Jim Pearson Photography – Page 6

Early morning golden light rakes across the engine house as Nevada Northern Railway steam locomotives 93 and 81…

Early morning golden light rakes across the engine house as Nevada Northern Railway steam locomotives 93 and 81 pull out into the frigid air at Ely, Nevada, during the museums 2022 Winter Photo Charter event on February 12th, 2022.

According to Wikipedia: The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in Ely, Nevada and operated by a historic foundation dedicated to the preservation of the Nevada Northern Railway.

The museum is situated at the East Ely Yards, which are part of the Nevada Northern Railway. The site is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places as the Nevada Northern Railway East Ely Yards and Shops and is also known as the “Nevada Northern Railway Complex”. The rail yards were designated a National Historic Landmark District on September 27, 2006. The site was cited as one of the best-preserved early 20th-century railroad yards in the nation, and a key component in the growth of the region’s copper mining industry. Developed in the first decade of the 20th century, it served passengers and freight until 1983, when the Kennecott Copper Company, its then-owner, donated the yard to a local non-profit for preservation. The property came complete with all the company records of the Nevada Northern from its inception.”

According to the NNRY website, #93 is a 2-8-0 that was built by the American Locomotive Company in January of 1909 at a cost of $17,610. It was the last steam locomotive to retire from original revenue service on the Nevada Northern Railway in 1961 and was restored back into service in 1993.

Locomotive #81 is a “Consolidation” type (2-8-0) steam locomotive that was built for the Nevada Northern in 1917 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA, at a cost of $23,700. It was built for Mixed service to haul both freight and passenger trains on the Nevada Northern railway.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Sigma 24-70 @ 24mm, f/8.1, 1/800, ISO 320.

Union Pacific 5890 leads CSX W017, a brand new loaded continuous rail train, at Kelly, Kentucky

Union Pacific 5890 leads CSX W017, a brand new loaded continuous rail train, as it heads south as it passes the north end of the siding at Kelly, Kentucky on March 4th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.

Union Pacific 5890 leads CSX W017, a brand new loaded continuous rail train

Union Pacific 5890 leads CSX W017, a brand new loaded continuous rail train, as it passes the signals at the south end of the siding at Crofton, Kentucky on March 4th, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 120.

Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Nebraska Zephyr “Silver Pilot” eastbound from the Illinois Railway Museum

Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad Nebraska Zephyr “Silver Pilot” makes its way east from the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM), Union, Illinois on September 16th, 2023, with its passenger trainset during the museum’s 70th Anniversary celebration. The IRM ran trains continuously from 11am on Saturday until 5pm Sunday during the event.

According to the IRM website: The Nebraska Zephyr is the most famous train at the Illinois Railway Museum. It is an articulated streamlined train built entirely of stainless steel. The train is known as the “Train of the Goddesses” because each of its five cars is named after a classical deity. It is the only complete Zephyr train from the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad in operation today.

When it was built, the Nebraska Zephyr was pulled by a two-unit set of “shovel nose” diesels. In later years it was commonly hauled by stainless steel E5 passenger diesels, and today the train is still hauled by the last surviving E5, CB&Q 9911A “Silver Pilot.”

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 130

Saturday Infrared photo, we catch CSXT 4745 leading loaded grain train G413 at Mortons Gap, Kentucky

In this week’s Saturday Infrared photo, we catch CSXT 4745 leading loaded grain train G413 southbound at Mortons Gap, Kentucky on National Train Day, on May 11th, 2024.

National Train Day marks the anniversary of the establishment of the Golden Spike in Promontory, Utah, at the Promontory summit. The day also observes the first anniversary of the rail route system in the United States.

Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Nikon 10-24mm @ 14mm, f/5.6, 1/800., ISO 400.

March 8th, 2025 – Episode 114 Railfanning around the Evansville, IN Area

Saturday Edited Video from Jim Pearson Photography

In this week’s video I’m taking you on a tour of some of my favorite spots to railfan between Evansville and Rahm, IN, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. Sit back, turn up the sound, expand to full screen and enjoy the trains!! Please like, share, subscribe and thanks for watching! Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to Subscribe and Ring the Notification Bell so you won’t miss any of my future videos! Have a blessed day everyone!!

CSXT 1875 P&LE Heritage unit leads CSX G412 northbound at Mortons Junction in Mortons Gap, Ky

CSXT 1875 P&LE Heritage unit leads CSX G412 northbound at Mortons Junction in Mortons Gap, Ky, on March 3rd, 2025, on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.

According to a CSX Press Release: June 6, 2024 – CSX has released a new heritage locomotive, the P&LE 1875, paying tribute to the storied Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE). The 15th in CSX’s heritage locomotive series, this new addition to the company’s fleet not only celebrates the rich history of P&LE but also marks a significant milestone in CSX’s ongoing commitment to honoring the legacies of America’s historic railroads.

The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad was established in 1875 with a primary mission of transporting essential industrial materials such as coal, coke, iron ore, limestone, and steel among the bustling industrial hubs of the region.

“It’s mainline connected Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with Youngstown, Ohio and Connellsville, Pennsylvania. It did not actually reach Lake Erie until 1976,” explained Tim Music, a carman painter at the CSX Waycross Locomotive Shop where the unit was produced.

Despite its relatively modest route mileage, the P&LE Railroad earned the nickname “Little Giant” due to the enormous volume of heavy tonnage it moved. This impressive capability drew significant attention and by 1887, the P&LE became a subsidiary of the dominant New York Central Railroad. Under this new ownership, the P&LE enjoyed substantial improvements to its tracks and added capacity for passenger services, further enhancing its regional significance.

Over time, P&LE expanded by leasing branches from smaller railroads. These extensions included lines southeast along the Monongahela River through Homestead and McKeesport, and along the Youghiogheny River to Connellsville, where it connected with the Western Maryland Railway.

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

A CSX ballaster works on the recently repaired track from the M501 derailment site at Mortons Gap, Ky

A CSX ballaster works on the recently repaired track from the M501 derailment site on the cutoff track for the CSX Henderson Subdivision, just outside of Mortons Gap, Ky, on March 3rd, 2025. The derailment happened in the early morning hours on March 2nd, 2025, as the train was approaching Mortons Junction, after B&P Enterprises out of Mississippi worked on removing the cars and repairing the tracks.

I’m told that a broken drawbar was likely what caused the derailment, but that’s not official. No one was injured in this event. The track is currently back open with a speed restriction.

Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1600, ISO 120.

The 1880 Train, Black Hills Central Railroad locomotive crew on 108 performs a blow down

The 1880 Train, Black Hills Central Railroad locomotive crew on 108 performs a blow down on the engine as they arrive back at Hill City, SD on May 30th, 2022, under stormy skies.

A Blowdown, where the left and right blow down valves, located at the lowest portion of the firebox sides (mud ring), are opened to blow out mineral sediments in the boiler water. Addition of various chemicals in the tender water is designed to keep the sediments (mud, etc.) from sticking to the internal steel components of the firebox/boiler. On a regular basis, those “settled” sediments need to blown out at safe locations on the railroad. Thus, the locomotives are being “blown down”.

According to their website: Locomotive #108 joined its nearly identical twin, #110, at the beginning of the 2020 season following a four-year restoration. It is a 2-6-6-2T articulated tank engine that was built by the Baldwin Locomotives Works in 1926 for the Potlatch Lumber Company. It later made its way to Weyerhaeuser Timber Company and eventually to the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington.

The acquisition and subsequent restoration of locomotive #108 completed a more than 20-year goal of increasing passenger capacity which began with the restoration of #110 and the restoration of multiple passenger cars. Both large Mallet locomotives (pronounced Malley) can pull a full train of seven authentically restored passenger cars, up from the four cars utilized prior to their addition to the roster.

Tech Info: iPhone 13 Pro Max, 5.7mm, f/1.5, 1/1147, ISO 50.

The Black Hills Central Railway locomotive 108 heads through the countryside

The Black Hills Central Railway locomotive 108 heads through the countryside as it makes its first trip of the day in stormy, wet weather of the forest to Keystone, South Dakota on my birthday, May 30th, 2022! I for one cant recall a better way to spend the day then chasing a steam locomotive and they later in the day riding it with family! Despite the wet and rainy weather, it was a great day, and I even got the drone up a few times! A big shout out to Cory Jakeway for all the help on finding my way around on the railroad and railfanning with me!

According to their website: Locomotive #108 joined its nearly identical twin, #110, at the beginning of the 2020 season following a four-year restoration. It is a 2-6-6-2T articulated tank engine that was built by the Baldwin Locomotives Works in 1926 for the Potlatch Lumber Company. It later made its way to Weyerhaeuser Timber Company and eventually to the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington.

The acquisition and subsequent restoration of locomotive #108 completed a more than 20-year goal of increasing passenger capacity which began with the restoration of #110 and the restoration of multiple passenger cars. Both large Mallet locomotives (pronounced Malley) can pull a full train of seven authentically restored passenger cars, up from the four cars utilized prior to their addition to the roster.

Tech Info: Nikon D800, RAW, Nikon 10-24mm @ 13mm, f/3.8, 1/400, ISO 250.

Film Wednesday – 1993 – Today’s slide scans are from a trip I took on The Budapest Children’s Railway

Film Wednesday – 1993 – Today’s slide scans are from a trip I took on The Budapest Children’s Railway, which spans approximately 11 kilometers, winding its way through the picturesque Buda Hills in Hungry.

According to their website, Children’s Railway, Budapest is one of Budapest’s most unique attractions. Like any other railway, it has ticket offices, diesel locomotives, signals, switches and a timetable. Unlike other railways though, this one is run by children. The line stretches among the Buda hills from Széchenyihegy to Hűvösvölgy, crossing the Cogwheel Railway and serving Normafa as well as the highest point of Budapest: Jánoshegy.

The lookout towers, forest playgrounds, places of pilgrimage and other attractions lie close to the stations, making the Children’s Railway the ideal jumping-off point for a half-day trip even for families, friends, groups or lone travelers.

A steam locomotive also operates on selected days. The journey is a special experience for train-loving adults and children alike. If you’d like to find out more visit their website at: https://gyermekvasut.hu/en/home/

These scanned slides were where shot while I was deployed during (from Wikipedia) “Operation Deny Flight which was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

Also from Wikipedia: We were also part of “Operation Provide Hope which was a humanitarian operation conducted by the U.S. Air Force starting in 1992 to provide medical equipment to former Soviet republics during their transition to freedom from the USSR until 1994.

For 6-months of this operation I was the photo editor for a Combat Camera team that worked out of Aviano, Italy covering both operations. On the weekends, our schedules allowed us some time to travel and on my days off I traveled and today’s photos, along with many others.

Tech Info: Camera, Nikon F3, Ektachrome Slide Film, no other data recorded, Scanned with an PlusTek 82001i Film Scanner.

Film Wednesday: The Budapest Children’s Railway Loading