October 1, 2015 – Norfolk Southern’s 9571 heads up the American Association of Private Railway Car Owners passenger train special…

October 1, 2015 – Norfolk Southern’s 9571 heads up the American Association of Private Railway Car Owners passenger train special with AMTRAK engines 156 and 154, as it heads west through Hatfield Junction just east of Oakland City, Indiana. The train left Louisville on the former Southern Railway’s St. Louis line and crossed the Ohio River, traveling through scenic southern Indiana and Illinois arriving at their convention destination in St. Louis, Missouri. – Tech Info: 1/400sec | f/5 | ISO 320 | Lens: Sigma 24-70 @ 32mm with a Nikon D800 shot and processed in RAW.

Squaw Creek 21 at Yankeetown, In

February 2, 2018 – Squaw Creek Southern 21 backs cars into the small yard at Yankeetown, Indiana. The Squaw Creek Southern Railroad is a subsidiary of the Respondek Railroad Corporation. The name comes from an Indiana coal hauling line that Respondek purchased. The Squaw Creek Railroad was a Peabody Coal operation in southern Indiana which pretty much solely existed to move coal from Lynnville and Squaw Creek Mines to a power plant on the Ohio River.

NS Switcher 2425 (or is it?) at Yankee Town Dock, Yankeetown, IN

January 17, 2018 – Norfolk Southern switcher 2425 sits idling at Yankeetown Dock at Yankeetown, Indiana on a cold winter day. NS 2425 was bought at auction by Respondek’s Squaw Creek Southern over a year ago, who still hasn’t repainted it for their operations.

Indiana Southern Railroad 3371 loading coal at Somerville mine, Somerville, IN

January 17, 2018 – It’s a cold winter day as Indiana Southern Railroad’s 3371 and 3388 makes the turn heading back out of the coal loop at Peabody’s Somerville Central Mine in Somerville, Indiana. The train was about halfway loaded when the mine developed a problem with its belt-line and the train had to slow from a craw to a dead stop while it was repaired.

EVWR Local SB at Mt. Vernon, Indiana

December 29, 2017 – As the last light of the day begins to fade, a Evansville Western Railway local departs Mount Vernon, Indiana and heads south toward Evansville, with it’s headlamp lighting the way.

NS Bar 1111 at East Douglas, Princeton, Indiana

December 26, 2017 – Norfolk Southern’s Bar Heritage Unit 1111, starts downgrade at East Douglas, out of the yard at Princeton, Indiana, headed to pickup another load of coal at the Francisco Mine in Francisco, IN.

CSX Q647-26 SB on Viaduct at Rahm, Indiana

December 26, 2017 – A frigid cold wind blows across the flatland’s as CSX Q647-26 heads south up the viaduct at Rahm, Indiana as the last light of the day fades on the Henderson Subdivision.

Indiana Southwestern Railway 912 & 806 at Harwood Yard in Evansville, Indiana


December 26, 2017 – Pioneer Lines PREX 912 (GP9) and 806 (GP8) sit idle in the yard at the Indiana Southwestern Railway at their Harwood Yard in Evansville, Indiana the day after Christmas. I hadn’t been to this location before fellow railfan William Crupper took me by there today. I’m sure someone’s mentioned it before though, perhaps Ryan Scott?

I’d love to catch them out working in the Evansville area sometime. Can anyone tell me when they run their trains and any sort of a schedule when I might catch them leaving? Also, any info on industries they pick-up at would be nice to know as well!

According to Wikipeda: Indiana Southwestern Railway (reporting mark ISW) is a subsidiary of Pioneer Railcorp, operator of several short-line railroad companies. The ISW is a Class III railroad, and operated on 17 miles of track from Evansville, Indiana, northward to Cynthiana, Indiana. That track is currently out of service but switching still occurs in ISW’s yard and surrounding industries.

The line was originally operated as part of an Illinois Central Railroad line that ran all the way to Newton, Illinois. Illinois Central sold off the line south of Browns, Illinois, to Indiana Hi-Rail Corporation; the line went through a succession of operators, all of which had to contend with the line’s ancient bridge over the Wabash River near Grayville, Illinois. The bridge suffered damage from floods on more than one occasion, and one span finally collapsed completely around 1999.

Pioneer bought the line and its Evansville shops in 2000 from the Evansville Terminal Railway. However, when Pioneer stopped shipping grain, the track had to be dismantled and salvaged at the close of 2011. Only the small stretch from the interchange northwest of Evansville to just north of their yard is still used, a distance of about 4 miles.

The dates back to 1881 as part of the Evansville and Peoria Railroad, which then became part of the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railway through a series of purchases. The PD&E became part of Illinois Central in 1900. The ISW is currently the only remaining in-service segment of the PD&E south of Mattoon, Illinois.

NS 8104 Lehigh Valley at Squaw Creek Mine, Boonville, Indiana

December 26, 2017 – “Twas the night before Christmas” when empty Norfolk Southern coal train D435-24, with Lehigh Valley Heritage Unit 8104 pulled to a stop outside the Squaw Creek Mine at Booneville, Indiana, where it still sits the day after Christmas, waiting for a crew to take it on into the mine for loading. With the holidays over crews across the nation will soon once again begin to move their trains.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

January 5, 2017 – Norfolk Southern’s 167 crew sits on 8046 as they wait for a crew bus to pick them up from the middle of the yard at Princeton, Indiana as CN unit train 319 sits next to them, also with a crew waiting for pickup, after arriving with their eastbound manifest train.

Southern Railroad tied down on the Duke Energy track outside of Edwardsport, Indiana

November 24, 2017 – Fellow Railfan Ryan Scott and I were out searching for a High and Wide movement of a transformer when we ran across this string of Indiana Southern Railroad tied down on the Duke Energy track outside of Edwardsport, Indiana. Wasn’t exactly what we were looking for but they made for a nice picture!!! We did find the high and wide at Elnora, IN.

Norfolk Southern 375 Westbound drops helpers at Georgetown, IN

November 24, 2017 – Westbound Norfolk Southern 375 stops briefly on the main at Georgetown, IN so the units that helped push it up the grade from Louisville, Ky to be dropped off from the rear of its train, giving me just long enough to get off one exposure before it started moving again!