CN power and Coal trains on a snowy Sunday

[E.M. Bell]

Kentucky got hit with a "good" snowstorm over the weekend, and depending on where you where, you had anywhere from 2 inches to a foot on the ground...perfect for shooting some trains.  JR and myself decided to head out this morning (03/09/08) to shoot a few.  The snow South of Danville was light and starting to melt, but back towards Louisville it was much better.  We made a trek as far South as Moreland and then back West to Shelbyville just to follow a coal train back home. 

Here are some of the good ones from todays adventure. 

We started out from Salvisa a little before 0800 with the temp hovering around 14 degrees  and headed South. Knowing that 177 was near Danville with CN power leading, plus a few other Southbounds. 177 was being held out at the wye for congestion in the yard at Danville, so we took a few rosters of his power just after the sun came up.






We moved on into Danville to see what shaking. The yard was busy with several trains...





A rather late 285 was leaving the yard, and 177 was getting a new crew, so we headed South onto the 2nd district. We caught up with the 285 at Bowen Ky.



Right behind him was our 177, seen here at Bowen, and then Moreland KY 








With info that there would be a 720 coal train departing Louisville, we turned back around after shooting the 177 and made tracks to the West.  Lucked into one more shot on the CNO&TP with 143 at Bowen KY



JR made a quick trip to Shelbyville KY, where we shot a 223 with a SD70M-2 leader...always a good thing



Eastbound 223 again at Waddy KY. 



We stayed at Waddy to wait for NS 720, a Eastbound coal train. NS has been running these "test" trains from Indiana South 2 or 3 times a week, and this is the first time we had been in place to shoot one on the Louisville District. Coal used to be a common site around here, but thats not the case now.

Here is 720 at Waddy KY







Following the coal train East, we got him again near McBrayer Ky





It was starting to cloud up, so we made one more leap to shoot the 720 at West Talmage KY, and that was that. Not bad for a cold snowy sunday..

[J-man]

Great shots, Emmett, and a great day for it.  Here's a lousy pic of 177's lead motor @ Oakdale, TN.

[mikecollins]

Very nice--that was my old stomping ground when I lived in Lexington back in the late 1970s and early 80s, and I recall many great days out on the Southern when I visit this site. Of course, the 7000s were the hot new power then, and everything had that classy white and gold striping. <g>

Waddy was one of my favorite places heading over toward Louisville. Has Harrodsburg's street running survived all these years?

--Mike