Day: April 30, 2020

March 2020 Photo Contest Results

April 30, 2020 Jim Pearson No Comments Chapter Photo Contest, General Post

Our March 2020 chapter photo contest ran from April 15-30th and we had a total of 10 entries from 5 chapter members. The winning entries are below and the other entries are below them. Congratulations to our winners and we hope that everyone will participate in our May contest that runs from May 15-31st. If we are still in the pandemic please observe social distancing! Submission deadline is June 7th and we need a caption with each entry! – Jim Pearson

  • First Place March 2020 by Cooper Smith – Canadian Pacific 9814 leads K815 southbound through the Red River cut just north of Adams, Tennessee on the Henderson Subdivision as the conductor holds a flag out his window as they pass under the hwy 41 overpass.
  • Second Place March 2020 by Ricky Bivins – CSXT 397 leads a mixed freight at Mortons Gap KY as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision on March 25, 2020.
  • Third Place March 2020 – CSXT #3092 on the lead followed by #5320 pulling a northbound intermodal out of Pembroke Yard. On a siding sits CSX locomotive #5468 waiting for its CSX grain train to be unloaded at Siemer Milling Company on March 30, 2020.
The other outstanding entries are presented below.
  • CSX locomotive #3092 on the lead followed by #5320 pulling a northbound intermodal. The lead locomotive is just about ready to pass under the Walnut Street overpass, Hopkinsville, Kentucky on March 30, 2020 on the Henderson Subdivision. – Photo by William Farrell
  • Norfolk Southern #375 skirts along Brush Creek with a mixed freight near Louisville, Ky on March 29, 2020. – Photo by Bill Grady
  • Norfolk Southern #375 with Southern Heritage Unit #8099 pulls through the crossovers at Buechel, KY on March 31, 2020. – Photo by Bill Grady
  • RJ. Corman 3803 leads the Cumberland City turn southbound over the Cumberland River bridge in Clarksville, Tennessee. – Photo by Cooper Smith
  • Put Me In, Coach! – CN/GTW GP38-2 #6228 is found hustling a very late (appx. 8hrs) northbound City of New Orleans after just completing their station stop a few miles south in Champaign, IL. The ex-DT&I veteran is running long hood forward after being added to the train earlier in long distance journey due to mechanical issues with the aged P42DC locomotive. – Photo by Matt Gentry
  • Special Delivery – Canadian National SD70s 1037 and 1031 snake their way into south Champaign yard to do more work before continuing on their way north. Seen behind the veteran SD70s are 2 recently repainted (verdict is still out on if they were completely overhauled or just repainted) SD70ACe locomotives headed for North Shore Mining. The units are ex-PRLX, ex-CSX SD70ACe units 4833 and 4839. – Photo by Matt Gentry
  • Two BNSF and a UP locomotive leads a southbound freight at Mortons Gap, Kentucky on the Henderson Subdivision on March 25, 2020. – Photo by Ricky Bivins

Bill Farrell Adventures

April 30, 2020 Jim Pearson No Comments General Post

The first photo I shot from a tree at the north portal of Ridge Top Tunnel, Ridge Top, TN. It was more like hanging from a tree as the CSX locomotive passed underneath me. I no longer advocate taking pictures from trees.

Photo by William Farrell, 2018.  (Editor’s note: I thought this was just a lot of super-elevation!) 

The other three photos were shot at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum back in 2017. – Photos by William Farrell

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Don’t Let Your Lights Shine!

April 30, 2020 Jim Pearson No Comments All things Trains and Photography, Gary O. Ostlund

Submitted by Gary Ostlund – After Pearl Harbor and the start of World War II, the railroads quickly took measures to protect themselves.  Note the hoods over the locomotive headlight and marker lights.  Even the small classification lights on the locomotive’s smokebox are hooded.

Not long after the December 7th attack the Japanese gained a foothold far out on the Aleutian Islands.  With the threat of further air attacks railroads took these precautions along with shielded fireboxes, and blackened windows on passenger equipment.

On the civilian side, city street lights and windows were darkened.  American and Canadian military forces building the ALCAN Highway deliberately built curves in the road to hinder the ability of enemy aircraft strafing convoys.  Some of those curves were still visible in 1973.

Credits:    NP 2604 at Tacoma – Jim Fredrickson,   SP 2470 headlight – Jack Delano,   Caboose marker light – Southern Pacific Lines.

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