A EMD kinda day...

[E.M. Bell]

Sometime you just get lucky, the planets align, karma is on your side and you can go out and aim the camera and see more EMD's than that other "offbrand" through the view finder...it also helps when you just shoot pretty much the same two trains all day  

When I woke up Saturday morning I was reading through the email and saw that a work train had left Cinncy with a former CR SD40-2 leading, and no sooner than I saw that the radio spoke up with train 285 getting a Track Warrent on the Louisville district with a SD70M leading.  The Morning was cold but clear (I wont even make mention of clouds in this one) so the right thing to do was obvious. I snatched Carmon and the camera bag and out the door we went.....

While my goal for the day was to shoot the ever elusive SD40-2 leading a train, we had to get to the CNO&TP somehow, and following a train with a unibrow SD70M was good enough for us.  We chased the 285 from home over to SJ Tower. He was running on bad blocks behind a very slow and late 376, so no laws of the road  would have to be broken in this pursuit..and that dang near takes all the fun out of! 

The first place to shoot the 285 was at Convoy, just South of JREB world HQ in middle Mercer County KY.  I pretty much got glared f........d on this one...Carm did much better with the wide angle....wide angle....wide angle.....



After that failed attempt at perfection we drove at a legal and safe pace on to Hogtown (Thats Harrodsburg to all of you non-mercer county folks) to try again.  I am rarely in Harrodsburg at this time of day, and the sun was right for a place I hadn't shot in a few years..   Here is a sequence of 285 as seen through the big glass. You can almost see the driver of the car in the first one patting himself on the back for saving himself about 2 mins by cutting off that dammed train..







After all that fun and excitement we eased on over to the wye (at a safe speed of course) to wait out the 938 work train that was the primary objective of the day.  While sitting there waiting, 376 came easing around from the Louisville side to head North, and was quickly passed by a short and sweet 229 (With the only GE we shot this day)

Here is 229 zipping past the 376. Kidna odd to see the hottest train on the CNO&TP running North Main through here.. 



And the 376 (whole train) is seen easing around to the block at Faulkner. 




We also noticed a sure sign winter is here. The NS track crews are gathering up all the parts to the switch heaters and getting ready to install.  Here is part of the grill for the North end wye switch..



After himming and hawing for a while, 376 got itself across Single track and the 938 work train finally shows itself.  I was hoping for a nice rail train, maybe a string of ballast cars that would look awesome squished down to nothing with the big glass...and we got this.  Oh well, its a EMD..pitty party will just have to wait..

NS 938 at North Wye...








So the 938 goes on into Danville, and better yet, the Yardmaster says give it to a outbound crew...and on South we went.. The work train gets held up at South Danville while 285 makes a double out of the West yard, so we get two back to back trains with EMD'S, just like old times eh?  Realizing the importance of the event that is to shorty transpire in from of our camera,  I choose to record this event at Junction City. I hadn't shot there for a while, it seemed fitting. 

First up, Southbound 285 rolling through the signals at Junction City (KY) as seen from the White Oak Crossing. 



And lastly, and most importantly, the 938 also at Junction City. I went back up to the former L&N crossing for this shot, which I hadnt done in a rather long time. 





Thats it, thats all...carry on.  Oh, and if you want to see bigger, clearer, stronger, groin tickling high resolution version of these images, ease on over to Pbase and check em out..   http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/2009_rail_photography

[nsgelocos]

Me and my friends decided to go take a look at Tunnels 19 and 20 south of Andy Cooper road at Little Lancing and we cought that 285 and got a nice recording of it. I love the pictures, great job. If you guys would like, I could post the audio

[R Federle]

Hey E.M.

Been a while since I've been here. Nice shots. I like the down on shots of the track equipment flats. Never paid much mind to what the decks looked like on those. Thanks for sharing there guy.

Shame a cop wasn't nearby when the idiot passed in front of that train. People will never learn I suppose.

Robert federle