CSX I025 heads south as it meets empty potash train, B244 in the siding at the north end of the siding at Trenton, Kentucky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on March 31st, 2023.
CSX B244 is a fairly new, as-needed potash train off the CP that runs between Chicago, IL and Tampa, FL. The power on this move is CSX 3443, KCS 4728, CP 8933 and CP 8021.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 180.
Canadian National 3270 leads a mixed freight as it snakes its way out of the yard at Fulton, Ky after a crew change, as they head north up the CN Cairo Subdivision, on March 25th, 2023.
Im told that on average 10-15 trains a day pass through Fulton, Ky, making it a busy place! Railfanning is best in the morning and the afternoon into the evening. The CN Cairo, CN Fulton Subdivisions and the West Tennessee Railroad all come together here at Fulton. Also, Amtrak has a depot here and is a flag stop for the City of New Orleans, and is an unstaffed station; with no agent and no assistance.
The first railroad deed was sold in 1857, and construction reached Pontotoc in 1859. At that time Fulton was referred to as the end of the line by the United States Government and all mail was addressed to this extent. In 1896, the Illinois Central Railroad owned the two railroad lines that crossed Fulton, which saw 30 passenger trains a day and 3,000 freight cars that picked up or delivered cargo. The freight cars would usually have bananas that would stop in Fulton to be re-iced and then shipped to rest of the country. Through this process, Fulton became known as the “Banana Capital of the World”.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 220.
Paducah and Louisville 3811, 2121 and 2100 head up a southbound military train loaded with armor from Ft. Knox, Ky, at West Yard in Madisonville, Ky as the last light of the day fades on April 4th, 2023. A new crew onboard prepares their train for departing for Paducah, Ky where I’m told the equipment will be picked up by BNSF or CN to continue its move.
In the yard you can see a lot of RJ Corman equipment where they have been working on redoing the yard tracks for the past week or so.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1 second, ISO 210.
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Digital Art Photo of CSX empty coke train, B426 with UP power heads north at Breton, Ky, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision, on March 22nd, 2023.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 150.
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The nose of CSXT 3154 peeks over the rise as CSX I025 passes through the Hospital Drive crossing, approaching the Main Street overpass at Madisonville, Ky, on March 24th, 2023, on the Henderson Subdivision. This image was made as the train was about one half mile away from where I was standing, with a 440mm lens. The compression from the lens makes the train look much closer than what it was.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600mm @ 440mm, f/6, 1/1000, ISO 800.
Union Pacific Railroad 7756 leads as it heads north on CSX B426, at Breton, Ky with an empty coke train on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on March 22nd, 2023, bound for another load at Proviso, IL (UP). This train is returning from its run to Calvert City, Ky loadout, via the Paducah and Louisville Railway to drop off a load of coke.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 190.
This weeks Saturday Infrared photo is of CSX M513 as it makes its way south on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on October 7th, 2022, as it heads under the Island Ford Road overpass at Madisonville, Ky. Note that this image was shot while the train was still over ½ mile from the crossing, taking not much more time that it would take one to walk past the crossing, with a 24mm wide angle lens.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24 @ 24mm, f/4.5, 1/250, ISO 200.
LoRam shoulder ballast cleaner SBC-2401 kicks up a dust storm as it makes its way north on the CSX Henderson Cuttoff through the beautiful spring countryside of Mortons Gap, Kentucky on May 10th, 2022, as it moves slowly along cleaning the ballast on both sides of the rails.
Shoulder ballast cleaning consists of removing ballast at the end of the ties, screening the ballast, and discarding fines and fouling material and restoring the good ballast to the shoulder. Integrated scarifiers break open end of tie mud pockets, removes fines, and restores ballast voids in the shoulders and under the tie ends and release damaging trapped water.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 130.
CSX M512 makes its way north from the location know as Monarch on the railroad as it heads north at Madisonville, Ky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on March 20th, 2023.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 280.
A southbound CSX I025, with a string of autoracks carrying Tesla’s, passes through the North end of Kelly, Ky as it meets M648 waiting in the siding for them to pass through on June 8th, 2022, on the Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 120.
Digital Photo Art – CSX L382 puts out a bit of smoke as it pulls away from WF Ware after picking up a cut of grain cars at Trenton, Kentucky on July 12th, 2022, on the Henderson Subdivision. L382 is the local that runs between Casky yard in Hopkinsville and Guthrie, Ky and here we catch it as it starts its run back to Casky.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 220mm, f/5.3, 1/1250, ISO 200.
On June 24th, 2022, I caught Norfolk Southern Heritage unit 8114 “Norfolk Southern” as it prepared to begin loading at the Warrior Coal Loop outside Nebo, Kentucky! It’s one of 20 locomotives painted as Heritage units by NS. It’s been just over 10 years since the first engine rolled out and I’ve been fortunate to have photographed all 20 of them out working on the road!
According to the NS website: As part of its 30th anniversary celebration in 2012, NS painted 20 new locomotives in the color schemes of predecessor railroads. The commemorative units quickly became known as NS’ Heritage Locomotives.
Since the 1820s, hundreds of railroad companies were built, merged, reorganized, and consolidated into what eventually became Norfolk Southern, itself created from the consolidation of Southern Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway in 1982. In 1999, Norfolk Southern acquired a portion of Conrail. The Heritage Locomotives represent railroads that played significant roles in Norfolk Southern’s history. The first unit, Conrail 8098, rolled out of Altoona, Pa., March 15, and the final one, Lackawanna 1074, rolled out of Muncie, Ind., on June 27, 2012.
Each paint scheme was modified to fit contemporary locomotives while staying as true as possible to the original designs. Norfolk Southern employees in Altoona and Chattanooga, Tenn., painted GE ES44AC locomotives, while the EMD SD70ACe units were painted at Progress Rail Services’ facility in Muncie, Ind. The Heritage Locomotives are used in freight service across Norfolk Southern’s 19,500-mile, 22-state network.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 130.
March 25th, 2023 – Episode 12 – In this weeks edited video we catch rail action between Robards and Nortonville, Ky! We’ll see M513, X222, I025, M647 and M 513 along the Henderson Subdivision. Enjoy and please Like, Share and Subscribe!
Todays Infrared photo is of CSX L392, Casky Yard – Hopkinsville, KY to Radnor Yard – Nashville, TN, sits in the south end of Casky Yard waiting on a crew to take it south to Nashville, TN along the Henderson Subdivision on March 18th, 2023.
This is my first Infrared shot from a drone! I ordered a custom 830nm IR filter cut for my Air 2S by the fine folks at Kolari Vision. It is a bit challenging since this is a very dark filter over the camera lens and requires a high ISO or very slow shutter speed.
Therefore, I’ll be looking for things that are moving very slow or waiting in a siding or yard where they’re stationary for the most part. Stay tuned!!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/13, ISO 420, 830nm IR filter.
CSX 7015 leads CSX B231 passes over a short bridge at Mortons Gap, Ky, with a train of Phosphate Loads, as it heads north on March 18th, 2023. The loads run from Mulberry, FL, to Bensenville, IL (CP) via the Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 280.
Canadian Pacific 8830 heads up CSX 212 as it clears the signal at the north end of Casky with a train with Phosphate Empties, as it heads south from Bensenville, IL (CP) to Mulberry, FL, on March 18th, 2023, at Hopkinsville, Ky on the Henderson Subdivision.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 110.
Northbound CSX M648 is stopped short of Monarch at Madisonville, Kentucky with the CSXT 911, Honoring First Responders locomotive leading, on the Henderson Subdivision on March 9th, 2023. It was waiting on two southbound trains to clear Arklow, north of Madisonville, so they didn’t block crossings through downtown.
CSXT 911 is painted in vibrant red with white and gold striped accents along with the logo of program partners First Responders Children’s Foundation and Operation Gratitude. It also features generic police, fire and emergency medical services logos.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/800, ISO 150.
CSXT 739 leads loaded grain train G419 southbound past the old Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad Depot after our first snowfall of the year on the Henderson Subdivision on January 7th, 2022. The snow which began to fall on the 6th brought a total of 4-6 inches of snow to the region and caused delays on the railroad due to switch problems along the line due to the snow and cold.
According to Wikipedia: “The L &N Railroad Depot in the Hopkinsville Commercial Historic District of Hopkinsville, Kentucky is a historic railroad station on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in 1892.
The year 1832 saw the first of many attempts to woo a railroad to Hopkinsville. This first attempt was to connect Hopkinsville to Eddyville, Kentucky. In 1868 Hopkinsville finally obtained a railroad station, operated by the Evansville, Henderson, & Nashville Railroad. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad acquired the railroad in 1879.
The Hopkinsville depot is a single-story frame building with a slate roof. It has six rooms: A Ladies Waiting room (the room closest to the street), a General Waiting Room, a Colored Waiting Room, a baggage room (the furthest room from the street), a ticket office (the only room which connected to all three waiting rooms), and a ladies’ restroom. Immediately outsides were warehouses for freight, usually tobacco.
Its last long-distance (passenger) train was the Louisville and Nashville’s Georgian, last operating in 1968.
During its operating years, the Hopkinsville depot was a popular layover spot for those traveling by train. It was the only Louisville & Nashville station between Evansville, Indiana and Nashville, Tennessee where it was legal to drink alcohol. Hopkinsville got the nickname “Hop town” due to train passengers asking the conductors when they would arrive at Hopkinsville, so they could “hop off and get a drink”.
The Hopkinsville L & N Railroad Depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1975. CSX, which bought out the Louisville & Nashville, still run trains on the tracks next to the depot, but do not stop.”
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/3200, ISO 110.
CSXT 6481 leads local L385 as they deliver tank cars of LP Gas to Fortner Gas in Madisonville, Ky, just off the CSX Morganfield Branch on March 16th, 2023, under stormy skies.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 150.
March 18th, 2023 – Episode 11 – In this weeks edited video we catch CSX E033, I025, in addition to the move of CSX S993 and a special move of a Brightline Trainset bound for Florida, with Union Pacific power, between Sebree and Crofton, Ky! Enjoy and please Like and Subscribe!
Southbound Union Pacific 8144 leads PAL WW1 as it exits the Paducah and Louisville Railway tunnel at Dawson Springs, Kentucky on its way south to Calvert City, Kentucky with a loaded coke train on March 13th, 2023.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 100.