View allAll Photos Tagged Z6ii
This is something you've probably seen from me before. I recently went through and combed through some older photos from this year looking for a particular scene, and while doing so I came across my shot of the KCS business train on Rich Mountain in Arkansas last year. In passing I decided to overhaul my edit after noticing several things I didn't like with it. This is my re-edited version that I feel like represents the scene much better than what I had before. To be on Rich Mountain that morning was something not even a few days beforehand I thought possible. For me personally the KCS Business train is the top of the food chain in the railroad world; and Rich Mountain is the scenic highlight of this trains operating territory. Some people would complain about the lack of sun for this morning southbound. I, however, loved the stormy weather we had. There's something to be said about rainy weather and the mountains. With the upcoming CPKC merger this trainset is on extremely borrowed time, and getting out for it is a real treat. Thanks also to David Perkins land clearing services for the tree trimming project the prior day. Your spotter, and everyone who got this shot thanks you...
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Your average southern summer frog strangler is drenching the Mississippi Export Railroad's daily southbound freight near Agricola, Mississippi. The freshly painted GP38-2 67 leads GP50 68 on what is a now typical Saturday AM run for this train. The rainy conditions made a shot that is often on the wrong side of the sun attainable this day.
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KCS Manifest Freight CXSH from New Orleans to Shreveport, LA, is seen here at sunrise descending the Huey P Long Bridge superstructure into Lobdell, Louisiana. A lucky pick-up of a track warrant from North Baton Rouge Yard to Simmesport up the road tipped me off to the trains location in Baton Rouge. When I arrived at East Bridge Junction on the East side of the Mississippi River, that this bridge crosses, his lead engines were stepping onto the big climb to the top. I easily overtook the train and settled in on the west bank for a sunrise look. Getting any KCS train on this bridge is a challenge as the SHCX is nocturnal and the CXSH is oftentimes out of town early enough to beat sunrise. For your troubles Union Pacific runs a daily MLILI from Livonia to Baton Rouge that does make it over in daytime. We'll see that train in a few postings from now.
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In this image we are overlooking the Manchac Pass in Akers, Louisiana. CN 5273, an exceedingly rare widecab SD40-2W in Canadian National Railroad's old "Zebra" paint scheme, is seen leading train O498 southbound. The train is passing over the photogenic Manchac Pass bridge while a storm rages on in the background. Manchac Pass carries the waters of Lake Maurepas into Lake Ponchatrain to the east. There's an entire neighborhood of homes behind the train that are only accessible by boat. The area out around Manchac is wild. The way of life for the locals is unlike anything else. Not many places outside of Louisiana's waterways where you take the boat to get home...
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Sunset on the summer solstice taken from New Brighton, Wirral between the turbines of the wind farm.
I recently visited the Pickens Railroad and their famous U18B's for a second time this winter. I neglected to post any photos so far from the July run I had for some reason. Either way be ready to see a ton of orange U18's in the lineup... In this flick we're at Belton Junction, South Carolina, on a HOT and humid summer day. We'd followed the Greenville and Western's smartly dressed GP9/GP30 combo down the former Piedmont and Northern that morning (the GRLW's logo is a play on the fallen flag's logo) , and a surprise early Belton Job was waiting for them at the junction switch. Both conductors were on the ground assisting moves, and it made for one great meet shot with the former P&N Milepost included. Where else can you see 49 year old GE's meeting near 70 year old GP9's? Lots of history roaming around these parts...
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New Orleans is a city that really has to be experienced to be understood. What else would compel me to be out at 11pm on a Saturday on South Carrollton Avenue near the very end of the Saint Charles Line? History. While time marches on around it the seldom thought about streetcar is plodding through the thick fog of a New Orleans night. Almost a century ago the Perley A. Thomas car works began churning out an order of 35 streetcars for the City of New Orleans to use on the Saint Charles line. This 953 streetcar is mere months from celebrating its centennial anniversary in continuous service. The remarkable survival of the streetcars along this line is only predicated by the line itself. While the streetcars approach a centennial, the Saint Charles line itself is approaching a Bi-Centennial. 187 years ago the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad began steam service between the, at the time, separate cities of New Orleans and Carrollton. Since its 1835 inception the line has seen continuous service. If it sounds impressive it indeed is. The Saint Charles Line has the distinction of being the oldest streetcar line anywhere on earth. So with all of this in mind I raise my camera into the foggy night and make some photos. The thick, humid, atmosphere drips with mood. Magnolia by JJ Cale is on the radio, and all is right in the world as Saint Charles Line 953 slips off into the misty night.... South Carrollton at Spruce... DEC 2022.
Just enough light is really all you need sometimes...
Well into a muggy summer night in New Orleans we see outbound Saint Charles streetcar 969 rolling out the final mile of neutral ground running next to South Carrollton Avenue in far western suburban New Orleans. The venerable old Perley Thomas streetcar will soon make the hairpin turn at the busy intersection of Saint Charles and South Carrollton to begin the run into the city within the friendly confines of the Saint Charles Avenue Neutral Ground.
Empty now, this car will be full to the brim of party-goers looking for a quick and cheap ride into the heart of the French Quarter to partake of the revelry within the city that never sleeps on weekends...
This time of night, however, the Carrollton neighborhood feels far removed from the raucous affairs taking place in the old city. Street traffic rolls by at a lessening pace and porch lights flicker off one by one on the stately old southern homes that reside along the oak-lined streets. Restaurants, lunch counters, and grocery stores snuff out their lights and neon signs as the neighborhood drifts slowly off to bed...
One constant throughout the night will be the 24 hour service of the now 101 and 102 year old green streetcars of the Saint Charles line. While service levels drop somewhat during the "Night Owl" service hours the constant back and forth of consistent, on time, service will march right on through the night and into a beautiful Saturday morning in the Big Easy...
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Triple Nickle leads the westbound Georgia Central L782 as they catch the last minute of sun wobbling towards the west side of Dublin, Georgia, to tie the train down for the night. Strong storms from the previous day wreaked havoc on Georgia Central operations, and the daily westbound was nowhere near reaching Macon as intended. The former Macon Dublin and Savannah line was fraught with trees down, late running trains, and slow orders. For the trouble the late afternoon sun made a well-timed appearance for one last look at the train as they closed in on the tie down and the crew truck.
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Golden Glow of Fall.
Just about 5 minutes before sunset Norfolk Southern Scrubber Stone train 63V is seen at the classic Virginian Railroad location of Kumis, VA, on the Whitethorne District. The former Virginian Railroad sees a lions share of Norfolk Southern Railroad's eastbound loaded unit train traffic out of West Virginia towards Roanoke. The parallel Norfolk and Western Mainline has steeper grades than the Virginian. 63V was the last in a line of 8 eastbound trains this busy afternoon, and it showed up at the perfect time. 63V crept past to meet a westbound at the other end of this siding, and by the time his rear passed me the sun was gone for the evening. The Christiansburg-Roanoke area is a wonderful place to photograph trains, and this beautiful fall day was no exception. I can't wait for this fast approaching time of year... Hopefully more beautiful scenes await.
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The Best in the Business.
The hogger at the throttle of KCS 1 has the throttle wide open following an unscheduled stop in Ashdown, Arkansas. The ABA set of F Units is in charge of a multi-day inspection trip that is a sign of things to come. The rails they travel over are a conveyor belt of Mexican bound rail traffic that is the nucleolus for the merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. This trip hosted CP CEO Keith Creel and his senior leadership team all the way down the KCS to the international gateway in Laredo, Texas. Pacing this trainset from a dead stop in Ashdown was pretty sweet. It was one of the few times I've heard them run this train notched all the way out, and the sound was sublime. Getting a pacing shot out of the trip was quite the bonus addition to an already great lineup of photographs taken. This is also quite easily the longest I've ever followed a single train. We started that morning in Heavaner, Oklahoma, and ended the following day in Sugarland, Texas, south and west of Houston. This is, of course, another re-edit from a few months ago where I'm attempting to rectify some of the shortcomings I personally had with the hastily posted prior version.
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The KCS Holiday Express, lead by KCS 1 blasts south through Montgomery, Louisiana, on the original Louisiana and Arkansas mainline on their way to the days show in Laplace, La. Montgomery is a classic KCS location with control point signage on either ends of a rather short, hand thrown, siding that isn't used for much of anything these days. It's dark territory south of shreveport so these guys are limited to 49mph on their trip south. The old L&A main bisects the state of Louisiana from Shreveport to New Orleans and this version of the KCS Holiday express would travel 85% of that line en route.
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Eastbound Norfolk Southern Local U48 brings a lengthy 35 car empty train of cement hoppers over Big Lawson Trestle near Coeburn, VA, on the former Norfolk and Western Railroad's Clinch Valley district. The trestle vaults the railroad way up over Lawson Hollow on the side of Bull Mountain. Directly behind me Little Lawson Trestle will do the same a few seconds after the train passes me. U48's light train made quick work of Bull Mountain this day, and was making light work of the descent towards Saint Paul, Virginia, a few miles in the distance...
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KCS 1 south is just a few miles out of the end of the run for the day as they pass through Sugarland, Texas. They are passing in front of the massive Imperial Sugar Complex for which the town was named. The train is running on Union Pacific trackage rights out of the massive Houston metroplex. This was a great place to end what was a great two day follow of this train down the old KCS main stem from Heavener, Oklahoma, and Sugarland, Texas.
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The oldest surviving Perley Thomas Streetcar roaming New Orleans these days is the class streetcar number 900. 900 was the first car in a massive order for new streetcars by the New Orleans Public Service Inc. all the way back in 1923... One hundred years later 900 is still churning out the miles on the historic Saint Charles Streetcar line. Tonight 900 is inbound at Audubon Park with a quickly filling car bound for Canal Street, and the downtown area. Behind 900 the Holy Name of Jesus Church rises silently into the night. The church is now a part of the Loyola University campus that provides plenty of ridership from this area of town. 900 is the first outbound car of the reduced nightly service that sees streetcar service dropped to a handful of times per hour. These streetcars are fun to shoot in the daytime, but arguably more fun at night...
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Southbound CN Coal Buckets slow roll over Manchac Pass, Louisiana, on a calm spring afternoon. This C738 was running headlong into the wake of an Amtrak-fueled mess that saw them, and nine other trains, tangle for time around the 10mph wye at Orleans, Junction. The coal buckets would law out on the main inside the massive Valero Refinery along the Mississippi River a few hours later having covered a mere ten miles as the crow flies. Here, I was just glad that the clouds, which had been pesky all afternoon long, budged enough to allow for some nice light on the train...
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faded color on weathered wood with three windows and a sliding door - artistic imagery
225b 5 - Z62_3439 - lr-ps-wm
An Evening at Kumis.
A Norfolk Southern stone train off of the Princeton-Deepwater district is seen cruising through the beautiful scene at Kumis, Va, just moments before sunset on a beautiful Sunday evening. Signs of the season are all around in this classic Virginian Railroad scene. Meanwhile on the N&W a few feet away the roar of EMD motors could be heard as 22a clawed up Christiansburg Hill. Kumis has long been on my bucket list as a must shoot location. Getting it with this lighting was just the cherry on top!
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Spring has sprung in Appalachia. The green hills are only a week into the fresh greens of spring. Trains are moving in this small corner of the world like streetcars... G801 south starts the parade of southbound trains down the former Clinchfield Railroad for the day. Pool Point trestle is a natural location for a mid-morning southbound leaving for Kingsport. After 801 got his marching orders out of town I hiked in for what was a pleasant wait in the sunny 70 degree temps. 20 minutes later G801 crawled out of the tunnel and into the Breaks... For the next few miles they will be on their hands and knees fighting for any speed up to Towers siding deep in the Virginia Breaks Interstate Park. This was the beginning of a great day...
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KCS 1 and the Christmas train cut through the swamps in Sorrento, Louisiana, on their way south towards the wye at Reserve a few miles distance. With the sun being low in the western sky this time of year the normally backlit angle here turned out quite nicely for the train as it sprinted south. Here the crew is on their last few miles of an all day sprint out of Shreveport for the LaPlace showing. With nothing in their way they will make it to Laplace without incident.
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A CSX freight grinds up Cumberland mountain miles from anywhere. These deep rock cuts were the former Nashville Chattanooga and Saint Louis Railroad's answer to the foreboding rock formations that lined the east slope of Cumberland Mountain near Cowan, TN. CSX battles the escarpment northbound and southbound with manned helper engines on the rear of most trains. With 39 loads on the headpin this Tullahoma, TN, bound local needed the assistance of the Cowan helper up the grueling hill from Sherwood at the bottom of the hill. For ten minutes you could hear them battle the hill, and it quickly became deafening as the train entered the massive cut. A few minutes later they'd crest the grade, pass through the summit tunnel, and be descending the mountain grade. Right behind this train was a Q210 with empty auto carriers making an unassisted run at the hill. This is one of the coolest places I've ever been....
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Another pesky re-edit from times past. I'll have more photography from my last trip up starting next week, but this re-edit is one of my all time favorites. M780 is a Tullahoma, TN, to Anderson, Tn, local that shuttles Lhoist mineral hoppers to and from their plant in Anderson. This particular train was coming back north with 39 loads, and required a shove from the Cowan helper to get up the steep east face of the mountain. As the train entered Big Hormady Cut here the noise became deafening as the three older EMD products screamed in full power trying to lift the train to the summit. The tight cuts on the former NC&STL are some of the greatest places around to witness real mountain railroading on a mainline without Trip Optimizer and other automations running the show.
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A handheld pano from 18 individual images looking across Adventfjorden from Longyearbyen in Svalbard
CSX K443 is seen whining down the grade in Tantallon, Tn, behind a trio of GE motors, two of which are Canadian Pacific. The train is descending Cumberland Mountain’s fierce grade. Several cuts define this area of railroad as one of the most remote in the east.
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When Polish immigrants came to America back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, they found comfort and community in their churches. Sweetest Heart of Mary Church was a cornerstone of the Polish community in Detroit. It remains a source of pride and a beacon of faith for Polish Americans in the metro Detroit area to this day. The Church project began in 1890 and was completed in 1893
225a 1 - Z62_8616 - lr-ps - B&W
Three years ago RJ Corman Z545 makes a slow roll through Benson Valley, Kentucky, on their way to Louisville, and eventually Bowling Green, with loads of Aluminum for Logan Aluminum north of Russellville. The three SD40T-2s on the point of the Alcan train are now a thing of the past at RJ Corman. These engines have been relplaced by newer, secondhand, EMD SD70M's previously owned by Norfolk Southern. This train was one of the last places in the country to consistently see consists of these old 70s EMD's in revenue service. They looked good here in beautiful central Kentucky pulling the every other day aluminum loads through the Bluegrass State.
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Christmas market, Stuttgart 2022
Ich habe an den Zoom gedreht...
A little creativity with the bandstand...
A Sunday Evening Experiment in Black and White.
At 10:45pm an inbound Saint Charles Line Streetcar glides down the neutral ground of Saint Charles Avenue towards downtown New Orleans. The lone streetcar guides through the night surrounded by the old live oaks that line Saint Charles Avenue, and give it so much character. The western edge of the New Orleans Garden District is distinctly quiet this time of night. Outside of the streetcar rolling by, and the occasional vehicle, all is silent at Saint Charles and Audubon. As it has done since 1923 car 900 of the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority will continue plying these rails throughout the night offering inexpensive service to whomever needs a ride home in the Garden District. This Photograph is really just an experiment of mine. Shooting at High ISO well after dark is a difficult, but rewarding task, to attempt. I like the way the light and shadows play in this image, and overall I liked it enough to post!
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Saint Charles Car number 900 rolls into its hundredth year of service on the venerable Saint Charles Streetcar Line. The Night Owl service runs 10pm to 6 am with reduced streetcars in the loop between Claiborne and Canal on the Saint Charles line. Night photography on the Saint Charles line is a challenge but extremely rewarding when it pays off.
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Empty Canadian National PetCoke train U701 is seen here at sundown crawling out over the Bonnet Carre Spillway west of New Orleans, LA, on the railroads Baton Rouge Subdivision. The former Yazoo and Mississippi River Valley main line sees the bulk of traffic on the south end of the CN System. Numerous unit train terminals populate the line from Destrehan in the east and to Helvetia in the west. This particular U701 is running back empty from the multi-purpose Convent Rail Marine terminal. Convent is a cash cow for the CN, and they send at least one loaded coal, coke, or all-rail iron ore train a day to be offloaded onto barges for a trip on the Mississippi River. The spillway this train is rolling over now is a diversion channel that keeps the city of New Orleans safe in the event of a high river. Last opened in 2011 this man-made spillway can divert river water into Lake Ponchatrain three miles north of here. Water will then flow out through the Rigolets pass some miles to the east, and away from New Orleans to the south. The spillway is a neat place to watch trains cross both the CPKC and CN bridges here. At night it is often aglow from the burnoffs at chemical plants surrounding the river.
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