CSX Conrail Heritage Unit, CSXT 1976 leads M512 as it heads out of Earlington, Kentucky on November 9th, 2023, northbound on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on an overcast fall evening.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 130.
During my recent trip to Colorado to chase steam we stayed in Alamosa for the Cumbres and Toltec portion of the trip. On October 18th, 2023, I captured this shot of Minnesota Zephyr F7 804 (RPCX 804) sitting in the Colorado Pacific Rio Grande Railroad (SL&RG) yard there.
According to Railfan and Railroad Magazine, The F7 was always a rarity on Alco-dominated SP&S, which bought just three F3s and four F7s, compared to 34 of Alco’s FA models. Even today, five of the Alco cab units exist in some form but the former SP&S 804 is only EMD cab. Built in January 1953, all four F7s worked as Burlington Northern units nearly a decade after the Alcos were scrapped or sold off, but only 804 found a second career when it was retired in 1981. After several short line stints, the engine was used on the Minnesota Zephyr excursion in the late 1990s. That folded in 2007 and the engine sat in Stillwater, Minn., until it was purchased for the Iowa Pacific Holdings-owned San Luis & Rio Grande and moved to Colorado in 2015. It was at risk of being sold for scrap during the recent bankruptcy liquidation of SL&RG, but was rescued thanks to contributions by members of the SP&S Historical Society.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/1600, ISO 130.
Norfolk Southern 4117 casts a long shadow on the Green River in this top-down view, as it pulls a loaded coal train across the drawbridge at Rockport, Kentucky as it heads north on the Paducah and Louisville Railway on November 23d, 2023.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/400, ISO 100.
During my trip to Colorado to chase steam we stayed in Alamosa for the Cumbres and Toltec portion of the trip. On October 18th, 2023, I captured this lash-up of a Carolina Southern 9163 F7A unit, San Luis & Rio Grande (BUGX 227) and Rio Grande (BUGX 1100), sitting in the Colorado Pacific Rio Grande Railroad yard there. While I don’t normally capture scenes of locomotives that aren’t what I refer to as alive (have lights on, underpower or moving) I thought these old war horses warranted a photo.
I really don’t know a lot about them or their running condition, other than what I found on the web below.
Carolina Southern Railroad No. 9163 was built in 1950 and went to Canadian National Railway in 1952. Carolina Southern was an 80-mile short line based in Conway South Carolina that started service in 1995. The line shut down in 2011 and was sold to R. J. Corman in 2015. Locomotive No. 9163 was acquired by Iowa Pacific Holdings and was delivered to subsidiary San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad in Alamosa, Colorado. In 2022.
San Luis & Rio Grande (BUGX 227) F40PH-2, which was converted to a SLUG from what I find on the web, was built in May of 1976 and started its life as and engine in Amtrak’s fleet. According to the Diesel Shop its history is: ex LBWR/SLRG 227 (Lubbock & Western Railway); ex TNMR/SLRG 227 (Texas-New Mexico Railroad); ex SLRG 227; ex AMTK F40PH 227.
According to the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad Roser site, (BUGX 1100) FP10 was built in December of 1946 as Built as GM&O F3A 805A, Rebuilt as FP10 MBTA 1100 and then To SLRG Aug-2006.
BUGX is Dieselmotive Company, Inc (Reporting mark: BUGX) is also known as the Bruggere and Monson Railroad is a company that owns, operates and maintains diesel locomotives. and according to the markings on the latter two engines, I assume they now own the 227 and 1100.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/2000, ISO 220.
Denver and Rio Grande Western steam locomotives 473 and 493 head up a daily passenger train as they pull around the curve approaching Granite Point, just outside of Rockwood, Colorado, as they head to Silverton, CO, on October 15th, 2023. If you look closely at in the far-right center of the photo you’ll see the famous Big Diehl Photography who hiked into this point, perched on the mountain side, capturing the trains sights and sounds as it works upgrade!
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.
Norfolk Southern 4124 leads NS 168 west through the cut at Tunnel Hill, just west of Ramsey, Indiana on November 4th, 2023, as it heads west on the NS Southern East District. This rock cut was made close to the old existing tunnel where the trains used to run.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/240, ISO 100.
Canadian National 2858, 2981 and 3806 lead an empty phosphate train B420, as it takes the cutoff at Mortons Junction, as it heads north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on November 7th, 2023, at Mortons Gap, Kentucky.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 130.
Norfolk Southern 4124 crosses Georgetown Creek over the trestle at Georgetown, Indiana, as it leads NS 168 west on November 4th, 2023, on the NS Southern East District with its mixed freight.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 120.
It sure was nice of CSX to send CSXT 1776 Spirit of Our Armed Forces locomotive heading south on Veteran’s Day, November 11th, 2023. Here I captured it as it passed the signals at the north end of the siding at Slaughters, as it made its way south on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
According to a press release from CSXT, ES44AH locomotive No. 1776, dubbed “The Spirit of Our Armed Forces,” was unveiled 0n April 30, 2019 at the railroad’s Huntington Heavy Repair shops in West Virginia.
No. 1776, renumbered from No. 3112, wears a combination standard CSX scheme on its cab and a highly detailed digital camouflage paint scheme on its long hood which adorns CSX’s new “Pride in Service” logo. The seals of the five-armed services branches are spread across the rear of the engine’s radiators, and logos for several support organizations for veterans and veterans’ families also appear on the locomotive. A screen-printed American flag covers the side cab windows.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 100.
Norfolk Southern 4124 exits the Duncan Hill Tunnel as it leads NS 168 at Georgetown, Indiana on October 30th, 2023, as it heads west on the NS Southern East District.
According to Wikipedia: The Duncan Tunnel (also known as the Edwardsville Tunnel) is a railroad tunnel in Edwardsville, Floyd County, Indiana, USA. At 4,295 feet (1,309 m) long it is the longest tunnel in Indiana, nearly a mile long. The tunnel was initially built for the Air Line, who were unable to find a suitable route over the Floyds Knobs so they decided to tunnel through them. The tunnel was completed by the Southern Railway in 1881 at a total cost of $1 million. It is currently still in use by the Norfolk Southern Railway. The tunnel passes beneath I-64 intersection #118.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 310.
Denver and Rio Grande Western double header steam locomotives 473 and 493 pull a daily passenger train as they cross the bridge at Hermosa, Colorado on their run between Durango and Silverton, CO, on a beautiful fall day on October 18th, 2023.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100.
Denver and Rio Grande Western double header steam locomotives 473 and 493 pull a daily passenger train through a S curve as it approaches Hermosa, Colorado on their run between Durango and Silverton, CO, on October 18th, 2023.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 140.
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam locomotive D&RGW 168 as it leads noonday freight through one of the many cuts between Antonito and Osier, Colorado, during a photo charter by Dak Dillon Photography on October 20th, 2023.
According to their website: the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a National Historic Landmark. At 64-miles in length, it is the longest, the highest and most authentic steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountain West.
Owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, the train crosses state borders 11 times, zigzagging along canyon walls, burrowing through two tunnels, and steaming over 137-foot Cascade Trestle. All trains steam along through deep forests of aspens and evergreens, across high plains filled with wildflowers, and through a rocky gorge of remarkable geologic formations. Deer, antelope, elk, fox, eagles and even bear are frequently spotted on this family friendly, off-the grid adventure.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 150.
CSX Louisville and Nashville Heritage Unit 1850 leads loaded grain train G031, as it heads south under stormy skies at Darmstadt, Indiana, on October 5th, 2023, on the CE&D Subdivision, trackage that used to belong to the L&N.
According to CSXT: CSX has introduced the sixth locomotive 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.
The paint scheme was designed and applied at the CSX Locomotive Shop in Waycross, Georgia, which has produced all six units in the heritage series celebrating the lines that came together to form the modern CSX. Like the other heritage locomotives, the L&N unit combines the heritage railroads iconic logo and colors on the rear two-thirds of the engine with todays CSX colors and markings on the cab end.
Chartered by the State of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N grew into a vital transportation link between the Gulf Coast and the nations heartland. The railroad was absorbed by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which subsequently became part of the Chessie System and, ultimately, todays CSX.
The CSX heritage series is reinforcing employee pride in the history of the railroad that continues to move the nation’s economy with safe, reliable, and sustainable rail-based transportation services.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/1250, ISO 200.
Denver and Rio Grande Western steam charter with locomotives 476 and mid-train helper 473 pull a freight and passenger train through Horseshoe Curve during our two-day charter between Durango and Silverton, Colorado on October 17th, 2023. The lead locomotive had just finished a blowdown, resulting in a rainbow in the steam cloud.
A blowdown is a way to get minerals and other contaminants out of the system. Engines want to be on a bridge or trestle because the blow down itself can reach 30+ feet at an angle away from the firebox with live steam.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 500.
Denver and Rio Grande Western double header steam locomotives 473 and 493 pull one of several daily passenger trains south through Deadwood Gulch, as they approach Silverton, Colorado on October 15th, 2023.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 180.
CSX S257, with Union Pacific 5885 and 7661 leading a trainload of military equipment, takes the cutoff at Mortons Junction as they head north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on a beautiful fall evening on October 23rd, 2023, at Mortons Gap, Kentucky.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 120.
Denver and Rio Grande Western double header steam locomotives 473 and 493 pull north out of Durango with a daily passenger train, bound for Silverton, Colorado on October 15th, 2023.
According to Wikipedia: The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, often abbreviated as the D&SNG, is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad that operates on 45.2 mi (72.7 km) of track between Durango and Silverton, in the U.S. state of Colorado. The railway is a federally designated National Historic Landmark and was also designated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 170.
The conductor on loaded coal train C302 does a roll-by inspection of a northbound I028, as they wait on the on the cutoff at Mortons Junction on September 14th, 2023, for the hot intermodal to clear the main, so they can continue their run south on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/2000, ISO 130.
Evansville Western Railway 6003 leads the daily local as they pass the siding at Abee, Indiana on their way back to Mount Vernon, IN, from performing their interchange work with CSX at Howell Yard in Evansville, IN on October 4th, 2023.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/1600, ISO 120.
CSX Louisville and Nashville Heritage Unit 1850 leads loaded grain train G031, as it heads south under stormy skies, approaching the south end of Kings Siding at Ft. Branch, Indiana, on October 5th, 2023, on the CE&D Subdivision, trackage that used to belong to the L&N.
According to CSXT: CSX has introduced the sixth locomotive 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.
The paint scheme was designed and applied at the CSX Locomotive Shop in Waycross, Georgia, which has produced all six units in the heritage series celebrating the lines that came together to form the modern CSX. Like the other heritage locomotives, the L&N unit combines the heritage railroads iconic logo and colors on the rear two-thirds of the engine with todays CSX colors and markings on the cab end.
Chartered by the State of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N grew into a vital transportation link between the Gulf Coast and the nations heartland. The railroad was absorbed by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which subsequently became part of the Chessie System and, ultimately, todays CSX.
The CSX heritage series is reinforcing employee pride in the history of the railroad that continues to move the nation’s economy with safe, reliable, and sustainable rail-based transportation services.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/240, ISO 160.