A CNO&TP roadtrip and the best colors in years!

[E.M. Bell]

Sunday, October 25th 2009.  Weather - Perfect, Colors = best in years, trains = non stop.

Carmon and Myself left JREB world HQ in Salvisa a little before 0600, headed South with the first stop planned to be the New River Bridge just South of Onidea TN.  New River is One of those places where everything has to be perfect for the shot. Down in that Valley, the sun is only right for a couple of hours after sunup, and there is always the chance of fog.  As we headed South and the sun started to rise, the fog got thick and thicker.   By the time we got down to the bridge it was apparent the fog was gonna kill any chance of the perfect "sweet light" shot...you couldnt even see the bridge above you! 

After regrouping and saying a little prayer the fog would burn off before the Sun got to far around, we moved on South a tad to Robbins TN for a pair of trains. If your gonna shoot in the fog, this was a good place to do it..

Here is Northbound 264 at Robbins TN, just after Sun-up





As soon as 264 got across Single track, a 275 came South. Here he is, also at Robbins TN. Note that the old cantilever signal bridge is gone, replaced by the leaning thing you see here. 



After those Two, we moved back down to the bridge. The fog has eased up a tad, but there is still no sun.  Here is the ghostly 276 crossing the New River.



While waiting for the sun to burn off the fog,  I took the chance to shoot the OLD CNO&TP bridge over the New River, now just a bridge to nowhere.



Finally, around 1030 or so, and JUST before the shadows would start moving into the scene, the sun lit up the bridge just in time for us to shoot a Southbound Grain train. 



With the first objective of the day out of way, we turned North back towards KY. My schedule had us over an hour behind for objective #2, Dead Ox Hollow.   I knew the colors would be great there, and also knew that after about 1230 the sun would be wrong here. We sprinted back North, and as luck would have it, bagged a pair of Southbounds at Keno in short order.   

Here is the first one, NS 223.







Not to far behind was the low and slow 123, also seen here at Keno Ky





After Keno, we started slowly moving back North. We would not make it far before we got hung up in Burnside and Somerset to shoot Three more Southbound in less than 45 mins or so.  Here is a 44A grain train, Southbound over the Cumberland River at Burnside KY. 





Next up was the 143 at  CP Woods (Somerset) with a ratty CR GE leading. 





and one more, NS 215, on the North side of Somerset at "Southern States". Finally, a EMD leading..





A lull in traffic got us as far North as Waynesburg before we heard another train. We stop long enough to shoot a 236.



While in Waynesburg, I noticed this. A vestige of Intermodals past.



The last shot of the day for me was the 285, seen here in the valley at South Fork KY.



If you would like to see higher res versions of these images, check out my gallery at Pbase.  http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/2nd_district_of_the_cnotp

[butch]

Looks like you had a great day.

[Batman]

FANTASTIC !

[nsgelocos]

Why does 236 have autos on it, was it an extra section that day or what.  I love them photos!!!