View allAll Photos Tagged YN3
On a beautiful summer afternoon, loaded grain train G609-27 splits the Clinchfield hardware at Rock Creek, dropping south into Erwin for service and a crew change.
July 31, 2015.
A pair of classic CSX GE's, a Dash 9 and a Dash 8, lead local L391 south through the S curve at Nortonville.
CSX has assigned C40-9W 9016 and C40-8W 7905 to the L391 recently. L391 is a 6x weekly turn job out of Casky Yard on the south side of Hopkinsville to Atkinson Yard in Madisonville. It consists of traffic for Madisonville area locals, the Henderson local, and the P&L interchange. Later the same night, L392 takes L391's cut plus the Casky local's cut to Nashville.
As a kid, my favorite CSX power were always the SD50s. It didn't matter if they were YN2, YN3 or Conrail blue, the big EMDs just looked mean and sounded powerful. On a particularly nice September evening in 2008, I was treated to a pair of YN2 SD50s slogging out of the Thornapple River valley with Toledo-Grand Rapids freight Q335 in tow.
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With a lashup straight from the early 90’s, CSXT 8523 & 7735 bring empty phosphate train K811-15 through Poplar, Nc on a beautiful summer afternoon.
June 18, 2017.
After a well timed meet with X652, CSXT 544 and company sound great getting 14,730 tons of Brice coal started onto the main at S.E. Miller Yard, preparing to duck into Townes Tunnel with C406-20.
The northbound signal here is unique due to the heads being trimmed flat on one side, allowing the signal to be placed closer to the rail for crew visbility through the 1,098’ long Townes Tunnel. Clinchfield also used this practice at N.E Ridge siding on the south end.
November 23, 2025.
Y106 is running east through the snow with a GP38-2, boxcar, and caboose. During this time period, Y106 only worked as far east as Fox, with D708 out of Lansing handling the industries in Alto. This was later changed to Y106's working limits being extended another 15 miles east.
Ratty YN1 #2631 was a fixture in western Michigan for years. It was finally repainted in 2009, going directly from YN1 into YN3! The caboose on this job, Chessie System #903109, was well-cared for by the crews, and even had a working coal stove.
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Recently a pair of ex Conrail SD40-2s have been bouncing back and forth between Grand Rapids and Detroit. When I heard that both units were leading D706 that morning, which was about to leave in perfect morning sun, I had to go out and shoot them. Here 8849 and 8823 lead the 8,950 ton train east across the Thornapple River. A pair of SD40-2s is rated for 9,000 tons east of Grand Rapids, in perfect conditions. It was close!
Interested in purchasing a high-quality digital download of this photo, suitable for printing and framing? Let me know and I will add it to my Etsy Shop, MittenRailandMarine! Follow this link to see what images are currently listed for sale: www.etsy.com/shop/MittenRailandMarine
If you are interested in specific locomotives, trains, or freighters, please contact me. I have been photographing trains and ships for over 15 years and have accumulated an extensive library!
October 13, 2021: A pair of rebuilt CM44AC engines sporting fresh YN3 paint lead CSX manifest-freight train Q583 (Nashville, TN-Rocky Mount, NC) out of Junta Yard at Cartersville, GA heading South on the CSX W&A Subdivision.
Well, I finally got the damn shot.
I have admittedly slacked off in what I would consider epic proportions on many of my trips to the "O", but I was able to salvage impending doom with X507 running in gorgeous light. It was a group effort, as Wyatt, Owen, and myself congregated to the South end of the diamond to shoot this stellar leader heading for Cincinnati.
CSX loaded coal train C406 takes the siding at North Miller Yard with Duke Power loads. They will be meeting the X652 here at Miller Yard, the former interchange with the Interstate Railroad (and L&N through the INT at Norton). The CW44AH on point was a nice touch on this peaceful morning.
Fog hangs just above the trees around Toe River Freewill Baptist as unrebuilt SD70AC # 4801 grinds south leading Q693-29. In 2019 when this was shot, these were a rare sight with most being in storage awaiting rebuild, as well as the SD50-3 trailing third out of frame.
Today's Q037 brought the third CSX SD70ACe to lead a train into Florida within a four day period. On the 4th and 5th of January, Q455 and K913 came down with4840 and 4836 respectively. In this photo, Q037 led by 4842 is seen crossing the FEC drawbridge in downtown Jacksonville, headed to FEC Bowden yard.
Blue hour sets the mood for southbound coal train N344-14 (Lynch 3 - Middleton) as they fight heavy rain on their 0.50% ascent through Fordtown, Tennessee.
November 16, 2014.
CSX M531 departing Radnor Yard, passing the iconic old Nashville Sounds scoreboard, now just a sign. A fresh CM44AC, 7325, was leading this train, looking nice, it is the former CSX 339.
A beautiful East Tennessee morning finds the ‘Yellow Dog’ F998-16 working north through N.E. Hannum headed to Kingsport with a pair of Dark Future CW44’s for power.
July 16, 2015.
Ohio Central ZVL hurdles through New Concord, Ohio with cars for industries around Cambridge. Most notably on this train is a trio of GE B23-7R “Super 7” rebuilds, which were formerly U23Bs before being some of the first experimental overhauls to be conducted by GE. Even though only 15 examples of these were ever produced, they undoubtedly paved the way for many of the modern rebuilds that are common place on the locomotive market. On the point is a leader wearing the classic OC maroon corporate scheme, with a former CSX YN3 patch second, and the third unit still wearing the “Conrail Quality” paint scheme (8/3/22).
A pair of CW44’s lead Hazard Shifter C842-28 through the L&N Searchlights at Viper, Ky with SCWX loads for Cross, Sc from Typo.
June 28, 2019.
CSX local job D700 rolls west down Saugatuck Hill on a colorful fall day in west Michigan. The train originated at CSX's Wyoming Yard near Grand Rapids, and is en route to servicing industries near Benton Harbor and beyond. Road slug 2301 leads the way with GP40-2 6930 providing the power.
CSX mine run R608, the Resource Man, rolls railroad-north through Tejay, Kentucky on the L&N Cumberland Valley Division.
CSX M216 splits the L&N searchlight intermediates outside Henderson with an SD70MAC duo. CSX has just started running through trains on the Texas Line after a 2 year hiatus.
CSX local L391, the daily Casky to Atkinson turn job, takes the yard lead at North Casky to put their train away. Currently, this job features a a pair of veteran C40-8W's, YN2 7905 and YN3 7777.
In the form of two CW44’s, the C201 Loyall Pusher brings up the rear of T090’s loaded train for Eastman Chemical as they negoiate the undulating terrain through Hubbard Springs.
February 16, 2019.
After regaining their air, the three YN3 EMD's are back on the move heading nose first into the early morning sunshine. The leader is an old friend, and one of only eight still operating (as of the time shot) to boot. Third out is an RF&P non-dyno soldier, still getting the call and delivering the goods. CSX must have assigned these previously rare Geeps to the Cincy area, because in the span of three or four hours I spotted three of them.
Just as quick as YN2 EMD's became rare, a solid set of three non-boxcar EMD's is something to note. I sure miss the vast amounts of C40-8's and SD50's, and this felt somewhat like a send-off to that era.
A pair of CW44’s kick up snow as they hustle E784 empties west for the Grafton coal fields under a beautiful January sunset at MK/PK Tower in Mountain Lake Park, MD.
M692-30 has just met their southbound counterpart here in the siding as they split the Clinchfield signals at N.E. Toe River in golden evening light. CSXT 581 is still sporting its as delivered YN3 paint from 2002.
The Hopewell Turn F749 seen here crossing the swing bridge in Hopewell, take note of the Seaboard logo still on this side of the bridge.
CSXT 6956 and mate 2356 are giving it all they have to get their train of maintenance of way equipment up Duff Mountain.
CSX Y121-14 works the Heinz pickle factory along Lake Macatawa in Holland, Michigan with a former Conrail GP40-2 leading.
In a scene that may well have been seen in any one of four decades, 2025 almost seems the least likely. Just one caveat: rust and peeling paint is the immediately obvious sign we're not in 1995 anymore. The recently released C40-8Ws were roaming the rails in shiny YN2 "Bright Future" paint, on CSX's hottest intermodals and heavy freights at that time. CSX 7767 and 7836 were delivered as such in 1992, trailing unit 9004 in 1994, and have escaped repainting through three waves of new liveries over the next thirty-some years: YN3, YN3b, and YN3C (as far as those can be distinguished). Althoug 94 such examples remain on the CSX roster, I suspect the operational number must be less than 15-20, having seen massive deadlines of these units in hubs like Waycross, GA.
For this occasion in particular, three units found their way onto L738-14 on December 14th, 2025, not entirely by chance. The locals out of Oglethorpe, Cordele, and Fitzgerald, GA, have sourced power from a localized pool of Dash 8s for several months now, all of which happen to be in YN2 paint. I haven't quite figured out how predictable each local's to-do list and locations-to-be are, but they seem to make runs between aforementioned yards, limited northward by Brownsand and southward by Waycross. One or two days before, the Cordele local's unit needed replaced due to mechanical issues, so Sunday's L738 bringing an extra unit up out of Waycross was relatively predictable. The resulting throwback lashup surely was a sight to see, with all units elephant style to boot! Here the train rushes through Douglas, GA, the day's last sunny scene as they would then sit in a siding west of town until dusk.
Q509 rolls over the edge of the Oregon District as 3 local painters paint the bridge with beautiful colors.
Q509 (Detroit, MI - Cincinnati, OH)
CSXT 8096 SD40-2 (YN3)
CSXT 4021 SD40-3 (YN3)
CSX CW44AC 539 and CSX SD70MACe 4539 face each other head to head in the consist of Q647.
Q647 was sitting at Woodland waiting for two northbounds so it was the perfect time to get some exposures. This was easily the best consist of the day consisting of CSX 533 (YN3), CSX (YN2) 539 and CSX 4539 (YN3b).
CSX Y210, a Barr-Proviso transfer, pauses at 16th Street to await clearance onto UP trackage. A former Conrail SD50-3 is in the lead, along with an ES40DC, both in matching YN3 paint.
Just weeks after the reopening of CSX’s Erwin Yard, C304-19 (Typo, Ky - Cross, Sc) climbs “Love Hill” departing south from service 2 with 16,273 tons of coal. This is the start of the Blue Ridge Subdivision, which they’ll be on for their 139 mile trip to Spartanburg, Sc.
Growing up, Dad and I would always come to Erwin and watch trains at this very spot. Just over 10 years ago to the month I witnessed the last coal train leave Erwin when CSX closed the doors. It sure was a breath of fresh air watching this one south, a comeback if you will!
We even started the morning with breakfast at Pals. Nostalgia is one heck of a good ride!
October 22, 2025.
SD40-2 #8854 and C40-8 #7586 have a typical short Q327 in tow as they pass under Thornapple River Dr in Cascade on a sunny fall evening.
Interested in purchasing a high-quality digital download of this photo, suitable for printing and framing? Let me know and I will add it to my Etsy Shop, MittenRailandMarine! Follow this link to see what images are currently listed for sale: www.etsy.com/shop/MittenRailandMarine
If you are interested in specific locomotives, trains, or freighters, please contact me. I have been photographing trains and ships for over 15 years and have accumulated an extensive library!
At the time this was "meh" and ruined by silver drop top encroachment, but it's since piqued my interest enough to share.
The elevation is one of the many details that I'm enjoying looking at from this angle, the other is everything else. The near-perfect 90 degree, showcasing a perfect design by EMD, broadside of the coupler and hanging hoses, right-side-up 8's, even. The engineer is relaxed, perhaps slightly sick of the K5LA effect at this point in the journey.
Just another day along Highway 10.
A pair of SCL GP38-2’s rest between shifts in the yard at Covington, Virginia. This yard serves the busy Westrock Paper Mill in downtown.