Month: July 2024

May 2024 Chapter Photo Contest Winners

July 15, 2024 Jim Pearson No Comments Chapter Photo Contest, Photo Contest Winners, Photo Section

The winners for our May 2024 photo contest were Ricky Bivins for 1st Place and Bill Grady for 2nd! Congratulations to you both and our next contest runs the month of July 2024! Entries due to Jim Pearson by midnight on August 7th.

1st Place winner of the West Kentucky Chapter of the NRHS May 2024 Photo Contest –CSX Chesapeake & Ohio Heritage Unit leads a northbound train through Mortons Gap KY on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on May 12th, 2024. – Photo by Ricky Bivins
2nd Place winner of the West Kentucky Chapter of the NRHS May 2024 Photo Contest – Reactivated CSX Autorack trains M216 and M217 are back to operating on CSX’s “Texas” Subdivision. Here is CSX M217-27 Eastbound just East of Maceo, KY on a splendid May 27, 2024. – Photo by Bill Grady
CSX locomotive # 3138 on the lead of a south bound coal drag just north of Trenton, Kentucky. Photo by William Farrell, May 23, 2024
Louisville to Owensboro “Long Distance Local” L369-11 is nearing the end of its run as it passes the M.P. 109 Signal known as “Steelton”. The crew will yard their train at Doyle Yard in Owensboro to end the day. May 11, 2024. Photo by Bill Grady
The Butlers Did It – The motive power for Union Pacific’s train LBU53, the daily turn to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, rests up for today’s run at the former Chicago & Northwestern yard in Butler, WI on Saturday May 18, 2024. GP40-2 1480 began life on the Baltimore & Ohio, GP40N 1493 is a former Penn Central unit, and GP60E 1107 started out on the Southern Pacific back in 1993. Photo by Chris Dees
Parked at Portage – Two unrebuilt Canadian Pacific SD40-2 units, 6043 and 6025, bask in the sunlight at Portage, WI on May 25, 2024 as they await their next assignment. Photo taken by Chris Dees from the northbound Amtrak Borealis (new service from Chicago to St. Paul) that just launched four day earlier on May 21, 2024.
Kentucky and West Tennessee Railway 1808 leads a freight through a crossing in the countryside. – Photo by Cooper Smith
Kentucky and West Tennessee Railway 1808 leads a freight through the countryside. – Photo by Cooper Smith
BNSF 6318 leads a train through Mortons Gap, Ky on May 1, 2024, as it heads south on the CSX Henderson Subdivision. – Photo by Ricky Bivins

Tunnel Vision by Gary Ostlund

July 15, 2024 Jim Pearson No Comments Gary O. Ostlund

Stevens Pass in Washington State provides great vistas for the railfan, whether on the east slopes like
this scene, or up the west side. This is former Great Northern mainline with a westbound freight looping along Nason Creek through Gaynor Tunnel. The 8-mile Cascade Tunnel is about a mile ahead. Noted
northwest railfan Ben Bachman captured this stunning shot from a switchback laden US Forest Service trail leading to Rock Lake in 1995.

In 2001 yours truly attempted the same. Needless to say Ben had a better camera, with much better results. The exercise and fresh air was nice. But not all was lost, I spent the night very near trackside in the trees just across the bridge in the upper left of this scene. This was one of those camp trips where sleep is sporadic. Hot coffee and a bacon and cheese omelet soothed things nicely in the morning. In over reaction to 911 the Burlington Northern Santa Fe has blocked access to the well hidden road leading down to my semi-private campsite. Nothing stays the same. Pacific Rail News May 1996.