New EMD's on the P&L and a little CSX Action

[E.M. Bell]

There are those that probably think I shoot nothing other than NS....and for the most part....you would be right. But every once in awhile, I go and shoot CSX or some other road just to not seem like a snob (and it makes me appreciate the traffic levels and scenery we have around here on the NS)....so.....

Last weekend, in a rather unusual move, Carmon  somehow talked me into taking a trip over the holiday weekend to Nashville. I am a pretty lucky feller in the fact that she likes trains and photography almost as much as I do (and has herself been published in magazines and books over the past couple of years) BUT (There is always One of those) this time she stipulated NO trains over the 4 days we would be gone, except for the trip home...you know...it being our anniversary and what not and so on. Seeing as how she had planned a trip that would be sorta fun (Oak Ridge Boys, Mel Tillis ect at the Grand Ol Opry, great big ol hotel room that made my wallet run and hide ect so-on and so-forth) it seemed like the least I could do after dragging her around year after year to the nicest places you can think of by the tracks. I agreed to this "Trainless except of the trip home" anniversary get-away. Now, I will give her credit, as Nashville is a CSX town, and well...if you dont want me to go shoot trains, that is almost a sure fire way to guarantee I wont. She started planing the trip, and I started planning the trip home.

We had a grand ol time in Nashville, but I had a plan for that Saturday... We left the hotel early for the trip home, and less than 5 miles later I was sitting at the National Cemetery on the North Side of town. CSX runs right through the middle of that property, and I was able to get a few nice images in the early morning light. After a couple of hours, we headed on North for home following the CSX Mainline sub (Louisville to Nashville) but only managed to shoot TWO trains all the way back North (and that was all they ran). It was mid-afternoon when we got to the point where I needed to get away from the tracks on the last lap for home, but then I got a phone call that changed our plans. We had been on track to get home early, but soon enough I was pointed West to join a buddy for what would turn out to be a 5 hour 250 mile "detour"

We had gotten word that a Paducah & Louisville empty coal train had departed Louisville earlier in the day with a trio of the new SD70Macs that the PAL had acquired from CSX last year. I had only shot the P&L Once before, and it seemed like a good idea. The light would be perfect the whole way, and we had plenty of daylight left. We followed Mr, Owens who knew the line well, and by dark found ourselves almost half way to Paducah with a card full of great shots. I was happy (and so was the wife) when we finally turned towards home. At the end of the day we had driven almost 600 miles and had been on the road over 11 hours...

The best part...by my count, I shouldnt need to see another CSX train until about 2018.!  

Below are a few samples from the day. You can find the entire set at this link, if you care to take a gander. >>>>  http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/2014_rail_shorts_

07/05/14

A Southbound CSX manifest rolls through the middle of the National Cemetery just North of Nashville, TN with a nice pair of EMD's.


Southbound CSX Q237 sprints down the Mainline Sub at Smiths Grove, KY. That poor ol beat up GE on the point must have a heck of a story to tell..


With our own "KITRR" at the throttle, PAL train Lcl3 tops over the hill at Summit, KY and passes a small church cemetery with Three big SD70Macs leading. The unit in the middle is the only One to not yet be painted.
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AL Lcl3 follows the meandering course of the Green River as they cruise down the wide valley at Spring Lick, Kentucky late Saturday evening.


The PAL crews have to make some long back up moves to the mines, and the company was nice enough to provided the conductor with a outhouse "Just in case" while they protect those moves.  Here is the mobile crapper trailing the bottom of the train at Spring Lick.


The old US&S model P-5 signal (a leftover from the lines IC ownership) at MP 110.6 on the P&L mainline at McHenry, Ky shows red as empty train Lcl3 passes by. The train is slowing to a stop, and will soon disappear off the main and up the lead to the mine to get another load of coal for LG&E in Louisville.