January 17, 2019 – A Norfolk Southern autorack pulls though the yard to the crosswalk where it will do a crew change, at Princeton, Indiana on the NS Southern-East District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #norfolksouthern
January 13, 2019 – NS 6104 leads a mixed freight as it works the north end of Charlotte Yard at Charlotte, NC as it builds a train with the city skyline in the background on a wet and dreary day. – #jimstrainphotos #northcarolinarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #NC #NCrailroads
January 1, 2019 – Norfolk Southern 9898 leads 375 through Mt. Carmel, Illinois with CBFX 6028, One of the three former BN SD60M’s trailing, as they head west on the NS Southern-West District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #norfolksouthern #nsrailroad
December 29, 2018 – A lone bird soars through the sky above NS 9510 as it leads a loaded, short autorack train east across the NS/Indiana Southern RR diamond at Oakland City, Indiana. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #d800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway
November 3, 2018 – CSX Q512 waits for a East Bound intermodal, with NS 6908 leading, to pass it on the St. Louis Line Subdivision at Danville, IN on its way to the yard at Avon, IN. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #nsrailway
October 20, 2018 – Norfolk Southern 8455 leads CSX intermodal Q029 (Chicago, IL – Atlanta, GA) as it passes through Morton’s Junction on the way south on the Henderson Subdivision at Mortons Gap, Kentucky on a crisp fall afternoon. I understand they’ll be leading Q028 when it comes northbound on Oct 22, 2018. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad #nsrailway
August 29, 2018 – Norfolk Southern Railway 4081 leads empty coal train 71G eastbound out of Mt. Carmel, Illinois after coming off the bridge over the Wabash River on the NS Southern-West District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway
August 29, 2018 – PRLX 691 passes over the Walbash River bridge on Norfolk Southern 168 as it heads West on the NS Southern-West District at Mt. Carmel, Indiana at MP 151. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #fujixt1 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #csx #csxrailroad
July 17, 2018 – Norfolk Southern 5642 heads up the NS Safety Train as it sits in a house track at Mount Vernon, Illinois. – #jimstrainphotos #illinoisrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway
July 5, 2018 – Norfolk Southern 6956 and 9356 lead 60A (Rockport, IN – Middletown, OH), pulling an empty coil train, east through what used to be Tunnel Hill, east of Depauw, Indiana, as the sun dips behind the clouds and the day comes to a close on the NS Southern-East District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway
July 5, 2018 – After a couple hours of working in the Norfolk Southern yard at Princeton, Indiana the conductor and engineer of I24 leave NS Heritage Unit 1068, The Erie, in front of the yard office after turning it on the wye. The engine sat there about an hour and then was added as a DPU onto the end of 799, an empty coal train headed to pickup a load of coal on the Evansville Western Railway. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #heritageunits #nsheritageunit
June 6, 2018 – Norfolk Southern Railway Geometry Train platform #38, commonly known as “The Brick” sits in the siding at the east end Huntingburg, Indiana, as the warm light of the setting sun illuminates the scene on the NS Southern-East District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #norfolksouthernrailway
June 6, 2018 – Norfolk Southern inspection train known as “The Brick” makes it’s way east at the NS/Indiana Southern Diamond in downtown Oakland City, Indiana.
Light from the bottom of the cars on the geometry train take a digital profile of the track which is used for maintenance and upgrades.
The NS Research platform 38 The Brick was rebuilt using the frame and trucks of former NS/NW EMD SD40 1620. It contains sensing and measuring equipment to record track geometry and rail profile (rail wear), as well as the power supply for itself and NS Research car.
The Research 36 car contains the recording and processing equipment for the data supplied by NS 38. Here its being pulled by NS 9272 as it does its testing on the NS Southern-East District. #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #norfolksouthernrailway
June 18, 2018 – NS Heritage “Southern” unit, 8099, leads a loaded Duke Energy Coal train westbound as it passes through the east end of Lyle Siding at Princeton, Indiana, running as a second train (Q0T) of 71T, from Francisco, IN to East Mt. Carmel, IN to Duke Energy. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #nsheritageunit
June 9, 2018 – “Southern Ghost!” NS Heritage unit 8099, the Southern, prepares to pull away from another engine in the early evening fog at the Norfolk Southern yard at Princeton, Indiana. This unit has and is being used as the leader lately on the Duke Energy coal run between Alliance and Francisco load-outs. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #nsrailway #nsheritageunit
June 18, 2018 – NS Heritage “Southern” unit, 8099, leads a loaded Duke Energy Coal train westbound past the restored depot at Princeton, Indiana, as a second train (Q0T) of 71T that runs from Francisco, IN to East Mt. Carmel, IN (Duke Energy). – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway #nsheritageunit
June 15, 2018 – Norfolk Southern 8343 leads NS 224 (Atlanta, GA-Kansas City, MO) west across the Walbash River at Mt. Carmel, Illinois with ex-Conrail D8-40CW leading the way on the Southern West District. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway
June 15, 2018 – Norfolk Southern 8163 leads 70Q Extra (East Mt. Carmel, IN (Duke Energy) – East Mt. Carmel, IN (Sunrise Coal), as it arrives at the Load out in East Carmel, Indiana to pick-up a load at the newly located load-out. This is a new train that only has to travel a few miles from Duke Energy to load at the new facility. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #coaltrain #nsrailway
June 6, 2018 – I think this shot is a good example of how sometimes it’s worth turning around an getting a going away shot! Norfolk Southern 167 (Granite City, IL-Danville, KY) heads downgrade at Hatfield Junction with several flats of CAT Dozers, as it heads east on the NS Southern-East District at Oakland City, Indiana with NS 9237 leading the way. – #jimstrainphotos #indianarailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway
From left, Jim, Javid and Ryan waiting to shoot some street running action at La Grange, Ky – Photo by Adam Hill
This past weekend my good friend Ryan Scott from the Ft. Branch, Indiana area and I set-out on a day-long trip to photograph trains between Princeton, Indiana and what started out to be Louisville, Ky, but turned out to be La Grange, Ky. Our plan was to meet up with a fellow railfan friend of ours from Facebook, Javid Beykzadeh. Little did I realize that I’d end up meeting several more friends from Facebook while we were at it including, Adam Hill, Josh Kellerman, and Erik Landrum.
The railfanning community is actually fairly large, if you take in the world and that’s pretty much what Facebook does for us. I have friends who are railfans from pretty much all over the world and it’s always cool to meetup in person in our travels in search of that perfect train picture!
All my family already know my obsession with trains and photographing them whenever I can. Even, my nieces and nephews know about my love for trains, and I hope that I’m passing some of that onto them, but I digress.
As railfan trips go, this was a really good one with Ryan and I photographing 5 different railroads before the day was over. Evansville Western Railway, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Indiana Southern Railway and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. As day road trips go for me railfanning, this was a really good one!
Some of our group photographing Southbound with BNSF War Bonnet 791 at La Grange, Ky, – Photo by Jim Pearson
Other favorite photos of mine from our day-long trip are posted below.
June 9, 2018 – There’s just something about the lure of street running trains and when you throw in a BNSF War Bonnet, well, it makes it even better. Here we have a southbound CSX Q231-08 as begins to make it’s way through downtown La Grange toward Louisville, Ky.
June 9, 2018 Norfolk Southern Heritage Unit 8099, “Southern” passes the signal at milepost 209.8, at Jefferson Township, Indiana, as it makes its way west on the NS Southern-East District. This scheme is from the Southern Railway (GE) which originated as the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company in 1827. On Christmas Day, 1830, it put into service the nation’s first regularly scheduled steam passenger train, “The Best Friend of Charleston.” Southern was incorporated in 1894 from the reorganization and consolidation of numerous predecessors, and absorbed another 68 railroad companies over the next six years.
June 9, 2018 – Here we find a crew getting NS Heritage 8099, Southern Unit, ready for pickup by an, Duke Energy coal train, at the NS Yard Office in Princeton, Indiana, after storms passed through the area. We got lots of great photographs, which you’ll see over the days to come and also met-up with several fellow railfans in person that we’ve been friends with on Facebook for sometime!
June 9, 2018 Norfolk Southern Heritage Unit 8099, “Southern” passes the signal at milepost 209.8, at Jefferson Township, Indiana, as it makes its way west on the NS Southern-East District. This scheme is from the Southern Railway (GE) which originated as the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company in 1827. On Christmas Day, 1830, it put into service the nation’s first regularly scheduled steam passenger train, “The Best Friend of Charleston.” Southern was incorporated in 1894 from the reorganization and consolidation of numerous predecessors, and absorbed another 68 railroad companies over the next six years.
June 6, 2018 – Norfolk Southern 167 (Granite City, IL-Louisville, KY) crests the hill leading up to the west end of Hatfield Junction with several flats of CAT Dozers, as it heads east on the NS Southern-East District at Oakland City, Indiana with NS 9237 leading the way, as the last light of the day begins to fade. – #jimstrainphotos #kentuckyrailroads #trains #nikond800 #railroad #railroads #train #railways #railway #ns #nsrailway