Norfolk Southern 4004, a AC/DC Conversion also called the Sonic Bonnet wit the Blue Swoosh makes its way across the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel, Illinois as it leads NS 224 westbound on the NS Southern West District on December 12th, 2020 with a string of truck frames and load of intermodals.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/320, ISO 200.
October 3, 2020 – Norfolk Southern Conrail Heritage Unit (8098) sits idling on the Francisco Mine lead at Francisco, Indiana, as it waits for a new crew to take the loaded coal train from the mine westbound on the NS Southern East/West District to Duke Energy’s Gibson Plant near Mt. Carmel, Illinois.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 100.
October 3, 2020 – Seems like myself and several other railfans waited forever for NS 167 to finish its work at Princeton, Indiana and finally begin to move east and to our delight its counterpart 168 westbound showed up just in time for me to capture this meet with my drones camera. It wasn’t planned, as we weren’t sure how long before 168 would arrive, but I’ll take it!
In the past I could never get this shot as it’s way too far from either crossing that’s close to this point. I am totally loving the new look the camera on the drone gives me these days and the spots it allows me to shoot from! As I tell my fellow railfans, we can railfan anywhere as everywhere is new for me!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/200, ISO 100.
September 13, 2020 – Norfolk Southern 168, with NS Pennsylvania Heritage unit 8102 leading on the NS Southern East District, departs the west end of the siding at Ayrshire Township, Indiana as it heads west toward St. Louis, MO.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 150mm, f/5.6, 1/1600, ISO 360.
September 13, 2020 – I got word from a fellow railfan out of Louisville, Austin Bell, that Norfolk Southern 168 was headed west from Louisville, Kentucky with NS Pennsylvania Heritage unit 8102 leading on the NS Southern East District. He knew it was one of three that I still needed to fill my collection of the 20 Heritage Paint Units that NS has put out. (Now I need NS 1065 and NS 1700)
I typically don’t railfan Sundays as I do church and edit the videos from the live stream in the afternoon and update our web locations with the same. However, I answered the call this afternoon and made the 1.5 hour drive to Princeton, Indiana to capture this shot of the train as it heads west through the yard at Princeton with my drone!
I actually caught it starting at west end of Ashire, Indiana and chased it to Princeton and was able to catch it at several spots along the route with my D800 and the drone, but in this case the drone won out because of the new angle it gives me!
I also met up with a lot of railfan friends that were trackside for the same train and got to finally meet Railfan Julian (6 year old railfan that loves trains) and his mom!
If you want to encourage young railfans I invite you to give his page a like here on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/railfan.julian.5
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/100, ISO 100.
August 29, 2020 – Norfolk Southern 9385 leads a loaded grain train past the Premier Cooperative Inc grain elevators at Tolono, Illinois as it heads east on the NS Lafayette District.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/11, 1/800, 1/800, underexposed 1.3 stops (exposed more for the highlights), ISO 100.
Norfolk Southern 4194 glides downhill as it leads NS 124-31 westbound, with an all Autorack train, as it meets NS 376-01 led by NS 9626, a eastbound mix freight train, across the street from the Taswell Community Church at Taswell, Indiana on the NS Southern-East District.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 195mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO 1400.
July 17, 2020 – Norfolk Southern New Jersey Central Lines Heritage Unit 1071 leads NS 172 across the NS/CSX diamond at 4th Street in Louisville, Kentucky as it heads north on the Louisville District.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 280mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 100.
July 17, 2020 – Norfolk Southern 9573 leads a autorack train east as it passes through the cut at Tunnel Hill road overpass, just west of Ramsey, Indiana, on the NS Southern-East District. This cut was constructed to bypass the original tunnel through this area, which I’m told it can still be seen via Google Earth Maps.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/6.3, 1/800, ISO 1100.
July 17, 2020 – Norfolk Southern 3645 leads a empty coal train out of Ramsey, Indiana, as it heads west with an empty coal train on the NS Southern-East District.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 300mm, f/5.6, 1/250, ISO 1400.
July 17, 2020 – Norfolk Southern 3645 leads a empty coal train as it passes through the cut at Tunnel Hill road overpass, just west of Ramsey, Indiana, with stormy skies looming to the east on the NS Southern-East District. This cut was constructed to bypass the original tunnel through this area and I’m told it can still be seen via Google Earth Maps of the area.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/5.6, 1/400, ISO 1600.
May 27, 2020 – Norfolk Southern Railway Wabash heritage unit 1070 passes through the NS/UP Diamond at Mt. Vernon, Illinois, as it leads NS 224 westbound on the NS Southern-West District under stormy skies.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 24, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 360.
May 27, 2020 – Norfolk Southern crosses the diamonds on the CN Centralia Subdivision at Centralia, Illinois as NS 9481 & 9635 lead NS 223 eastbound on the NS Southern-East District.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 150, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 500.
June 22, 2020 – Norfolk Southern locomotive 1098 leads empty coal train WYX1 past a string of empty grain cars at the Paducah and Louisville Railway yard at Madisonville, Kentucky as it heads for Warrior Coal Main in Nebo, Ky to pickup a load of coal.
Tech Info: Full Frame Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 600mm, f/6.3, ISO 400.
June 22, 2020 – A fresh Paducah and Louisville Railway crew climbs aboard Norfolk Southern locomotive 1098 at Central City, Kentucky as they prepare to continue to move empty coal train WYX1 on south to Warrior Coal mine, west of Madisonville, Ky.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 260mm, f/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 500.
June 18, 2020 – Tagged onto the end of a coal train as the DPU, Norfolk Southern 4001 “Sonic Bonnet” gets a top off on its sand as it sits at the Peabody Francisco Mine loadout at Francisco, Indiana on the NS Southern-East District as it prepares to depart for Duke Energy with another load of coal.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/13, 1/800, ISO 220.
June 22, 2020 – Norfolk Southern T4 locomotive 1098 leads empty coal train WYX1 through the pouring rain as it pulls up a hill as it heads south on the Paducah and Louisville Railway at Milepost 135, south of Bremen, Kentucky.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 5000.
May 27, 2020 – Norfolk Southern Railway Wabash heritage unit 1070 enters the S curve at Albion, Illinois, as it leads NS 224 westbound on the NS Southern-West District.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 350mm, f/5.6, 1/640sec, ISO 560.
June 13, 2020 – Coal dust from a fresh load of coal forms a cloud above the loaded cars as the “Sonic Bonnet,” Norfolk Southern 4001, brings up the rear of a West Bound train on the main at Lyles Station Siding, as it heads to Duke Energy in Mt. Carmel, Illinois on the NS Southern West District in the late afternoon sun.
Wikipedia: NS 4000 and 4001 were painted in a blue, gold and white scheme and have been called “The Sonic Bonnets”, due to their similarities to the eponymous character from Sonic the Hedgehog. NS 4002 and 4003 were painted in black, tuscan red, gray, and white scheme, while NS 4004 and 4005 were painted in black, blue, gray, and white scheme. The tuscan and blue “manes” on these four units are indicative of their rebuilding at the Roanoke and Juniata locomotive shops respectively. All of these units have DC to AC Waveform lettering underneath the cab windows.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 150-600 @ 600mm, F/6.3, 1/3200, ISO 800.
May 27, 2020 – Norfolk Southern Railway Wabash heritage unit 1070 passes through Golden Gate, Illinois, as it leads NS 224 through stormy weather on its way west on the NS Southern-West District.
Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Irex 11mm, f/5.6, 1/640sec, ISO 160.