A CAT on the prowl, EMDX 1201 on NS 055 in October

[CarmonH]

On Friday October 26th, I joined my husband, Casey Thomason and a few other friends for what would end up being a all day (and half the night) chase of NS 055, with the EMDX 1201 leading. 

The 1201 was in a unique and one of a kind Caterpillar paint job and being used on the train for publicity purposes. This would be the first time the unit had been out on the mainline leading anything (and maybe the last??) and it was a treat to be able to get some images of it as we made our way South. The weather was not in our favor, but that did not stop us.  We started out the day just East of Louisville KY with the train, and finished up almost 14 hours later in Oakdale TN.

I am way behind in working up all of the stuff we have shot over the past month, but here are a few of my shots from the day, if you care to take a look. The entire set can be found in my 2012 NS gallery at this link.  http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/gallery/ns2012carm 

055 comes up the West side of Waddy hill and under a bridge packed full of cameras.


The heavy train was down to a crawl on the hill, and that gave us time to get ahead of it again at Turtle Tree Curve (middle of the siding at Waddy KY)  The sky in the background shows the dark clouds we had been fighting all morning, but the train was slowly headed for sunlight.


I went for a slightly different composition than the rest of the assembled masses at Vanarsdale KY, and liked the result.


The yellow engine and what was left of Fall in the tree's was just about the only color to be seen, as 055 got back up to speed after passing through the streets of Harrodssburg KY


Late in the day, the train finally broke out into the sun, as it started down the CNO&TP at Bowen Ky.