CSX I128, with the New York Central heritage 1853 unit leading at Nortonville, Kentucky as it heads north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on April 11th, 2025.

According to the CSX Website: January 3, 2024 – A CSX locomotive commemorating the New York Central Railroad has become the eighth unit in CSX’s heritage locomotive fleet.

Designated CSX 1853 in recognition of the year the NYC was founded, the newest heritage unit was repainted in a special design combining the current CSX colors with the traditional gray and white of the NYC system. The NYC heritage unit has been placed into regular revenue service, proudly carrying the NYC colors across the CSX network.

All of the heritage unit paint schemes have been created at the CSX Waycross Locomotive Shop, where employees performed the challenging work of applying the unique designs. Click below to watch a video of CSX 1853 rolling out of the Waycross shop and hear employees describe the 22-day effort to repaint the unit.

At its height, the New York Central system encompassed more than 11,000 track miles and provided vital transportation service between New England and the Midwest. It merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad to become the Penn Central in 1968 and later became part of Conrail.

A majority of former NYC lines were acquired by CSX in 1998, and today CSX employees continue to operate trains across the primary NYC routes that have been carrying freight and supporting the U.S. economy for more than a century.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 140.

CSX I128, with the New York Central heritage 1853 unit leading passes the north signals at Hanson, Kentucky as it heads north on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on April 11th, 2025.

According to the CSX Website: January 3, 2024 – A CSX locomotive commemorating the New York Central Railroad has become the eighth unit in CSX’s heritage locomotive fleet.

Designated CSX 1853 in recognition of the year the NYC was founded, the newest heritage unit was repainted in a special design combining the current CSX colors with the traditional gray and white of the NYC system. The NYC heritage unit has been placed into regular revenue service, proudly carrying the NYC colors across the CSX network.

All of the heritage unit paint schemes have been created at the CSX Waycross Locomotive Shop, where employees performed the challenging work of applying the unique designs. Click below to watch a video of CSX 1853 rolling out of the Waycross shop and hear employees describe the 22-day effort to repaint the unit.

At its height, the New York Central system encompassed more than 11,000 track miles and provided vital transportation service between New England and the Midwest. It merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad to become the Penn Central in 1968 and later became part of Conrail.

A majority of former NYC lines were acquired by CSX in 1998, and today CSX employees continue to operate trains across the primary NYC routes that have been carrying freight and supporting the U.S. economy for more than a century.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 150.

CSX I025 passes under the Sub Station Road overpass at the south end of Kelly, Kentucky as CSX Monon Heritage Unit 1897 leads it southbound under dark threatening skies on April 2nd, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. The eleven autoracks behind the engine are loaded with Tesla’s bound for Florida and overseas market from what I’m told.

Capturing this engine means I’ve caught all of CSX’s Heritage units except for the Georgia Heritage Unit, and that one is only a matter of time!

According to a CSX Press Release: January 26, 2024 – In a tribute to its rich railroad history, CSX has unveiled its Monon 1897 heritage locomotive, marking the ninth release its ongoing heritage series honoring the company’s predecessor railroads.

“The Monon Railroad ran from Chicago down to Louisville but most of it was in Indiana,” explained CSX Carman Jason Merritt, who assisted with the heritage project. “Eventually it merged with the Louisville and Nashville Lines and was later absorbed by CSX.”

The new heritage locomotive emerges fresh from the Class I railroad’s paint shop in Waycross, Ga., showcasing a blend of modern and historic aesthetics. The design features the modern CSX design on the head end, transitioning seamlessly into the historic paint scheme and logo of the Monon line. This style reflects the approach taken with previous installations in the CSX heritage series, which often feature the current CSX paint scheme on the nose and the predecessor’s scheme on the body.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 100.

CSX I025 heads south at Crofton, Kentucky as CSX Monon Heritage Unit 1897 leads it under dark threatening skies on April 2nd, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. The eleven autoracks behind the engine are loaded with Tesla’s bound for Florida and overseas market from what I’m told.

Capturing this engine means I’ve caught all of CSX’s Heritage units except for the Georgia Heritage Unit, and that one is only a matter of time!

According to a CSX Press Release: January 26, 2024 – In a tribute to its rich railroad history, CSX has unveiled its Monon 1897 heritage locomotive, marking the ninth release its ongoing heritage series honoring the company’s predecessor railroads.

“The Monon Railroad ran from Chicago down to Louisville but most of it was in Indiana,” explained CSX Carman Jason Merritt, who assisted with the heritage project. “Eventually it merged with the Louisville and Nashville Lines and was later absorbed by CSX.”

The new heritage locomotive emerges fresh from the Class I railroad’s paint shop in Waycross, Ga., showcasing a blend of modern and historic aesthetics. The design features the modern CSX design on the head end, transitioning seamlessly into the historic paint scheme and logo of the Monon line. This style reflects the approach taken with previous installations in the CSX heritage series, which often feature the current CSX paint scheme on the nose and the predecessor’s scheme on the body.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 110.

CSX I025 heads south through Mortons Junction at Mortons Gap, Kentucky as CSX Monon Heritage Unit 1897 leads it under dark threatening skies on April 2nd, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. The eleven autoracks behind the engine are loaded with Tesla’s bound for Florida and overseas market from what I’m told.

Capturing this engine means I’ve caught all of CSX’s Heritage units except for the Georgia Heritage Unit, and that one is only a matter of time!

According to a CSX Press Release: January 26, 2024 – In a tribute to its rich railroad history, CSX has unveiled its Monon 1897 heritage locomotive, marking the ninth release its ongoing heritage series honoring the company’s predecessor railroads.

“The Monon Railroad ran from Chicago down to Louisville but most of it was in Indiana,” explained CSX Carman Jason Merritt, who assisted with the heritage project. “Eventually it merged with the Louisville and Nashville Lines and was later absorbed by CSX.”

The new heritage locomotive emerges fresh from the Class I railroad’s paint shop in Waycross, Ga., showcasing a blend of modern and historic aesthetics. The design features the modern CSX design on the head end, transitioning seamlessly into the historic paint scheme and logo of the Monon line. This style reflects the approach taken with previous installations in the CSX heritage series, which often feature the current CSX paint scheme on the nose and the predecessor’s scheme on the body.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2500, ISO 150.