What a day. Finally we had sunshine. The Ohio Valley doesn't get sunlight much. It's mostly a gray haze. With a heads up that the NS was under slow orders on the Louisville District I headed out as soon as the cloud cover broke shortly after 11am.
Photo #1 The first train was 9244 heading to the mixing center in Simpsonville running long hood forward. Seems to be a pattern around here lately. Jeffersontown (Behind Little Caesars Pizza)
The signals went green in both directions so off to Floyd's Fork park to see the flooding through that area. While down by the 'creek' I heard a train approach the Pope Lick Trestle. I was too old and slow to make it back to the car to catch engines on the trestle.
Photo #2 is the autorack train headed West.
I did have time to make it to the wooden one lane bridge parallel to I265 and shoot the front this time.
Photo #3 NS 8316 pulling an autorack train
I chased this West to see if I could get it one more time at the Tucker Siding and instead saw 23G headed East. So I let 8316 go and focused on 23G
Photo #4 NS 7608 leading 23G West end of the Tucker Siding.
Photo #5 more 23G
Photo #6 The dpu on 23G
Debated on chasing this to Shelbyville and shooting it again crossing the bridge and what's that noise? Another train? Wait this guy looks familiar.
Photos #7 & #8 NS 9244 lhf @ Tucker coming and going.
With the delay from the second train I was not sure if I could beat 23G to Shelbyville so the next stop up the road was Waddy. A quick pit stop in the Love's I found this for sale in a display case. I figured if I missed 23G at least I could say I shot a train in Waddy.
Photo #9 NYC F unit $5.99
While trying to eat a five dollar footlong here comes the train. Food won out over toys. Real life train wins out over lunch.
Photo #10 NS 7608 leading 23G @ Waddy.
Photo #11 NS 7608 23G
Photo #12 NS 7576 dpu on 23G
Photo #13 goodbye 23G
After relaxing and eating my subway, finally, here comes another train. Just in time.
Photo #14 NS 9916 with a very small train headed west.
Photo #15 NS 9916
Photo #16 AAAWWWWWW Snake!
On the West side of the overpass there were some branches overhanging the track and they messed with my close up shots of 23G earlier so I climbed down there and broke off all the branches in case another eastbound came through. On my way back up to the road it seems I had disturbed a snakes nest. These little suckers were crawling around everywhere afterward.
Checking the signal light back at the crossing and it was changing red to green to red to green like some kid playing with the Christmas lights. Finally it went green and stayed that way so it was off to Shelbyville.
In Shelbyville they were working on the bridge. Signs say the public park is closed for safety. Oops. I went ahead and parked and took a photo. I wondered if this was motorized or if an engine was someplace close by so I went to see if something was parked West of town. Checking Joyes there were hopper blocking the view of the mainline on the sidings. Seeing a few procor tankers I headed over there and saw 9916 working the local.
Photo #17 Shelbyville bridge work
Photo #18 NS 9916 again.
Knowing the main was blocked and nothing would be moving it was time to call it a day and get ready to head back out again tomorrow. More sunshine, 75 degrees, and a flooded Ohio River with two railroad bridges on the checklist. No more snakes though.
While I have a thread full of pictures going I might as well ask some questions. In this attached photo right below the coupler is a red spot. I get these on occasion with my new camera when using the zoom. Does this happen to anyone else? Am I doing something wrong?
Looks like you had a good day. And now I know the answer to source of the loud noise I heard last night. It was Emmett's reaction to your pic of the 8ft garter snake. ;)
Thanks for ticking off the snakes ed....man.....I am never going to Waddy again, its all yours, and Butches :)
I've run across just about every species of snake in the Eastern U.S. at one time or another but I have never run across a nest of multiple snakes. Don't go under the bridge. There were creepy animal skulls visible from above too. And I just heard another train roll by while playing on the internet. Better get moving.
The 9916 would be T-19. It is the Lawrenceburg Local they come up to Shelbyville and switch out the industries there. A couple days a week they go to Harrodsburg. The engine you shot long hood out is T-79