Former CSX Transportation B40-8 5964 sits outside at the West Tennessee engine house in
Jackson, Tennessee as new paint is being applied. Photo by Chris Dees on July 5, 2024.
West Tennessee power reflects in the puddles from the previous evening’s rain at the Jackson,
Tennessee yard. Photo by Chris Dees on July 5, 2024.
Spring is in the air and the cold temperature are lifting! We recently rolled No. 576 outside to remove the side rods. It’s always a treat to see the locomotive in the natural light! Work continues in the shop as we inch closer and closer to seeing Music City’s locomotive back under steam. Recent projects include
completing repairs to the firebox, installation of hundreds of flexible and rigid stay bolts, and disassembly of the tender trucks. Submitted by Bill Farrell.
They say technology marches on and those who don’t adapt will be left behind. Railroading is
no exception as the golden age of steam evolved into the diesel era, and the next horizon of
locomotive technology seems to be based on electric and battery power (yes, I do know a
Pennsylvania GG-1 was cutting edge technology and electric way back in the day). The old trusty
Cannon EOS Rebel with 35mm slide film gave way to the Digital EOS Rebel and now that even
takes a back seat to the iPhone or Android in your back pocket for a quick on-demand shot of the
day’s railfan action. Monitoring railroad communications as part of railfanning is no exception to this
technology marching forward drum cadence. While the majority of railroad communications remains
the plain analog technology from multiple decades ago, changes are slowly making their way into the
industry.
The first change, called narrow banding, resulted in the existing 97-channel band plan to be
expanded with channels 107 to 196 interleaved between the existing frequencies. One example would
be AAR Channel 183 (161.3625 Mhz) and AAR Channel 184 (161.3775 Mhz) being adjacent to the
old AAR Channel 84 (161.3700 Mhz and CSXT’s main road frequency assignment through
Madisonville). These additional frequencies effectively doubled the amount of channels available to
railroads and their associated communications. The main effect these new channels had on railfans
was a slight notice of lesser range on all channels due to the nature of narrow band signals – usually
not a big deal.
The other change, related to the FCC’s narrow banding initiative, was the transition from
analog to digital, just as seen with broadcast TV and FM signals, as well as public safety
communication systems. For railfans, this change to digital felt foreboding as the possibility of not
being able to hear train crews, dispatchers and lineside hotbox detectors could impact the ability to
locate the action and get that prize winning first-place photo entry. Luckily most of these digital trials
are only affecting large terminal operations or other test locations.
Even as scanner manufacturers were starting to release digital scanners in the early 2000’s,
the different modes (APCO P-25, NXDN, and DMR) caused a lot of confusion and railfans asking
“what radio do I really need?” especially with some of the top-line scanners being $700 or more.
Unless you were heavily interested in public safety communications, these digital scanners were
really unnecessary for the average railfan. Plus all the new digital features made programming an
exercise akin to an electrical engineering class final exam.
While the AAR standard for digital voice radio uses the NXDN/Nexedge digital format there
has been no mandate to use digital so far. Regional and smaller railroads, as well as railroad
museums, have been known to use channels and even trunked radio systems (a whole other animal)
outside of the AAR plan in the business-band frequency ranges. Additionally, some small operations
even use DMR or other digital modes for internal communications.
On July 26, 2023 Uniden announced two new radio scanners on The Scanner Guys weekly
amateur radio/scanner Youtube channel specifically aimed at railfans who may not need all the fancy
features and are only concerned about being ready for the local railroad’s switch to digital. The
BCD160DN handheld and BCD260DN base/mobile are based on Uniden’s existing BCD396xx and BCD996xx series of full-featured digital scanners but at a lower price point and an easier learning
curve without the need for paying for extra digital modes and features. The NXND and DMR digital
modes are included at no additional cost. While no expected release date was given, these two new
units may be the next future upgrade you may need for your railfan toolbox.
Our goal is to put one of the Last L&N Steam Engines in the world back to work pulling excursion trains for our museum, as well as educate the public regarding the heritage of Kentucky’s Railroads and the people who built them. The L&N 152 needs both boiler and running gear work. Please visit the Crew 152 Facebook page for the most up to date information and photos.
American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harback for their 1933 musical Roberta. It still is popular song, having been performed by numerous performers, but the most famous version was recorded in 1958 by The Platters.
We express our sorrow in the passing of Shirley May Hinrichs, wife of long-time WKNRHS Chapter member Chuck Hinrichs, on Monday September 6, 2021.
Shirley May Hinrichs, 90, of Hopkinsville, KY died at 10:39 p.m. Monday, September 6, 2021 at her residence.
Graveside services will be 12:00 p.m. Friday, September 10, 2021 at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West with the Rev. Dan Huck officiating. Visitation will be Thursday from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Hughart, Beard & Giles Funeral Home. Hughart, Beard & Giles Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
A native of Baltimore, MD she was born March 5, 1931 the daughter of the late Norman E. Bolander and Jennie Violet Fowler Bolander. She was a devoted wife and loving mother. She was a member of First United Methodist Church. She was an avid bowler, golfer, bridge player, and gardener.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son: “Brian” Charles Hinrichs; and her four brothers.
She is survived by her husband of 67 years: Charles “Chuck” Hinrichs; her children: Debi (Ray) Anderton, Gretchen Edwards, and Roger Hinrichs all of Hopkinsville, KY; her eight grandchildren: Trevor (Kelly) Dunham, Peter Roshell, Jennie Jenkins, Kayla Hinrichs, Hunter Edwards, Kendra Chesser, Casey Hinrichs, and Kati Hinrichs; and six great grandchildren.
Memorial contributions are suggested to Pennyroyal Hospice 220 Burley Avenue, Hopkinsville, KY 42240.
Mr. Jon T. Futrell, age 50, of Mayfield, KY passed away at 2:31 PM Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at Mercy Health – Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, KY. Jon was a graduate of Mayfield High School and Murray State University and Jon was a staff writer for the Paducah Sun for nearly 25 years. His passion for local sports and love of movies will be remembered by all who knew him.
Jon is survived by his father & step-mother – Jim & Myra Futrell of Mayfield, KY; his brother – Andrew (Monica) Futrell and nieces – Maggie, Grace & Nora of Mokena, IL; step-sister – Heather Hilton, niece – Lynsey & nephew – Taylor all of Dyersburg, TN; aunt – Evelyne Futrell; cousins – Amy (Jerry) Norman, Matt (Stephanie) Futrell and Shelley Futrell.
He was preceded in death by his mother – Carol Price Futrell; grand-parents – James & Doris Futrell, Jim & Peggy Price and an uncle – Bill Futrell.
Visitation for Jon [was] held at the Brown Funeral Home in Mayfield, KY on Friday, June 4, 2021 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Private family services will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made in the form of a donation to your favorite local high school organization or charity.
Our monthly meeting tonight, March 16, 2020, of the West Kentucky Chapter of the NRHS has been canceled due to the station being closed to help combat the spread of the Corona Virus. Please pass the word to other chapter members you know. As of now we will meet next month on April 20th.
These photos of NC&StL 576 are taken from Nashville Steam’s Facebook page. See Nashville Steam on Facebook for credits. 576 sits beneath the shed at the Tennessee Central Museum (Nashville).
In late June, the super heaters were removed from 576. Each unit has 4 sets of curved parallel pipes that send steam back into the tubes re-using the heat from the boiler to convert the saturated steam into dry steam. The longer pipes in the front are for the super heaters along the bottom. The units in the middle and the top are tucked behind the front row. (taken from Nashville Steam Facebook page)
Working on the railroad has always been dangerous work. In years past few conventional insurance underwriters would consider policies for railroaders. Whether switchmen in the yards dodging rolling equipment, or brakemen jumping from boxcar to boxcar tying down hand brakes, many a railroader never came home at the end of the day, leaving a trail of mourning widows.
A sobering example of the dangers of railroading is this B&O SD40 with a cabful of lumber. On June 15, 1979, at Bremen, Ind., a load of lumber on a westbound train shifted and slid into the cab of No. 7598, running backward as the trailing unit on an eastbound. A brakeman riding the diesel’s cab sustained minor injuries — and no doubt paid special attention the next time he passed another train.
Many safety improvements have occurred over the years, with the invention the Westinghouse air brake and the Janney coupler being prime examples. In the years before and since the accident above, lumber transport by rail too has changed. In the very early days boxcars were used for transport of lumber products, a manual and cumbersome process. Today the modern center-beam cars have replaced open flat cars for lumber and other shipments such as dry-wall and plywood.
Submitted by Gary O. Ostlund.
UP COMING PHOTO CONTEST – September 15-30, 2018
Submission Deadline , October 7, 2018
Get out there! , Never know what you’ll find on the rails!
Below are the dates for other upcoming chapter photo contests. During the months listed all members are invited to shoot pictures and submit no more than two entries each to webmaster@westkentuckynrhs.org by the deadline listed with each contest. You must be a paid member of the chapter to participate in these contests.
Jim Pearson or the membership will judge the photos and select 1st through 3rd place and the winners will be presented in the Pennyrail and on the chapter website. We’ll also view them at the meeting following each contest.
At least the 1st place winners will be used to produce a chapter calendar for the next year.
All submissions must have a caption that lists at least the railroad, location and date with photographers credit and any other relevant information.
November 15-30, 2018
Submission Deadline: December 7, 2018
January 15-30, 2019
Submission Deadline: February 7, 2019
March 15-30, 2019
Submission Deadline: April 7, 2019
May 15-30, 2019
Submission Deadline: June 7, 2019
July 15-30, 2019
Submission Deadline: August 7, 2019
Note: These are date changes from what appeared in the Pennyrile! I’ve made these adjustments to better allow the production of the calendar in time for the holidays.
Below are the dates for upcoming chapter photo contests. During the months listed all members are invited to shoot pictures and submit no more than two entries to webmaster@westkentuckynrhs.org by the deadline listed next to each contest. You must be a paid member of the chapter to participate in these contests.
Jim Pearson will judge the photos and select 1st through 3rd place and the winners will be presented in the PennyRail and on the chapter website. We’ll also view them at the meeting following each contest.
At least the 1st place winners will be used to produce a chapter calendar for the next year. All submissions must have a caption that lists at least the railroad, location and date with photographer’s credit and any other relevant information.
January 1-31, 2018
Submission Deadline: February 7, 2018
March 1-15, 2018
Submission Deadline: March 22, 2018
May 1-15, 2018
Submission Deadline: May 22, 2018
July 1-15, 2018
Submission Deadline: July 22, 2018
September 1-15, 2018
Submission Deadline: September 22, 2018
November 1-15, 2018
Submission Deadline: November 22, 2018
The 2018 NRHS convention will be held Tuesday-Sunday, Aug. 7-12, with headquarters in Cumberland, Md. The tentative schedule includes scenic rail trips through the countryside of West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, plus the annual meetings of the Society. The registration room for the convention will open in mid-afternoon on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The board meeting for the NRHS Fund Inc., will be held that evening.
The first trip is scheduled for Wednesday with an all-day outing to Cass, W.Va. to ride the Cass Scenic Railroad up to Spruce, W.Va. At that point, there will be a “cross platform transfer” from the Cass steam train to the Salamander diesel train to Elkins, W.Va. Lunch will be served on the Salamander. Once in Elkins, NRHS members will re-board the buses for the return trip to the hotel in Cumberland.
The tentative schedule for Thursday includes a charter train ride on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from the depot on Cumberland (three blocks from the hotel) to Frostburg, Md., behind the newly rebuilt steam engine No. 1309. Photo run-bys are scheduled for this trip. Cab rides will be offered in both directions with proceeds benefitting the NRHS.
To read more from the NRHS News, go to https://admin.nrhs.com/NRHSNews/NRHS_News_October_2017.pdf.
All tickets will be 5.99 per person. No children’s pricing. The Western Kentucky Chapter will receive 1.50 out of every ticket sold. The event will take place on Saturday morning December 16th from 8:00 to 10:00 am. Tickets will be sold by local club members, Catfish Harbor, some selected local businesses and at the door on the morning of the event. Pictures with Santa or the Polar Express Character will be available on a donation bases. Everyone who comes through the door of Catfish Harbor on the morning of the event will have to have a ticket or purchase a ticket at the door.
We will have a 5×6 board with the Polar Express train running and operated by Wally Watts for the amusement of the children. When the event is over this has to be moved to the Mall to be set up for the Christmas Show that day. Members and celebrity guest worker will need to be at the restaurant by 7:40 am on the morning of the event. Posters will be printed and placed at central locations in Madisonville and Hopkins County. Tickets will be professionally printed for this event.
We will need all local club members to help with is project. The committee will be contacting you for your talents. If you have questions please contact me at; 270 839-4177. Bill Farrell
The 2018 NRHS convention will be held Tuesday-Sunday, Aug. 7-12, with headquarters in Cumberland, Md. The tentative schedule includes scenic rail trips through the countryside of West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, plus the annual meetings of the Society. The registration room for the convention will open in mid-afternoon on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The board meeting for the NRHS Fund Inc., will be held that evening.
The first trip is scheduled for Wednesday with an all-day outing to Cass, W.Va. to ride the Cass Scenic Railroad up to Spruce, W.Va. At that point, there will be a “cross platform transfer” from the Cass steam train to the Salamander diesel train to Elkins, W.Va. Lunch will be served on the Salamander. Once in Elkins, NRHS members will re-board the buses for the return trip to the hotel in Cumberland.
The tentative schedule for Thursday includes a charter train ride on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from the depot on Cumberland (three blocks from the hotel) to Frostburg, Md., behind the newly rebuilt steam engine No. 1309. Photo run-bys are scheduled for this trip. Cab rides will be offered in both directions with proceeds benefitting the NRHS.
To read more from the NRHS News, go to https://admin.nrhs.com/NRHSNews/NRHS_News_October_2017.pdf.
Photo and caption by
Jim Pearson