, 4384, 278, 749, 7231, GMTX 2149, 2135, 2201, 2152 and 2151 are these two photographs that I am happy with, but not what I had planned!
I had planned to photograph the train as it crossed Gum Lick Trestle, however that spot didn’t work out, due to traffic and the fact that the train was moving!! I was headed down the country road, to the crossing close to Gum Lick and that’s when I heard the crew call the trestle! So, I turned around and headed for the north end of the siding at Kelly, Ky. Off in the distance I could see there was a nice rainbow forming right at my spot, due to a combination of the sun and a light rain! My shot was to be from up high enough to get the power and the rainbow together with the drone, as the rain was very light where my shot was.
However, by the time I arrived and got the drone airborne the train was already passing through the crossing, and I only got high enough to catch these two photos with the rainbow!
Don’t get me wrong, I like both shots, but further back and up higher so you could see the whole rainbow and all the engines was the shot! I think most all of us that chase and photograph trains have these moments when we capture the “almost” scenes that we envision in our minds. So, which shot do you like best?
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100, September 17, 2021.
#trainphotography #railroadphotography #trains #railways #dronephotography #jimpearsonphotography
You know my planned shots don’t always work out the way I want them to, as much as I try! Today was one of those days!
I had finished my lunch and decided to head over to CSX Atkinson yard, here in Madisonville, KY, as I heard on the scanner that the Paducah and Louisville Railway (PAL) local was working the yard there and I thought I’d see if there was a picture to be had.
When I got to the yard, I saw that there were 5 GMTX (GATX) units sitting tied to a long string of cars and so I set out to grab some shots of the locomotives and had hopes that they were the pickups for the PAL local. Well, that didn’t happen as the local left to head back to Princeton, KY.
Well, there wasn’t anything else moving in the yard and I knew that PAL was loading a coal train at Warrior coal and decided to run out and see if I could catch a shot of it, or at least how much more they had to load. When I got there, they had 10 cars left and I started to put the drone up when I got a message from fellow railfan Lucas Pendley that there were 3 CSX units hooking up to the train that had the GMTX units on it!
I made a bee line back to the south end of the yard at Madisonville to wait and after they moved the train back and forth awhile Lucas told me that they had opened the knuckle on the lead engine, and they were just sitting.
Now, in comes the local (J732) from Casky Yard in Hopkinsville and I had kind of thought they might pick up this string of engines, or at least hoped! Well, after they dropped off their work, they backed into the train with the 5 GMTX and 3 CSX locomotives, to give a total of 11 units!
At this point I had my spots for pictures on this move in mind that I thought would make great shots! The first was going to be the S curve at Nortonville with my 150-600mm lens! So, Lucas and I made our way to the Nortonville and checked the signals at the crossover, which were red, so we set up just north of the S curve to get a shot as they pulled up to the signals. We knew from the scanner that hot intermodal Q028 was in the picture and figured he’d wait for it here.
Well, where we setup to wait was around the curve from the signals and we had no clue that the dispatcher had given them a green to Romney right after we left the signals! Well, when we saw they weren’t stopping we made a mad dash to the S curve hoping to get there in time, but it never happened as when we got the overpass for the curve the train was already past the spot. However, he did have a red at Romney, which is south of Nortonville and that’s where I captured this shot!
Here CSX hot intermodal Q028 heads north as it meets CSX J732 at Romney on the Henderson Subdivision at Nortonville, Ky. J732 had 11 engines, CSXT 4083, 4049, 4384, 278, 749, 7231, GMTX 2149, 2135, 2201, 2152 and 2151 on this move! Even though only the first 3 SD40’s were running it still made for a great picture!
My next spot on this chase I had planned on being was Gum Lick Trestle, however that spot didn’t work out and neither did the one I planned at Kelly, but I’ll talk about those in tomorrow’s post! Things don’t always go as planned, but that’s life as well sometimes and I still came away happy with my pictures!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100, September 17, 2021.
CSXT 5499 leads W995 through the crossing on West Center Street in downtown Madisonville, Kentucky as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision with a General Electric high and wide load on September 13th, 2021.
These trains can take a long time to get from point A to Z as they are restricted normally to 25mph as their max speed when loaded and 5-10mph through turnouts. There is a GE crew on the caboose and their job is to watch and if needed shift the load to either side by a distance of 12 inches to allow clearance for passing trains or other obstacles.
Always an easy and interesting train to chase in my book! I had planned to chase it to Henderson, KY, but the crew ran out of their day and had to tie the train down at Hanson, but I still got a video and a couple of good shots between Nortonville and Hanson! It was a good day trackside!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 130.
It was a slow and steady move at 25mph as CSXT 5499 led W995 as it made its way through Mortons Gap, KY, on its way north on the Henderson Subdivision with a General Electric high and wide load.
These trains can take a long time to get from point A to Z as they are restricted normally to 25mph as their max speed when loaded and only 10mph through turnouts. There is a GE crew on the caboose and their job is to watch and if needed shift the load to either side by a distance of 12 inches to allow clearance for passing trains or other obstacles.
Always an easy and interesting train to chase in my book! I had planned to chase it to Henderson, KY, but the crew ran out of their day and had to tie the train down at Hanson, but I still got a video and a couple of good shots between Nortonville and Hanson! It was a good day trackside!
Tech Info: Shot on an iPhone 11pro (audio) and a DJI Air 2 Drone, edited with Adobe Premiere Pro.
#trainvideo #railroadvideo #trains #railways #jimpearsonphotography
Railroad action on the CSX Henderson Subdivision and the Paducah and Louisville Railway on September 7th, 2021 from the air around Western Kentucky.
Today was a day of choices!! I had planned on chasing the Paducah and Louisville LGE coal train that had the UK 4522 locomotive leading as it went north from the mine to Louisville, but as I was waiting for it to depart with fellow railfan Barry Delaney I got word about a high and wide move on the CSX Henderson Subdivision! For me it was an easy choice really as the LGE train runs a lot, but we only get high and wide moves with a caboose once in a while!
It was a slow and steady move at 25mph as CSXT 5499 led W995 as it made its way through the S curve at Nortonville, Kentucky, on its way north on the Henderson Subdivision with a General Electric high and wide load.
These trains can take a long time to get from point A to Z as they are restricted normally to 25mph as their max speed when loaded and only 10mph through turnouts. There is a GE crew on the caboose and their job is to watch and if needed shift the load to either side by a distance of 12 inches to allow clearance for passing trains or other obstacles.
Always an easy and interesting train to chase in my book! I had planned to chase it to Henderson, Ky, but the crew ran out of their day and had to tie the train down at Hanson, but I still got a video and a couple of good shots between Nortonville and Hanson! It was a good day trackside!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100, September 13, 2021.
A southbound CSX led mixed freight holds at the signals in downtown Corning, Arkansas on Friday, August 27th, 2021, on the UP Hoxie subdivision, as they wait for the arrival of steam locomotive, UP 4014, the big boy in this infrared shot.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 70-300 @ 70mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 200.
CSX X605-04 heads north as it passes a tied down X801 sitting in the siding at Cedar Hill, Tennessee. Both trains have been rerouted via the Henderson Subdivision due to flooding from the recent hurricanes.
The lead engine on X605, which is the top train, is a Dash 9 in YN2 paint, led by CSXT 9012 which is a reactivated unit that has been in storage. The parked X801 had UP 8211 leading and another UP trailing.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100, September 4, 2021.
CSX X605-04 heads north across the Gum Lick Trestle, just south of Crofton, Kentucky with 9012 leading the way. It is a Waycross, GA – Rose Lake, IL train that has been rerouted via the Henderson Subdivision due to flooding from the recent hurricanes. The lead engine is a Dash 9 in YN2 paint, led by CSXT 9012 which is a reactivated unit that has been in storage.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100, September 4, 2021.
Well, one week ago today I lost my DJI Air 2 to a fly away that landed in the top of a 30 tall oak tree while chasing UPs Big Boy and today’s photo is from my new drone, the DJI Air 2S!
It’s my first train photo from the drone and while cosmetically it looks like the same drone, it’s a big improvement! I’m loving that it has a 1″ sensor, where as the Air 2 only had a ½ inch one. It gives me 20 megapixels over the 12 that the Air 2 had. Of course, there’s many other improvements between the two drones and there’s many videos on YouTube that talk about them if you’re interested.
In case some of you are wondering, I decided not to use the Fly Away insurance that came with the care package that I had on the drone, as I wanted to go ahead and get the newer drone and the only thing you can get with the care package is a replacement, not an upgrade.
This shot is of was taken just south of Mortons Gap, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision as two SD 40-3s and a SD40-2 leads the daily CSX J732 local south on a beautiful summer day, after performing its interchange duty at Atkinson Yard in Madisonville, KY and was headed back to Casky Yard in Hopkinsville, KY on September 1st, 2021.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.
CSX President’s Passenger train P001 heads south up the viaduct approaching the bridge over the Ohio River at Henderson, KY from Rahm, 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.
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). 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: Wide Photo: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100, June 10, 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.
It was a hot, muggy, and sunny kind of day as CSXT 797 lead CSX Q503 pulling south out of Mortons Gap, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision, approaching the location known as Oak Hill on the railroad, allowing me the opportunity to capture this this infrared photograph.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, sensor converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @50mm, f/5, 1/1000, ISO 200, August 13, 2021.
August 2021 – In this video we catch four military trains I caught along the CSX Henderson Subdivision between Aug 8th and the 13th, including CSX W844-05 and W844-03 with BNSF power, CSX W844-03 and W816, between Cedar Hill, TN and Robards, KY from the ground and air.
In this Infrared shot from August 13th, 2021, my plan was to catch two barges passing each other under the bridge on the Ohio River at Henderson, Kentucky while I was waiting for military train CSX W816 to make its way south on the Henderson Subdivision.
I never expected the train to head over the river during this moment, as I hadnt heard it call the ballast deck (last place they call on the scanner before hitting the bridge) before I got out of the car and decided to grab the barge shot in infrared while I was waiting. If I had known, it was this close I would have put my drone up for this shot! Not that I’m complaining at all though!
The containers behind the power contain the munitions for the last half of the train, which was armor, consisting of Bradley Fighting Vehicles and M1 Tanks.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @18mm, f/3.6, 1/500, ISO 200.
BNSF 5103 and 4653 lead CSX W844-05 military train (Memphis, TN-Hopkinsville, KY) as they shove their loads onto the Ft Campbell wye at Hopkinsville, KY, from the Henderson Subdivision, for the final part of their journey on August 7th, 2021.
The crews from Ft. Campbell had already come out to the wye earlier in the day and picked up another loaded train that was dropped off overnight and my guess is that this train probably won’t set on the wye very long either.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
CSXT 6025 leads CSX W001 inspection train as it splits the signals on the north end of the siding at Kelly, Kentucky with Southern Pacific Birch Grove, CSX Florence and TGC2 Geometry Car trailing, as they make their way south on the Henderson Subdivision on July 13, 2021.
Research from a friend reveals: Built by The Budd Company in 1950 as 6 double bedroom, 10 roomette sleeping car 9020 for service on the Southern Pacific’s Los Angeles-New Orleans “Sunset Limited.” The car was acquired by Amtrak in 1971 and renumbered 2696. Converted to Heritage 10-6 sleeper with handicapped roomette in 1980 and renumbered to 2451 and named Birch Grove.
The Car was retired in 1995 and sold to Cincinnati Railway Company. It was upgraded 2002-03 and had a complete interior upgrade in 2005. As of 2014 it was owned by the Cincinnati Railway Company.
CSX purchased the Birch Grove car from the Cincinnati Railway in September of 2020 and from what I find online they plan to use it as part of its executive fleet. They also bought the dome car Moonlight Dome from them for the same reason.
According to Wikipedia: A track geometry car (also known as a track recording car) is an automated track inspection vehicle on a rail transport system used to test several parameters of the track geometry without obstructing normal railroad operations. Some of the parameters generally measured include position, curvature, alignment of the track, smoothness, and the cross level of the two rails. The cars use a variety of sensors, measuring systems, and data management systems to create a profile of the track being inspected.
One of the earliest track geometry cars was Car T2 used by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Project HISTEP (High-Speed Train Evaluation Program). It was built by the Budd Company for Project HISTEP to evaluate track conditions between Trenton and New Brunswick, NJ, where the DOT had established a section of track for testing high-speed trains, and accordingly, the T2 ran at 150 miles per hour or faster.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 100.
On August 4th, 2021, I was headed home with my niece Elaina this afternoon as we passed over the crossing at the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard at Madisonville, Kentucky when I spotted this scene with GMS2 track geometry car sitting pretty much by itself and did an immediate U-turn! The light, sky, clouds, and car were just screaming to me to be photographed in Infrared! After trying different angles and lenses this in the shot I ended up liking the best!
From Wikipedia: “A track geometry car (also known as a track recording car) is an automated track inspection vehicle on a rail transport system used to test several parameters of the track geometry without obstructing normal railroad operations. Some of the parameters generally measured include position, curvature, alignment of the track, smoothness, and the cross level of the two rails. The cars use a variety of sensors, measuring systems, and data management systems to create a profile of the track being inspected.”
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @32.9mm, f/5, 1/500, ISO 200.
CSX Q025 pulls up grade out of the valley with CSXT 3115 leading the way at Mortons Junction on the Henderson Subdivision as it heads south at Mortons Gap, KY in this infrared shot on July 16th, 2021 with over two miles of containers trailing behind.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Sigma 150-600 @ 300mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO 400.
In this Infrared shot from July 29th, 2021 we catch CSXT 3250 as it leads Q028-28 north, approaching the North Main Street overpass at Madisonville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision.
I purposely chose to capture this train a bit further back in the frame as I really like the leading lines from the tracks, and it being surrounded by trees in the traditional infrared white! I did use a bit of vignette, as I do on most of my images, to help draw the eye and focal point to the subject of the photo.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @55mm, f/5, 1/500, ISO 200.