February 22, 2020 - The afternoon Iowa Interstate local, with unit 502, backs through Blue Island Junction at Blue Island, Illinois, as they head to CSX Barr Yard to do interchange work. According to Wikipedia: The railroad was formed on November 2, 1984, using former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad tracks between Chicago, Illinois, and Omaha, Nebraska. It was in partnership with real estate firm Heartland Rail Corporation that the IAIS was able to operate. Heartland purchased the right-of-way and infrastructure for $31 million (of which, $15 million was a loan from the Iowa Railway Finance Authority), and then leased it to IAIS for operations. The IAIS and the railroad infrastructure were purchased from Heartland by Railroad Development Company of Pittsburgh, PA in 2003. In recognition of the railroad's Rock Island Railroad heritage, the IAIS logo uses a shape similar to the original railroad's logo and has also painted two of its General Electric ES44AC locomotives (513 and 516) in Rock Island inspired paint schemes. When the IAIS took control of the track, the former Rock Island signal system was already damaged beyond repair due to sitting dormant for several years. Operations on the railroad are primarily controlled by track warrants rather than signals as a result. Trains are dispatched from the company's HQ in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where a new dispatching office was completed in 2016. IAIS uses Wabtec's Train Management and Dispatching System (TMDS), the same dispatching software used by several Class I railroads, including the BNSF and KCS.

Iowa Interstate local, with unit 502…

February 22, 2020 – The afternoon Iowa Interstate local, with unit 502, backs through Blue Island Junction at Blue Island, Illinois, as they head to CSX Barr Yard to do interchange work.

February 22, 2020 - Indiana Harbor Belt 4015 and 4017 approach the diamond at Dolton, Illinois on track two as they head west on the Indiana Harbor Belt line where they cross over the Union Pacific Villa Grove Subdivision headed back toward their Blue Island yard.

Indiana Harbor Belt 4015 and 4017 at Dolton, Illinois

February 22, 2020 – Indiana Harbor Belt 4015 and 4017 approach the diamond at Dolton, Illinois on track two as they head west on the Indiana Harbor Belt line where they cross over the Union Pacific Villa Grove Subdivision headed back toward their Blue Island yard.

February 22, 2020 - Indiana Harbor Belt 2920 backs into the Blue Island Rail Yard at Riverdale, IL as IHB 2160 works it's own job during a cold winters morning as IHB caboose 54 sits waiting to be the shoving platform on its next assignment. According to the IHB Website: The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad is the largest switch carrier in the U.S. with 54 miles of mainline track (24 miles of which is double main track) and 266 miles of additional yard and siding track. The IHB provides a wide variety of services, including industrial switching with 160 customers, generating 170,000 carloads of business annually. The IHB interchanges daily with 16 other rail carriers in Chicago. A growing fleet of approximately 1,400 freight cars is geared predominately to the steel industry. The industrial traffic base includes 4 of the 5 largest steel producers in the U.S. and a large aluminum processor, oil refineries, corn millers, grain elevators, chemical plants, warehouses, lumber transloading, and bulk transfer operations. IHB's industrial traffic consists of 38% primary metals, 12% chemicals & petroleum products, 11% food products, 8% scrap iron, 7% coal & coke, 6% whole grain, as well as a variety of other products including lumber, paper, and aggregates. The IHB also operates as an intermediate switch carrier between the 12 trunk-line railroads for traffic interchanged between them in Chicago, generating an additional 475,000 revenue cars. The IHB main line circles Chicago from near O'Hare to Northwest Indiana and roughly parallels Interstate 294 (Tri-state Expressway) and I-80/94. Its primary yard, Blue Island (a 44 class track hump yard) at Riverdale, IL lies in about the center of the railroad. Other major yards includes Gibson (in Hammond, IN) which only classifies cars of new autos and Michigan Avenue Yard (in East Chicago) which serves the extensive steel plants which accounts for IHB's primary business. From East Chicago, the IHB operates east for an additional 16 miles on trackage rights to access Burns Harbor, IN and Portage, IN, which includes Indiana's International Port.

Indiana Harbor Belt 2920 backs…

February 22, 2020 – Indiana Harbor Belt 2920 backs into the Blue Island Rail Yard at Riverdale, IL as IHB 2160 works it’s own job during a cold winters morning as IHB caboose 54 sits waiting to be the shoving platform on its next assignment.

According to the IHB Website: The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad is the largest switch carrier in the U.S. with 54 miles of mainline track (24 miles of which i… See More

January 30, 2020 - Indiana Railroad (INRD) 3803 and 3806 power the Palestine Utility train 1 (PAUT-1), as it makes a dropoff and pickup at the Rain Carbon Inc. plant behind the Marathon Refinery in Robinson, Illinois on the INRD Indianapolis Subdivision.

Indiana Railroad (INRD) 3803 and 3806 at Robinson, Illinois

January 30, 2020 – Indiana Railroad (INRD) 3803 and 3806 power the Palestine Utility train 1 (PAUT-1), as it makes a dropoff and pickup at the Rain Carbon Inc. plant behind the Marathon Refinery in Robinson, Illinois on the INRD Indianapolis Subdivision.

January 29, 2020 - Paducah and Louisville Railway (PAL) 4516 & 2012 head up a northbound loaded Louisville Gas & Electric Coal train as it pulls out of the siding at Pond River, at Madisonville, Ky. Behind it sits a PAL Local waits patiently for it to clear.

Paducah and Louisville Railway LG&E Coal Train…

January 29, 2020 – Paducah and Louisville Railway (PAL) 4516 & 2012 head up a northbound loaded Louisville Gas & Electric Coal train as it pulls out of the siding at Pond River, at Madisonville, Ky. Behind it sits a PAL Local waits patiently for it to clear.

January 30, 2020 - Indiana Railroad (INRD) 3803 and 3806 power Palestine Utility train 1 (PAUT-1), as it passes through Mont Eagle Mills granary at Palestine, Illinois, on it's way north back to INRD's Palestine Yard, after doing its work at the Marathon Refinery in Robinson, Illinois on the INRD Indianapolis Subdivision. According to Wikipedia: The Indiana Rail Road (reporting mark INRD) is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of 155 miles (249 km). This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road's Indianapolis Subdivision, comprises most of the former IC line from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois; Illinois Central successor Canadian National Railway retains the portion from Newton to Effingham. INRD also owns a former Milwaukee Road line from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Burns City, Indiana (site of the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center), with trackage rights extending to Chicago, Illinois. INRD serves Louisville, Kentucky, and the Port of Indiana on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana, through a haulage agreement with the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC).

Indiana Railroad Palestine Utility train 1…

January 30, 2020 – Indiana Railroad (INRD) 3803 and 3806 power Palestine Utility train 1 (PAUT-1), as it passes through granaries at Palestine, Illinois, on it’s way north back to INRD’s Palestine Yard, after doing its work at the Marathon Refinery in Robinson, Illinois on the INRD Indianapolis Subdivision.

According to Wikipedia: The Indiana Rail Road (reporting mark INRD) is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of 155 miles (249 km).

This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road’s Indianapolis Subdivision, comprises most of the former IC line from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois; Illinois Central successor Canadian National Railway retains the portion from Newton to Effingham. INRD also owns a former Milwaukee Road line from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Burns City, Indiana (site of the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center), with trackage rights extending to Chicago, Illinois.

INRD serves Louisville, Kentucky, and the Port of Indiana on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana, through a haulage agreement with the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC).

January 23, 2020 - Indiana Railroad's (INRD) 25th Anniversary locomotive 9025 leads the Hiawatha-Palestine turn HWPAT-23 as it crosses the CSX CE&D/INRD diamond at Sullivan, Indiana on it's return trip north to the INRD Hiawatha Yard at Jasonville, Indiana. According to Wikipedia: The Indiana Rail Road (reporting mark INRD) is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of 155 miles (249 km). This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road's Indianapolis Subdivision, comprises most of the former IC line from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois; Illinois Central successor Canadian National Railway retains the portion from Newton to Effingham. INRD also owns a former Milwaukee Road line from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Burns City, Indiana (site of the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center), with trackage rights extending to Chicago, Illinois. INRD serves Louisville, Kentucky, and the Port of Indiana on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana, through a haulage agreement with the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC).

Indiana Railroad’s 25th Anniversary locomotive…

January 23, 2020 – Indiana Railroad’s (INRD) 25th Anniversary locomotive 9025 leads the Hiawatha-Palestine turn HWPAT-23 as it crosses the CSX CE&D/INRD diamond at Sullivan, Indiana on it’s return trip north to the INRD Hiawatha Yard at Jasonville, Indiana.

According to Wikipedia: The Indiana Rail Road (reporting mark INRD) is a United States Class II railroad, originally operating over former Illinois Central Railroad trackage from Newton, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, a distance of 155 miles (249 km).

This line, now known as the Indiana Rail Road’s Indianapolis Subdivision, comprises most of the former IC line from Indianapolis to Effingham, Illinois; Illinois Central successor Canadian National Railway retains the portion from Newton to Effingham. INRD also owns a former Milwaukee Road line from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Burns City, Indiana (site of the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center), with trackage rights extending to Chicago, Illinois. INRD serves Louisville, Kentucky, and the Port of Indiana on the Ohio River at Jeffersonville, Indiana, through a haulage agreement with the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC).

January 1, 2020 - RSSX 3021 backs a couple cars into a track at the Kellogg plant in Jackson, Tennessee as it does it's work on New Years Day. The unit is leased from Rail Switching Service by the Kellogg Company and from what I can find online is it's a GP30 that was rebuilt into a LEAF unit and was originally built as DRGW 3021 in February 1963. According to Wikipedia: The Railserve Leaf is a genset locomotive built by Railserve. It is constructed in both single- and dual-engine variants, and is primarily used in low-speed and high tractive effort switching and shortline applications. The Leaf was introduced in the single-engine model in 2010, of which 32 had been built by the end of 2012. The dual-engine version of the locomotive, powered by two 600-horsepower Cummins QSX15 engines, was introduced in 2012. In 2016, the locomotive was updated to meet EPA Tier 4 emissions standards and the first Tier 4–compliant Leaf entered service in mid-2017.

RSSX 3021 backs a couple cars into a track at the Kellogg plant in Jackson, Tennessee…

January 1, 2020 – RSSX 3021 backs a couple cars into a track at the Kellogg plant in Jackson, Tennessee as it does it’s work on New Years Day. The unit is leased from Rail Switching Service by the Kellogg Company and from what I can find online is it’s a GP30 that was rebuilt into a LEAF unit and was originally built as DRGW 3021 in February 1963.

According to Wikipedia: The Railserve Leaf is a g… See More

December 27, 2019 - This 600mm lens shot is of Fredonia Valley Railroad (Owned by Respondek Railroad)1605 (Ex-CP Unit) as it makes it's way through a tunnel of trees, approaching the road crossing at Red Bud Trail outside Princeton, Kentucky running at about 5 mph, after dropping off a string of empties to the Fredonia Quarry. It was returning to Paducah and Louisville Railways' yard at Princeton, Ky. This small shortline runs typically M-F with on average 1 train each way daily from what I'm told. The tracks were originally owned by Illinois Central, then West Kentucky Railway and in currently operated by Respondek Railroad who serves Martin Marietta. The Railroad runs from Princeton to Fredonia, Ky for about 12 miles. There's no access to the quarry for photos, but plenty of spots along the highway the follows the tracks most of the way.

Fredonia Valley Railroad heads for Princeton, Ky

December 27, 2019 – This 600mm lens shot is of Fredonia Valley Railroad (Owned by Respondek Railroad)1605 (Ex-CP Unit) as it makes it’s way through a tunnel of trees, approaching the road crossing at Red Bud Trail outside Princeton, Kentucky running at about 5 mph, after dropping off a string of empties to the Fredonia Quarry. It was returning to Paducah and Louisville Railways’ yard at Princeton, Ky.

This small shortline runs typically M-F with on average 1 train each way daily from what I’m told. The tracks were originally owned by Illinois Central, then West Kentucky Railway and in currently operated by Respondek Railroad who serves Martin Marietta. The Railroad runs from Princeton to Fredonia, Ky for about 12 miles. There’s no access to the quarry for photos, but plenty of spots along the highway the follows the tracks most of the way.

December 21, 2019 - Paducah and Louisville Railway's Salute to Our Veterans GP40-2 runs long nose forward as it crosses the bridge at Kentucky Dam at Gilbertsville, Kentucky pulling a CSX loaded coal train over the Tennessee river. They were headed south to Calvert City Terminal with their loaded train when they passed my house in Richland, Kentucky and it was very unusual to see the lash-up this way so I had to give chase!! A nice early Christmas present for me!!

Paducah and Louisville Railway’s Salute to Our Veterans unit at Gilbertsville, Ky

December 21, 2019 – Paducah and Louisville Railway’s Salute to Our Veterans GP40-2 runs long nose forward as it crosses the bridge at Kentucky Dam at Gilbertsville, Kentucky pulling a CSX loaded coal train over the Tennessee river. They were headed south to Calvert City Terminal with their loaded train when they passed my house in Richland, Kentucky and it was very unusual to see the lash-up this way so I had to give chase!! A nice early Christmas present for me!!

December 20, 2019 - RJ Corman's Cumberland City turn local prepares to cross the bridge over the Cumberland River as it makes it's return trip northbound on the Memphis Line at Clarksville, Tennessee with RJC 3801 and 3837 leading with their long noses forward elephant style for their return trip to Guthrie, Ky. It is a Swing through truss bridge and was constructed in 1891 by the Pencoyd Bridge & Construction Company for the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway. It is still an operating bridge on the river and sees at most two trains a day, but most days only one. Trains head to Cumberland City, TN (SB) usually around 9:30am CST and return north on average about 2:30-3:30pm CST.

RJ Corman’s Cumberland City turn at the Cumberland River, Clarksville, TN

December 20, 2019 – RJ Corman’s Cumberland City turn local prepares to cross the bridge over the Cumberland River as it makes it’s return trip northbound on the Memphis Line at Clarksville, Tennessee with RJC 3801 and 3837 leading with their long noses forward elephant style for their return trip to Guthrie, Ky.

It is a Swing through truss bridge and was constructed in 1891 by the Pencoyd Bridge & Construction Company for the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway. It is still an operating bridge on the river and sees at most two trains a day, but most days only one. Trains head to Cumberland City, TN (SB) usually around 9:30am CST and return north on average about 2:30-3:30pm CST.

December 20, 2019 - RJ Corman's Cumberland City turn local prepares to enter Palmyra Railroad Tunnel as it makes it's return trip northbound on the Memphis Line at Palmyra, Tennessee with RJC 3801 and 3837 leading with their long noses forward elephant style for their return trip to Guthrie, Ky. Palmyra is a very small town southwest of Clarksville, TN and from what I can find the tunnel is about 800-1000 ft. long. The Memphis line follows the Cumberland River between Clarksville and Cumberland City and here at Palmyra, there is a large bluff overlooking the river which required a tunnel to be blasted through it. The line was originally built by the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad (MC& L) which eventually became part of L&N.

RJ Corman’s Cumberland City turn at Railroad Tunnel

December 20, 2019 – RJ Corman’s Cumberland City turn local prepares to enter Palmyra Railroad Tunnel as it makes it’s return trip northbound on the Memphis Line at Palmyra, Tennessee with RJC 3801 and 3837 leading with their long noses forward elephant style for their return trip to Guthrie, Ky.

Palmyra is a very small town southwest of Clarksville, TN and from what I can find the tunnel is about 800-1000 ft. long.

The Memphis line follows the Cumberland River between Clarksville and Cumberland City and here at Palmyra, there is a large bluff overlooking the river which required a tunnel to be blasted through it.

The line was originally built by the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad (MC& L) which eventually became part of L&N.

December 20, 2019 - The RJ Corman Cumberland City Turn is reflected in a small pond as it crosses over Dunlop Road as it continues its move north on the Memphis Line after making a pickup at Letica Plastics in Clarksville, Tennessee.

RJ Corman Cumberland City Turn at Clarksville, TN

December 20, 2019 – The RJ Corman Cumberland City Turn is reflected in a small pond as it crosses over Dunlop Road as it continues its move north on the Memphis Line after making a pickup at Letica Plastics in Clarksville, Tennessee. A big shout out to fellow railfan Cooper Smith for showing me this line today between Guthrie, Ky and Cumberland City, TN!

September 9, 2019 - Burlington Junction Railway 1517 works a string of refrigerated reefers at the Americold plant in Rochelle, Illinois on the City of Rochelle Railroad. According to Wikipedia: "The Burlington Junction Railway (reporting mark BJRY) is a Class III short line railroad which was chartered in 1985. Originally operating on the southernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the former Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway mainline in Burlington, Iowa after abandonment by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it provides short freight hauling, switching operations, locomotive repair, and transloading services, the latter currently handling over 3,000 carloads a year. Typical commodity types transported include chemicals and fertilizer." The BJRY operation in Rochelle is more sophisticated than most. First of all, the track is owned by the City of Rochelle Railroad. Second of all, it interchanges with UP as well as BNSF. It has enough track capacity to handle unit trains. It does not provide intermodal service because UP has its Global Three intermodal yard on the other side of town.

Burlington Junction Railway 1517…

September 9, 2019 – Burlington Junction Railway 1517 works a string of refrigerated reefers at the Americold plant in Rochelle, Illinois on the City of Rochelle Railroad.

According to Wikipedia: “The Burlington Junction Railway (reporting mark BJRY) is a Class III short line railroad which was chartered in 1985. Originally operating on the southernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the former Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway mainline in Burlington, Iowa after abandonment by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it provides short freight hauling, switching operations, locomotive repair, and transloading services, the latter currently handling over 3,000 carloads a year. Typical commodity types transported include chemicals and fertilizer.”

The BJRY operation in Rochelle is more sophisticated than most. First of all, the track is owned by the City of Rochelle Railroad. Second of all, it interchanges with UP as well as BNSF. It has enough track capacity to handle unit trains. It does not provide intermodal service because UP has its Global Three intermodal yard on the other side of town.

September 19, 2019 - The sun begins to set over the Paducah and Louisville Railway at the crossing from West Yard in Madisonville, Ky as we approach the first day of fall.

The sun begins to set…

September 19, 2019 – The sun begins to set over the Paducah and Louisville Railway at the crossing from West Yard in Madisonville, Ky as we approach the first day of fall.

September 10, 2019 - Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad 3896 and 4210 approaches heads toward the crossing at 1st Street at Terre Haute, Indiana as it heads onto the Danville Secondary Subdivision with a mixed freight. According to Wikipedia: The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (reporting mark DREI) is an American regional railroad that is a subsidiary of Watco Companies operating in eastern Illinois and western Indiana. In January 2018, CSX Transportation announced that it was seeking offers to buy the Decatur Subdivision and the Danville Secondary Subdivision as part of a system-wide sale of low-traffic routes, and in July, Watco, via the DREI, was identified as the winning bidder. Following regulatory approval from the Surface Transportation Board, The DREI began operations on September 9, 2018. The DREI operates two intersecting routes totaling 126.7 miles (203.9 km)—the former Decatur Subdivision between Montezuma, Indiana and Decatur, Illinois, and the former Danville Secondary Subdivision between Terre Haute, Indiana and Olivet, Illinois. It interchanges traffic with CSX, the Eastern Illinois Railroad, the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Canadian National Railway, and the Union Pacific Railroad.The railroad is headquartered in Paris, Illinois.

Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad 3896 and 4210…

September 10, 2019 – Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad 3896 and 4210 approaches heads toward the crossing at 1st Street at Terre Haute, Indiana as it heads onto the Danville Secondary Subdivision with a mixed freight.

According to Wikipedia: The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad (reporting mark DREI) is an American regional railroad that is a subsidiary of Watco Companies operating in eastern Illinois and western Indiana.

In January 2018, CSX Transportation announced that it was seeking offers to buy the Decatur Subdivision and the Danville Secondary Subdivision as part of a system-wide sale of low-traffic routes, and in July, Watco, via the DREI, was identified as the winning bidder. Following regulatory approval from the Surface Transportation Board, The DREI began operations on September 9, 2018.

The DREI operates two intersecting routes totaling 126.7 miles (203.9 km)—the former Decatur Subdivision between Montezuma, Indiana and Decatur, Illinois, and the former Danville Secondary Subdivision between Terre Haute, Indiana and Olivet, Illinois. It interchanges traffic with CSX, the Eastern Illinois Railroad, the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Canadian National Railway, and the Union Pacific Railroad.The railroad is headquartered in Paris, Illinois.

September 9, 2019 - Lights reflect off the side of refrigerated reefers as Burlington Northern Railway 1517 works on picking up and dropping off cars at the Americold plant in Rochelle, Illinois on the City of Rochelle Railroad. According to Wikipedia: "The Burlington Junction Railway (reporting mark BJRY) is a Class III short line railroad which was chartered in 1985. Originally operating on the southernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the former Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway mainline in Burlington, Iowa after abandonment by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it provides short freight hauling, switching operations, locomotive repair, and transloading services, the latter currently handling over 3,000 carloads a year. Typical commodity types transported include chemicals and fertilizer." The BJRY operation in Rochelle is more sophisticated than most. First of all, the track is owned by the City of Rochelle Railroad. Second of all, it interchanges with UP as well as BNSF. It has enough track capacity to handle unit trains. It does not provide intermodal service because UP has its Global 3 intermodal yard on the other side of town.

Burlington Junction Railway 1517…

September 9, 2019 – Lights reflect off the side of refrigerated reefers as Burlington Junction Railway 1517 works on picking up and dropping off cars at the Americold plant in Rochelle, Illinois on the City of Rochelle Railroad.

According to Wikipedia: “The Burlington Junction Railway (reporting mark BJRY) is a Class III short line railroad which was chartered in 1985. Originally operating on the southernmost 3 miles (4.8 km) of the former Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway mainline in Burlington, Iowa after abandonment by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, it provides short freight hauling, switching operations, locomotive repair, and transloading services, the latter currently handling over 3,000 carloads a year. Typical commodity types transported include chemicals and fertilizer.”

The BJRY operation in Rochelle is more sophisticated than most. First of all, the track is owned by the City of Rochelle Railroad. Second of all, it interchanges with UP as well as BNSF. It has enough track capacity to handle unit trains. It does not provide intermodal service because UP has its Global 3 intermodal yard on the other side of town.