Sit back and grab a chew, this is gonna be a long one....
After several weeks of teasing around here by Mother nature, we finally got us some genuine, school closing, switch freezing, broken rail out the ying-yang snow and nasty weather. Most folks went to the store, stocked up and bread, milk and beer, but Carmon and myself donned the long johns and headed on out into the snarling teeth of the storm to capture it on film..err....pixels.. (disclaimer...what most folks North of here would call a pleasant winters day is called a winter emergency here...we DID get about 4 or 5 inches)
Saturday morning after sleeping late, watching Scooby Doo and attending to the usual morning things that needed scratched and covered, we loaded up the Matrix ( I AM secure enough in my manhood to admit I drive her car on most railfanning trips now) and eased on South. From what I had gathered from the Radio and ATCS, NS had trains stacked up on both lines into Danville, and it was gonna be a rather busy day on the CNO&TP.
First stop was downtown Harrodsburg to shoot a rather early running 111 on the Louisville District. He had a fish on the point, but we had snow, so according to the rules that made it OK to shoot.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns111harrodsburg010910.sized.jpg&hash=892605a2c631c6ef8e5cf282cd29dffec06957a6)
While 111 was in Danville getting fuel, a new crew and more toilet paper in them little plastic sacks, we eased on down to Bowen to scope out the snow situation. There was snow, and clouds, and 15.8 million 22 mph drivers, but we still managed to shoot a pair of UP dirty birds on Northbound 264 at Bowen. There was snow AND clouds, which means the rules let us shoot Northbounds.. Here is 264....
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns264bowen010910.sized.jpg&hash=66661cd6655a63277308ac7c92695a8782741431)
After 264 got by, we hung out at Bowen and I killed some time by writing my name in the snow on the road while waiting for 111 to get out of Danville (advice...if your name is long like mine, drink more coffee) Here is 111 at Bowen, along with a RLCX switcher all dressed up in sexy new paint headed South somehwere..
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns111bowen010910.sized.jpg&hash=717a9e769c118511111c3aaef05d959704a7bdf9)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2F2ns111bowen010910.sized.jpg&hash=9c71848fdb69c8dda39c46436eb4d2794dab5e2e)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Frlcx1241bowen010910.sized.jpg&hash=663c9f6793292a50830c70769a1e0d7851aa0143)
My sweetie Carmon was having a blast in the snow, but she was a bit tired in this shot after trying to write her name in the snow...I suggested next time DONT do it in cursive..
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fcarmonbowen010910.sized.jpg&hash=016bf48200d7d412a120669d4286f87dfa9a5cdd)
Our next stop was the sprawling metropolis of Moreland KY, where we pretty much got hung up as we just couldnt get anywhere else between trains. Danville yard was really pumping the Southbounds out at this point in the afternoon.. First up was the low and slow 197 with a SD70M-2 on the point. I had silently wondered why the dispatcher would turn such a lowly train such as this out in front of the mighty 229 that was right behind him, but 229 (and EYE-29) had GE's for power...so it was a good decision, as a EMD would get 197 over the road faster than the GE's on the hotshots anyway..
Here is 197 making short work of Moreland Hill.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns197moreland010910.sized.jpg&hash=26cc84ff92e675d57f4abba212de483d4318773e)
Behind 197 was the hottest train on the RR, good ole 229 and his UPS traffic. Business must be getting better, because not 10 minute behind 229 was his second section I-29. Here they are, still at Moreland.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns229moreland010910.sized.jpg&hash=f7285726dda3700ba033dd2ddc2fe9ba40ec0b1d)
and EYE 29
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fnseye29moreland010910.sized.jpg&hash=c56e0b54191bfc4c4f6d787c56d2279f9078cabc)
After all of them, we had a little break in the trains, which let us go strut around in the Matrix looking for a new spot. There was a spot at Miledgeville KY I had been wanting to try, but it was only good for Northbound's which you cant shoot on the CNO&TP most of the time. Seeing as how we had snow AND clouds, we went for the gusto and shot the 168 coming by a standard issue black barn. Bonus points here, anyone know where Miledgeville is??? I doubt you will find it on the map. Here is 168..
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns168milidgeville010910.sized.jpg&hash=bc2005eb6ab3e52f5ff5811ef3621cfc436f6aed)
Danville still had trains, and we still had light, so back to Bowen we went for one more. Here is 44a, a Southbound train of chickenfeed, at Bowen. Check out the Oreo horse running away on the left side of the frame..guess he dont like GE's either..
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns44abowen010910.sized.jpg&hash=33c46bc5082da86e86d4f2c1e0fc8a6007d3217c)
This morning (Sunday) I was lazy and slept in again, and then in a even lazier move, we went out to shoot 3 Eastbounds on the Louisville District, and never got more than 5 miles from the house..
First up was 23G with a former Conrail SD60I on the point, seen here at Vanarsdale KY
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns23gvanarsdale011010.sized.jpg&hash=937e70c4be5d6ffbeabfc9d7dd8bc3dfb6c72c5c)
And shortly after, and never having moved from the nice warm place we had parked, was the 285...
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns2602vanarsdale011010.sized.jpg&hash=50dc33170f52cad304061de7e59b63c5cadcd33a)
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns285vanarsdale011010.sized.jpg&hash=a7de323c732876552f50359c503491a02e98fd1c)
And the last one for the weekend, 111 seen here crossing over the bridge in downtown Salvisa KY...barely out of our driveway.
(https://www.jreb.org/ns/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjreb.org%2Fv-web%2Fgallery%2Falbums%2Falbum38%2Fns111salvisa011010.sized.jpg&hash=366af4e1d36d8cac52e649fc94f93626f33f406c)
NICE shots EMB. Love that old switcher.
And my wife drives a Cherokee. No worries about manhood when borrowing her vehicle. ;D
Great shots E.M., Gives me a chill looking at them. Thanks for posting.
A lot of those trains looked real familiar... ;D
EYE spy an Airchime P-5R24 new cast on EYE 29's lead C40', nice photos!!!!