Railroad Photography by Chase Gunnoe

C&O 1308 Night Shoot

2010-08-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

On the evening of August 21st with the cooperation of Walter Scriptunas II, MSRLHA, and the Collis P. Huntington Historical Society, extended efforts were made to bring C&O 1308, a 2-6-6-2 back to life with the help of professional fog machines, fans, and other gear. Actors were used for realistic props and studio lighting was used to light the scene. Below is a series of images captured.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/msrlha_co_1308_night_shoot

Thanks for looking,

Chase

A trip to the Old Dominion!

2010-08-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

With the annual C&O Historical Society Conference being held in the capital city of Virginia, Richmond, a brief, yet eventful trip took place. Below are some of the highlights of the three day expedition along various CSX predecessor routes, including the C&O, ACL, and the RF&P.

Under beautiful clear skies and surrounded by total darkness, CSX U282 emerges from the Big Bend Tunnel in Talcott, WV.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333627

Westbound CSX E502 illuminates the Hilldale cantilever on it's final leg of the crew run from Clifton Forge to Hinton.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127303811

Southbound CSX Q741, the empty Tropicana juice train highballs through downtown Ashland sporting single stack intermodal containers on the head end.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304121

The fully restored and photogenic RF&P Ashland Depot poses beside fast flying Q741 in downtown Ashland.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304122

A northbound D.C. bound Amtrak passenger train observes a slow order as it makes it's way through downtown Ashland, along CSX's RF&P Subdivision. Over 18 Amtrak trains travel this line a day, including Amtrak's famous "Auto Train".
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304124

Moments later, a GE P42DC leads another passenger train south by the Ashland Station enroute to Richmond and points south along the former Seaboard.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304126

Five miles north of Ashland, in Doswell, a pair of BBRR "geeps" idle near the RF&P/C&O diamond awaiting future assignments.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=334159

Empty coal hoppers led by a pair of GE's have just began their journey up the BBRR (former CSX Piedmont Subdivision) just south of Doswell, VA. The train is bound for Charlottesville, Staunton, and points west on the C&O.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304267

Taken from the Douglasdale Road overpass just west of downtown Richmond, the northbound Amtrak "Palmetto" parallels I-195 on it's journey to the northeast.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333734

Moments later, CSX Q171, an intermodal destined for the ports of Florida splits I-195.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333737

CSX Q400 highballs north on the heals of the Palmetto.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304749

After just departing Richmond, a North Carolina bound passenger train knocks down the SCL signal at "Dougsdale Road" on the former ACL North End Subdivision.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304750

The famous "Auto Train" sporting over a dozen superliners and autoracks rides the heals of the previously photographed Amtrak train running slightly behind schedule.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304751

Moving at no less than track speed, CSX P052 charges to the south with autoracks on the rear.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304752

"R Cabin" at the north end of Fulton Yard sits boarded up awaiting demolition.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304873

A Northbound grain train idles on the C&O viaduct in downtown Richmond awaiting pushers to connect to the rear end.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304878

A slightly different perspective from an apartment complex parking lot.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304881

Proceeding north, bound for the Bellwood Subdivision and eventually Rocky Mount, NC on the ACL, this grain train streaks over the Viaduct with beautiful Richmond in the background.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=334114

CSX G854 passes over downtown Richmond as it makes it's journey west on CSX's Peninsula Subdivision. The train will eventually take the Bellwood Subdivision and eventually the ACL south, similar to that of the grain train photographed the night before.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=334117

Shoving hard on the rear, a single CW44AC brings up the rear on CSX G854.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304940

After uncoupling from the pusher, CSX G854 is moving at full track speed, now on the former ACL to Rocky Mount.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333798

Northbound CSX L173 rumbles over the C&O Rivanna Subdivision approaching Acca Yard in Richmond.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=334161

Hiding in the weeds, a southbound Amtrak battles mother nature on CSX's Peninsula Subdivision. The train will make a quick stop at Main Street Station before continuing south towards Newport News, VA.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304889

After meeting the southbound Amtrak photographed above, CSX P094, a Northeast Regional departs Main Street Station to the north under beautiful skies.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=333817

A slightly different perspective of CSX P094 northbound.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127304895

Finally, to conclude our Richmond expedition, northbound CSX Q740, the loaded Tropicana juice train highballs by Dougsdale Road with a heavy smoking EMD leader.
http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/127305088

In less than 24 hours, nearly 32 trains were documented. One of the busiest places I've railfanned!

As always, thanks for looking and I encourage you to frequently check back for updates.

A successful end to July!

2010-08-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

As we rapidly approach the end of Summer, with July coming to an end, I wanted to showcase my findings on July 30th. Originally, plenty of sun and trains were anticipated, yet the weather was less than ideal. Thankfully, several well-lit images were captured. Below is an assortment of our findings in a thumbnail form.

CSX 5394, a DC GEVO leads an eastbound Virginia bound coal drag over the Coal River at St. Albans on a beautiful summer morning.

Much later in the day, after taking a break as a result of the dreaded "high sun" period, CSX 885 leads an eastbound CSX E507 just west of Sproul, bound for the Elk Run coalfields.

After CSX E507 cleared Sproul Junction, westbound CSX V357 led by CSX 738 was given the "clear" to proceed west towards St. Albans. Here, we see him passing by classic West Virginia, nestled deep in the Coal River Valley of Alum Creek.

After just clearing W.E. Coal River Siding, CSX 738 negioates the sharp curves along the Coal River as it approaches "Riverbend".

Mainline higball! CSX 738 makes a run for Russell, KY with a crew running on less than two hours of service remaining.

Westbound black diamond loads make a run for Scary Hill with a single C44-9W.

Eastbound grain loads bound for the Carolinas pass under the Westbound E.E. Dock signal in St. Albans in the evening light.

With a beautiful sunset in the background, CSX 5496 halts just east of the Coal River bridge awaiting a "slow clear" to proceed onto the Coal River Subdivision.

Zoom pan! A 1/8th zoom pan of westbound CSX 5389 in St. Albans. This was my first attempt at a zoom pan.

As always, thanks for looking!

A day on the C&O and N&W

2010-07-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

Group,

This past Saturday presented some beautiful weather and plenty of trains as we visited Kenova, WV. For those of you who are not familiar with Kenova, it is home to both CSX and NS mainlines. The CSX Kanawha Subdivision (Russell, KY to Montgomery, WV) and the NS Kenova District (Portsmouth, OH to Williamson) travel through the small, but active town nestled along the border of Kentucky and Ohio. Coal trains are most common along the CSX line, while a bit more variety of manifest, autorack, and intermodal are more common along the NS line. Overall, a good bit of variety was photographed and several good images were captured.

NS 274 passes over the massive N&W trestle in downtown Kenova on a beautiful summer afternoon.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=332514

CSX H796, a local bound for the Huntington Locomotive Shops from Russell, KY arrives into Huntington sporting an all EMD consist.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=332515

Later in the evening, NS 7640 on NS S0K passes over the C&O enroute to Portsmouth, OH and points west along the former N&W mainline to Columbus, OH.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=332516

A wide angle perspective of eastbound intermodal, NS 234.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/126884643

We finish up our evening back in Huntington photographing the near 50 locomotives in storage along CSX's 16th Street Yard. The fate is undetermined for these older EMD's. Most are serviceable, while some will most likely be transported to the deadline upon reactivation.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=332518

Thanks for looking,

Chase Gunnoe

Tie Gang visits Nitro

2010-07-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

As anticipated, Norfolk Southern held their annual jamboree along the former Conrail WV Secondary working on replacing ties and ballast along the scarcely used line that runs from Columbus, OH to the mountains of Southern West Virginia. Unlike previous years, I decided to document the replacement of the ties and ballast. Below, I've together an assortment of links to my PBase website showing images of the MOW work.

A group of nearly 16 camp cars sit in the yard at Nitro during the annual tie gang project.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/126884864

One of the near 40 HTT machines that travel with the tie gang works on removing worn out ties just south of Nitro near Milepost 172.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/126884865

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/126884866

Gathering up the old ties and preparing for the installation of the new ones.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/126884867

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/126884869

An assortment of twenty MOW "critters" take a lunch break on this abnormally hot summer afternoon.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/126884870

A pair of new crossing flashers being installed at 11th Street in downtown Nitro.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/126884871

With the curfew being in effect until late in the evening, the normally scheduled manifests have been forced to run during the night. Here, we see NS 381 (Dickinson, WV to Columbus, OH) being recrewed in the yard at Nitro on the evening of July 22nd.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/126884874

As always, thanks for looking!

Chase Gunnoe

New Additions

2010-07-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Followers,

I added three new additional links to the right tab under "Photo Websites". The additions include a hyperlink to a photography blog by Michael Matalis, a talented railroad photographer in the Chicago area.

Secondly, a link to a Railpictures.net porfolio of a relatively nearby photographer nestled in the mountains of southern West Virginia. Loyd Lowry, who lives in Hilldale focuses on movements along CSX's New River and Allegheny Subdivisions. His portfolio displays high quality images of classic Appalachia and how the railroad negotiates the heavy grades.

Finally, the third hyperlink displays a link to a Charleston, WV native whose work mainly focuses on steam tourist railroads. Walter Scriptunas II is one of the more popular photographers in the state and has had his images appear in many publications over the years.

Stay tune for additional improvements and updates to the site!

Thanks!

Along the N&W in May

2010-06-13T10:57:00.001-07:00

During the month of May, a handful of trips were arranged to explore a variety of N&W lines in Virginia and West Virginia. As usual, many trains were documented and the trips were very successful. Below, I've posted a series of images from different trips along different lines. Some territories below are along the former N&W Pocahontas mainline, currently operated by Norfolk Southern.

A westbound empty coal train bound for the coalfields approach the massive N&W CPL signal bridge at CP "Hull". The selective color was added to focus your attention to the increasingly rare CPL's. Photo taken on May 7th, 2010.

A pair of ES44AC's operating as DPU's on an eastbound grain train are just moments from entering the Roderfield tunnel. Notice the notched edges on the tunnel indicating this tunnel is ready for double stack containers. Photo taken May 7th, 2010.

An eastbound NS V83 passes under the N&W sand tower at Vicker with a fitting N&W SD40-2 leader. Classic power on locals is still quite common on this end of the N&W. Photo taken May 19th, 2010.

As this overcast day winds down to an end, a Roanoke bound loaded coal drag knocks down the N&W CPL signal at Blake, just east of Bluefield on the NS Christiansburg District.

Hotshot NS 218 makes a bunch of ruckus as it passes over the impressive trestle in downtown Kenova. In the background, the bridge crosses over the Ohio River, making a portion of the train in West Virginia, while the rear end still remains in Ohio.

Thanks for looking!

New Format

2010-06-13T10:51:00.001-07:00

Followers,

I've been contacted by several people recently in regards to my format of my posts. Many of you prefer "thumbnails" rather than the current format of links to either Railpictures.net or my Pbase website. That said and in hopes to make for a more appealing page, I've decided to post thumbnails. From this point on, all posts will have a medium sized rectangle that contains an image. The image is clickable for a larger view. Any additional comments or suggestions are highly recommended and as always, I appreciate you taking the time to view my page.

Take Care,

Chase

Kentucky Derby Trains 2010

2010-06-02T23:48:00.001-07:00

As Previously vaguely discussed in my Clinchfield Expedition post which can be viewed by clicking HERE, photographing the 2010 Kentucky Derby Trains was more or less an after thought and something totally overlooked when originally planning the Clinchfield Trip.

With confirmation that the RJ Corman QJ Steam locomotive would be pulling the RJ Corman Derby train from Lexington, KY west to Christiansburg, KY with a departure of 9:00 am, we decided to get up extremely early and make the drive northwest.

CSX's Derby Train departed Lexington, KY shortly before 8am for the journey west, but due to less than ideal shooting conditions and such an early departure time, we opted to let this one go. The train was powered by CSX's executive F40PH locomotives previously owned by Amtrak.

With plenty of sources trackside between Lexington and Louisville, it wasn't hard tracking down the QJ as she made her trip west. We decided to shoot her in Frankfort, KY, the capital city of Kentucky..

We decided to go for a different approach and continued west to "West Frankfort". With lighting not paying a major role in the image (since it had been raining earlier in the day), we decided to setup for an image of her passing by an open field.

Finally, we're greeted by 'Ole Smokey leading the 2010 RJ Corman Kentucky Derby Train westbound. In tow was RJ Corman's Railpower Genset, a pair of F-units, and eight passenger cars, including a pair of BNSF and CN Business cars.

The train was loaded with the "Derby Girls", most of which kindly waved and returned the favor by taking our photos.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=322726

Unfortunately, due to CSX restrictions, the QJ was only able to lead the train to Christiansburg. The F-units, previously seen above would then lead the train west into Louisville.

We decided to head west and setup for a shot of the F-units leading the train somewhere along the line west of Christiansburg, KY. We found a nice "S" shaped curve in Eastwood, just west of Simpsonville. After waiting a while, the F-units eventually rounded the curve.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124188273

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124188276

We then highballed west into Louisville hoping to maybe photograph CSX's Derby Train or perhaps the Norfolk Southern Derby Train, sporting the executive F-units.

With no luck, we met up with nearly two dozen photographers near FX Tower in downtown Louisville. Notable photographers such as Alex Moss, R&R Editor Steve Barry, and a handful of others were present. While chatting up with them for a good while and introducing ourselves, the RJ Corman Derby Train approached from the east.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124188280

Notice the vintage L&N signal bridge above.

Shortly afterwards, CSX Q268 rumbled by sporting a SD70MAC/ES40DC lashup.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124188500

With traffic becoming increasingly worse with Derby bound crowds, we decided to head west and grab a bite to eat at a restaurant. This gave us more time to chat with the near two dozen photographers.

After completing our meal, we all went our separate ways. Overall, a very enjoyable day being able to explore new territory, a new railroad, and meet familiar names.

Thanks for looking and special thanks go to everyone who made this trip possible and provided us with OS locations on the Derby Trains.

Clinchfield Expedition

2010-05-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of friends and myself opted to arrange a trip to the former Clinchfield mainline between Elkhorn City, KY and Erwin, TN for two full days in late April lasting into early May. To our surprised, we managed to avoid the rain and were blessed with two beautiful days of sun! A high pressure system built in over us on Friday April 30th, blessing us with clear blue skies.

On Wednesday April 28th, during our journey south from Charleston, WV towards Elkhorn City, we happened to briefly run into the NS Pocahontas Division around Williamson, just prior to sunset. With the photogenic N&W CPL's still standing tall on this portion of the Pokey between Williamson and Kenova, we took a quick side trip and photographed a pair in the evening light.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124048293

As night quickly approached, we decided to lay over for the night just north of Elkhorn City.

The following morning (April 29th) at around 7am, we departed for the south. We had heard that there would be a southbound departing Shelby Yard (Just north of Elkhorn City in Pikeville, KY) later that morning, so we opted to setup just south of Elkhorn City at the Pool Point Trestle. This overlook is pretty famous and has been visited by several notable photographers including David Honan, Gary Knapp, and Peter Furnee.

As we patiently waited, we're eventually greeted with the southbound. Light was far more appealing than we had predicted, so our images were decent.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=322526

Shoving hard uphill, the pushers operating as CSX F811 eventually passed.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120928

With the train still climbing upgrade at a slow speed, we took this time to get ahead of him. Since I was only along for the ride and wasn't able to be much help, as a result of being inexperienced with this corner of Appalachia, I sat back and enjoyed the sights. A beautiful piece of country that can only be described by physically visiting the area.

As we continued south, eventually crossing into the State of Virginia, we arrived into the small town of Clincho, VA, positioned approximately 20 miles south of Elkhorn City, KY. The town of Clincho is just as any other small Appalachian town, but is very photogenic with a former Clinchfield trestle cutting through the middle of the village.

I quickly decided to hike down the river bank and position myself between some plant life. Shortly afterwards, the sound of the GE's in Notch 8 rumbling up grade became increasingly louder and we're greeted with our southbound once again moments later.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=326204

With the pushers still attached and a slightly different composition, I snapped the following image as the rear end passed the shutter.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=324771

As we quickly jumped back into the car and continued south, our next photo location was at McClure, VA. An "S" shaped tunnel made for an appealing photo if captured correctly. Due to shadows on the rail just prior to the train entering the tunnel, I opted for a slightly different approach to capturing both the train and the tunnel.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=324408

Again, we jumped back in the car and continued our trip south. Under beautiful blue skies and following the railroad most of the way, I began to really appreciate my surroundings.

During our trip south from McClure to our next destination of Dante, we exceeded the trains speed and arrived in Dante nearly a half hour prior to him. While reviewing available compositions, a former Clinchfield/CSX engineer stopped by and introduced himself. While talking to him, a railfan from Alabama joined us in conversation.

Shortly afterwards, our conversation was interrupted by the sound of dynamic braking. This section of the Clinchfield is down hill for southbounds, hence why the pusher locomotives are generally dropped off in Dante and sent back north to Shelby, KY.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120932

The helpers are generally dropped off at the grade crossing in the above link, but we did not stay to witness the procedure, but instead opted to continue south.

We stopped off in St. Paul, VA to fuel up on gasoline. St. Paul is similar to Clincho in that the railroad runs through the middle of the town. A trestle, still lettered for the Clinchfield and N&W made for a nice prop, but unfortunately, no trains were photographed operating over the trestle.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120933

This portion of the Clinchfield is occasionally used by Norfolk Southern Trains, hence why the Norfolk & Western text is seen in the above image.

After departing St. Paul for the south, I decided to catch up on some much needed sleep. I eventually woke up to find us driving down a gravel road along side the railroad tracks. After following on the gravel road for a good while, we eventually arrived at our next location in Starnes, VA.

This location, referred to as "Starnes Overlook" allowed for a nice overview of classic Virginia farm land.

After waiting a good while, we're rewarded with our southbound.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=322950

That would be the last time we'd photograph that particular southbound, as track speeds exceeding 40 MPH enable the train to make good time into it's destination of Erwin, TN.

Instead, we hopped on US-23 and headed for Johnson City, TN. We made a stop off at the impressive "Copper Creek Viaduct", but due to overcast skies conflicting with my manual settings, the image was unable to be saved in post processing software.

We continued south jumping into Tennessee from Virginia. We happened to stumble into another southbound sporting a pair of ES44AC's. With light back to being somewhat decent, we set up for an image in Fordtown, TN. The composition was pleasing with farm land and a broadside view of the train from across a field.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120937

We chased this train south in attempt to catch him passing over the Boones Creek Trestle in Crouch Crossroad, TN. With light a bit better than anticipated, the results were some of the best of the day.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=323256

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=323051

As we began to rapidly approach Erwin, TN, we setup for one last image just north of town.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120939

By that time, it was time to call it quits. We had a good 2 hour drive ahead of us back to Pikeville, KY. Overall, we explored near half of the Clinchfield mainline and even came home with some really nice photographs.

The following morning (April 30th) we're once again greeted with a pair of southbound trains waiting to depart Shelby Yard in Elkhorn City, KY.

Rather than trying to work angles near the Shelby Yard, we decided going south to Elkhorn City would be a better solution. Upon arrival in Elkhorn City and hiking down to the river bank of the Big Sandy River, we waited for our southbound.

After taking a quick fall into the Big Sandy River and realizing my composition was not going to work, I picked a spot located as close to the river I could get without going for a swim. I patiently waited for the southbound..

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120940

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=323273

We decided to head back to Pool Point and try to work some different angles. Our first southbound (photographed above) had gotten away from us, so we hiked into the Pool Point area and waited for our second southbound.

As our southbound approached, I reviewed camera settings and waited.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=322888

I quickly changed lenses and opted for a telephoto of the pushers shoving hard over the impressive structure.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120943

Shortly after the southbound passed, we heard the Dispatcher mention a possible northbound. Against our better judgement, we decided to wait and we're pleasantly surprised less than a half hour later.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=324097

We continued south to our next location at Toms Bottom, VA. This is just south of the Breaks Interstate Park. We spent a good bit of time hiking into our location, but we're pleasantly surprised once we arrived at the top.

We photographed various angle at this overlook for several hours. In that span, we're greeted with two trains.

The first one was a pair of pushers (photographed at Pool Point earlier that morning shoving a southbound up hill) returning north to Shelby, KY.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120945

By the time they reported clear of the mainline, the light had changed and was more appealing for a southbound movement.

Hours later our southbound rumbled through the gorge under blue skies.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=322856

GE pushers shoving hard..

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120947

With another southbound not far from the one above, we decided to hike down hill and photograph the train along the banks of the Russell Fork River.

Shortly after hiking down the impressive mountainside and setting up for our shot on a nice cool rock, our southbound rumbled by the rushing Russell Fork River.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120948

Bright Future pushers shoving hard..

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/124120949

By this time it was getting pretty late in the evening and we're pretty exhausted. We made it back to Pikeville, KY fairly early and had a good time sharing slides and images from the good 'ole and present days.

We went to bed early in preparation for the following day. We had orignally figured we'd spend the morning railfanning areas near Pikeville, but opted to head for Louisville, KY to photograph the Kentucky Derby Trains. Both CSX and RJ Corman had intentions of running their derby trains west from Lexington, KY. The RJ Corman Derby Train would be operated by their impressive QJ Steam locomotive for a portion of the trip.

A blog post including more in-depth detail and images from our day chasing the Derby Trains can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Special thanks go to everyone who made the Clinchfield Expedition possible!

April 20th, 2010- The Circus visits Charleston!

2010-04-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

The annual Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus made it's arrival into Charleston this morning for a series of shows lasting until this Sunday, the 25th. The train, which travels the NS West Virginia Secondary each year adds a bit of variety to the coal trains and occasional manifests photographed on CSX & NS.

This year, I was blessed to have the opportunity to chase the train and get some decent photos, despite the overcast conditions. The clouds parted in the afternoon, enabling us the opportunity to get a few decently lit photos.

We started our morning at 8am figuring wed intercept the NS 048 somewhere south of Dickinson, the largest yard on the NS West Virginia Secondary. We're hoping that the train had ran into some problems or for whatever reason, had encountered a delay. Unfortunately, he was right on time and just as we got south of Charleston, we heard him talking to the yardmaster and trainmaster at Dickinson.

In previous years, the circus train had been split up in Dickinson, placing the passenger coaches into the yard to allow for privacy, while the animal cars along with the equipment flats are transported north to Charleston, for easier access to the Civic Center located in downtown Charleston.

Just as anticipated, the train was indeed, in the early stages of separating the train. The head end of the train was at the North End of the yard lead in Dickinson, while the rear end was near the South End of the yard lead. Prior to the cut taking place, I snapped a quick photo.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123810346

After having a job briefing with various crew members and the crew of NS J4G, the plan was for a single light engine to couple onto the rear of the 1 mile plus long train and take the passenger coaches into the yard, the local would then couple the equipment flats back onto the animal cars, seperate from the train, and the remainder of the train would continue north.

This process which seems fairly difficult due to limited space was eventually figured out and we therefore made our way to the south end of the yard to watch the NS J4G.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123810350

I decided to fiddle with the settings and got a couple of grab shots of the blurred equipment with a stationary subject.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123810348

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123810349

About an hour later, once the equipment flats had been coupled back onto the animal cars, NS 048 received a warrant to proceed north and waited for clearance by the Circus Trainmaster along with NS's Trainmaster. This allowed me to get a few more images of the power on the Dickinson Pit.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123810352

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123810351

The former Southern high hood was a nice surprise!

Once the train received cleared, we took off north for a spot in Charleston. This spot had been on my mind for a while, but to lack of traffic on the WV Secondary, I hadn't had the chance to try it out.

The results were promising, despite less than ideal lighting conditions.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=321570

We then continued north a few blocks to the siding, where NS 048 would drop off the animal cars. Unfortunately, he dropped off the equipment flats first in a siding a bit further south and due to lack of parking, we opted to stay near the animal cars. By this time, a large crowd of children and adults were forming in hopes to get a glimpse of the various exotic animals.

Before the small alley became crowded, I managed to snap one image.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123810354

As we patiently waited for the unloading of the elephants, I managed to photograph the assortment of railroad employees and families anxiously awaiting the unloading as well.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123810355

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123810356

The crowds were really beginning to increase and Charleston Police were forced to move the people to a new location. Thankfully, an employee of the Ringling Brothers Circus enabled us to stand with the photo journalists, giving us a photo opportunity otherwise impossible.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=321577

The morning was quite successful being able to photograph the train, animals, and people associated with the circus in just a few hours. Hopefully, we'll have just as much luck when the train departs for Dayton, OH on April 25th.

Thanks for looking,

Chase

April 11th, 2010

2010-04-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

Under beautiful blue skies and an abnormally active radio, April 11th made for yet another successful evening of watching trains.

On the afternoon of the 11th, we were lucky enough to get an earlier start, getting us trackside shortly after 3 O'Clock in the afternoon. As we always do, we figured St. Albans would be a good place to start our day. Upon arrival, we immediately heard the dispatcher talking to a westbound empty coal train. With an external radio positioned vertically on top of the car, we were able to hear the train about 15 miles out, reassuring us that we had plenty of time to setup our gear at a reasonably nearby location.

After debating on a place to photograph this Peach Creek bound empty coal train, we eventually opted for Teays, a small community west of St. Albans in Putnam County. This area is home to two CSX Intermediate Signals. It is also the crest of the .3% Scary Grade that westbounds often have trouble maneuvering.

Shortly after adjusting settings, CSX E519, led by a pair of dull GE's rumbled by Teays Valley splitting the Darth-Vader style signals.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=320426

As soon as CSX E519 cleared, CSX E520 marked up with a clear signal at Big Rock. We found this odd, as it is rare to see two Peach Creek bound coal trains traveling so close. Perhaps the demand for export coal will make these moves more common.

After relocating ourselves less than a mile east, we briefly waited for CSX E520. Moments later, CSX 457 with a former Conrail SD60M in tow rumbled by, kicking up the freshly laid ballast.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123569550

Once the westbound empties cleared, an eastbound CSX G876 with a pair of CW40-8's rumbled by, although since the sun was favoring westbounds, I simply watched this one pass by.

We decided to head back east to Amandaville where we had previously seen a wesbound empty AEPX train in the Dock Siding. While lighting wasn't the best for the head-on effect, I slapped on the Canon 10-22mm and went for a side angle including a spring time scene.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=320399

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123569552

CSX seemed to be quieting down a bit, so we jumped across the Kanawha River to the NS West Virginia Secondary, as NS 381, a northbound Dickinson, WV-Columbus, OH manifest was doing it's daily switching in the Nitro Yard.

To our surprise, the train had a pretty photogenic lashup including a spartan cab SD70, a former Southern GP38-2 highood, and NS 4611, the Transcaer GP59. With the sun slowly beginning to pull north for the summer months, we took off north in hopes to find a nice, well-lit spot to get the 381 once his work at Nitro was completed.

We found a spot in Bancroft, a small community north of Nitro about 10 miles. The town, which is positioned on the east banks of the Kanawha River has unfortunately turned into a ghost town in recent years, home to just a few hundred people. I spent several years growing up in this town, meeting new friends and watching what was then, the Conrail operating manifest and coal trains. Similar to the town of Bancroft, the NS WV Secondary has also fallen apart in the recent years, with only a couple trains operating on the line daily and the occasional coal train.

After waiting over a half hour, NS 381 finally made it's journey north sporting an all EMD consist, as previously discussed.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=320360

Since NS 381 was the last train to operate on the Secondary for the weekend, we anxiously hopped back across the Kanawha River and once again positioned ourselves along CSX's Kanawha Subdivision in St. Albans. The westbound AEPX train, previously photographed at Amandaville had received a recrew and was ready to pull west to Peach Creek.

The dispatcher informed the crew that the train would not be able to head to Peach Creek, as their yard would be full (thanks to E519 and E520 previously photographed at Teays Valley). That said, the crew was to run around the train and take it east to the Coal River Subdivision.

Eventually, the train was ready to pull east. We positioned ourselves just east of the siding and went for the "glint" shot.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123569559

The dispatcher shortly afterwards came over the radio and ordered the eastbound to come to a complete stop, as they had once again changed their minds and the plan was to take the train west. The crew, slightly confused by this, once again obeyed the dispatchers command and found a place to run around the train.

A few minutes later, an unexpected westbound empty coal train tripped the detector at E.E. St. Albans. Unfortunately, since our time was limited, we went for the easily accomplished, "telephoto smash".

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=320518

Once the engines passed me, I turned around and went for yet another "glint".

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=320516

Once the westbound cleared, I decided to fiddle with "depth of field" and captured a close up of America's Steel Highway.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=320418

Moments later, yet another eastbound came rumbling off of Scary Mountain. With not much sun left, I went for the glint again.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123569569

Once the eastbound cleared, I did an ultra wide angle of the signal at CP "St. Albans". This month marks the two year anniversary since the C&O signals were removed from service in St. Albans and nearby locations on CSX's Kanawha Subdivision.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123569571

We decided to get a bit to eat before trying our hand at some night shots. Once dinner was complete, we once again placed ourselves in St. Albans. To our surprise, we're greeted with a clear signal westbound and a clear signl eastbound. We positioned ourselves across the tracks from the C&O St. Albans Depot and patiently waited.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123569573

For the eastbound, I tried a slightly different composition.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=320519

As soon as the eastbound cleared, the dispatcher quickly stacked another eastbound. I tried a slightly different angle this time, including the St. Albans underpass.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123569577

By this time, it was closing in on midnight and we called it quits. All together, a total of around 10 trains were seen, making for a very successful evening.

As always, thanks for looking and viewing the photos!
Chase Gunnoe

April 6th, 2010

2010-04-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

With dusk not approaching until nearly 8 O'Clock, it opens up the possibility of doing some railfanning in the evening for a few hours. That said, on the evening of the 6th around 4 pm, myself and a railfan decided to head east to South Charleston in attempt to catch something moving either around the yard or on the mainline. According to The Photographers Ephemeris, a program enabling photographers to view the sun angle at various times of the day, a westbound move would be preferred. Unfortunately, the radio stayed quiet for a good while, only hearing the occasional crackle.

Finally, after waiting nearly an hour, we're greeted with westbound empties bound for Kentucky, led by CSXT 5351, an ES44DC.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=320002

The train was riding under approach signals, implying that perhaps he'd be stopping at the W.E. of the South Charleston Yard to be recrewed or perhaps drop off a cut of bad order cars. Instead, to our surprise, he was riding on approaches as a result of a crossing malfunction ahead. Dispatcher provided him with the crossing ID in the form of an EC1.

We then decided to head west to Spring Hill, the location of the crossing failure. We beat the train by a good five minutes, which allowed us to scope out a decent photo location. The sun was favoring "head on" shots and not much side light was present, which unfortunately, made for a near impossible well-lit shot without standing on the actual road crossing.

I didn't bother getting out the camera, but instead, started pondering an additional photo location west of Spring Hill.

We decided St. Albans should make for a fairly nice image. After hopping back onto MacCorkle Avenue, battling the evening rush hour, we eventually arrived in St. Albans. Again, the train had to stop, as a result of a crossover not quite cooperating. This allowed us a few minutes to setup for a photo. I decided to take advantage of a conveniently placed ballast pile, offering a good bit of elevation.

We patiently waited..

Once the train pulled west, two teenage girls jogged across the tracks, paying absolutely no attention to the oncoming train. A bit started by their presence, I quickly raised the camera and snapped a photo.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123455896

Unfortunately, the image came out a bit blurry, mainly due to lack of proper exposure settings.

Less than 30 seconds later, CSX 5351 operating under CSX N673-05 came rumbling by the E.E. St. Albans signal running under a Medium Clear signal.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123455897

Shortly after the westbound clear, the St. Albans local called the dispatcher requesting a signal to proceed back east to the yard at South Charleston, the destination of the local. As expected, he was granted the signal and shortly afterward, came rumbling through St. Albans at a decent clip.

Since the train was operating eastbound when the light was favoring westbounds, I went for the "glint".

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123455898

We then decided to call it quits for daylight photography. We grabbed a bite to eat and then once again positioned ourselves trackside in St. Albans for night photography. Unfortunately, the radio remained quiet for a good while. Finally, around midnight our first and most likely our last train marked up a signal less than three miles away.

We noticed a taxi located by the Coal River Bridge, therefore we presumed the train would be stopping and a recrew would board. Just as anticipated, the train stopped just east of the Coal River Bridge near CP "St. Albans", formerly known as CP "Coal Dock" where a recrew boarded the coalfield bound train.

http://www.pbase.com/chase55671/image/123455899

By this time, it was after midnight, so we called it a night. Overall, not a real bad evening, considering we only spent a few hours railfanning. With some nice weather expected this weekend and into next week, hopefully time will allow us to do some railfanning.

Thanks for reading and viewing the photos!
Chase Gunnoe