Coal Field Color on the Louisville District, Interstate 8105

[E.M. Bell]

NS 8105, The Interstate RR Heritage unit, Has been "trapped" the past couple of weeks or so on the NS 60R - 61R turn, which is a coil steel train (loads to AK Steel at Rockport, Indiana and empties East).  Power tends to stay on that turn for a good while, and the 8105 has made several trips through Central KY leading, but today is the first time I was able to get out and shoot it..

After getting to work this morning around 0600, I learned that the train was in Louisville, but wouldn't be called for awhile. I managed to get a solid 4 hours of work in before I disappeared for the day and headed Trackside.  After fighting the holiday traffic on I-64 West, I got over to Clarks Station JUST in time to turn around, shoot the train and follow them back East. The rest of the afternoon was spent in pursuit (which, on the Louisville District, is not all that hard to do) until I tired of playing suckerhole roulette and let them go around Talmage...not a bad way to kill an afternoon.  

Here are a few teasers, and you can find them all at this link, if you care to take a gander!  >>>>>> http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/nsocs_heritage2014

I probably should have played the lottery today, as I arrived at my First shot about 30 seconds before the train (after driving over 40 miles to get there)...  Interstate 8105 leads train 61R at Clarks Station, KY


With Two big engines and nothing but empties, 61R was having NO problem climbing the West slope of Waddy Hill, seen here at the West End of Waddy, KY


61R comes by the bottom of 289 in the siding at Waddy, Ky.


"Coal Field Color" Interstate 8105 shines in the winter sun as it leads NS 61R (an empty AK steel train) East through the Salt River bottom near McBrayer, Ky. It must have been something back in the day, to have seen a bunch of Alco's in this paint scheme brightening up the otherwise dusty, drab landscape of the Appalachian coal fields...The Interstate RR may have been small, but it's spirit lives on thanks to NS and the folks who lobbied for it to be included in the Heritage program.


61R rolls along the edge of a barren corn field near Vanarsdale, KY.  I let them go after this shot, figuring I had enough after 9 locations, and there was cold beer at home!

[Notch8nskate]

Play the lottery is right. When he came south Sunday morning out if Lima on CSX it looked decent around Trenton, Ohio. When he got here he was stopped twice and it was raining around Trenton , Ohio. Light in Ky. Was good for you today.