View allAll Photos Tagged brightfuture
I got up out of bed, walked out of the SCL caboose I was staying in, and already hear my first train of the day. My camera in hand, I prepare my settings for a pan shot at 1/6 of a second. Here comes a speeding Q121 with an epic pair of YN2s. In the lead is an AC60 in YN2 paint, and one of the very few SD70MACs remaining in YN2 paint.
A nice eastern visitor in the form of Conrail's very first SD60I now sporting CSX's Bright Future scheme leads a southbound hopper train through Colorado Springs, CO.
I've previously shared a couple other shots of this train:
www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/9985721176/
www.flickr.com/photos/chris_paulhamus/53023293600/
I wanted to get a full-on telemash to round out the chase, especially one showing the marker lights on. The ditch lights were not illuminated, so my assumption is the crew flipped the wrong switch in the cab.
Anyway, CSX's YN2 paint scheme looked really good on these widecab EMDs, at least that's my opinion...
CSXT 8774 leads a southbound hopper train through the s-curve just south of Monument, CO.
It wasn't often one could catch a Bright Future/YN2 schemed unit leading a train on the Joint Line, but the bonus here is two-fold: 1) This was Conrail's very first SD60I and 2) The red marker lights were illuminated. The ditch lights were off, so I wonder if the crew mistakenly flipped on the marker lights thinking they were the ditch lights?
Either way, I always thought the widecab EMDs of this era looked really good in CSX's Bright Future paint scheme. Glad I was able to catch this rare sight on the Joint Line...
For quite a while now- more than two months per a local- a YN2 GP40 has been in charge of the Tullahoma-Decherd local, along with its slug mate. The train is here seen departing Tullahoma, TN for a southbound run to Tyson Foods, and back as light engines.
The post-Christmas edition of L738 on December 26th, 2025 ran in crystal clear T-Shirt weather, seen here on its home stretch into Rice Yard. The 65 mile trip took six hours today, courtesy of a customer switch move and eight siding meets along the way. Traffic on the single track Fitzgerald Subdivision averages about 40 trains per day (per railfan forums), often lengthening the otherwise 1 ½ hour journey at 50 mph track speed for these relatively low priority trains. At Jamestown, the delay allowed for low afternoon lighting on the newly 'anointed' railfan favorite power.
As the sun gleams on a surprisingly clean SD40-2 in YN2 paint, a series of dark T-storms blow past N124's lashup heading Northeast, sparing the southern part of Newberry from any rain at all.
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.
An unladen Bright Venture makes her way into Newcastle Harbour. This 229 metre long bulk carrier has arrived from Japan to grab a load of coal.
Takumar 20mm f3.5 wide open
CSX M744 rolls through a rural neighborhood at Cahoon road, completing its last few miles of the day to Moncrief yard. CSX 8856 is in charge, one of a handful of SD40's in the Bright Future paint remaining at the time.
One of CSX's last MAC's still sporting the classic YN2 paint scheme is seen leading a hopper train northbound through Waycross, a few hours after beginning its trip from Brunswick. Shortly after, this unit was placed into storage with most of its sister six-axle EMD's, but it has since been released and is roaming the rails again.
A colorful mural decorates the Inman Grain Elevator in Powell, Park County, Wyoming. The town was established in 1909 as water from dams and canals associated with the Shoshone Project kick started new agricultural activity and homesteading in the area. The name Powell came from Major John Wesley Powell, geologist, explorer, conservationist, and head of the Reclamation/Geodetic Service at the time of consideration of the Shoshone Project. Major Powell never explored the Powell flats given his name but he did advocate for the massive irrigation project that led to the establisnment of farms on the flats.
The mural on the elevator in Powell, Wyoming was painted in 2024 to replace an older one which had faded. Designed by Jeremiah Howe, Mindy Allen painted it over a month long period..
I had the opportunity to do a mini photo shoot for Nick and Jessica on their wedding day. Not my normal thing, but it sure was fun!
Coal train N785 eastbound on the beautiful stone bridge at Indian Creek where it meets the Youghiogheny River. It was a typically slow day on CSX but at least the weather was an unseasonable 80 degrees and sunny.
A set of four helper locomotives passing west over the iconic stone bridge at the Youghiogheny River and Indian Creek. #293 was a recent repaint at the time. These helpers were based out of Connellsville Yard, but manned helper service has now been phased out on the Keystone Subdivision. CSX now runs mid-train Distributed Power Units or DPUs. Something that western U.S. railroads had already been doing for many decades.
CSX Q456 shuts down the Post & McDuff traffic intersection for a few minutes with five road engines on the point as the train slows down for a crew change in Moncrief yard.
A frosty X690 crosses the Cumberland River on a cold February morning. That tree branch has got to go!
On Easter Sunday, a rare high & wide movement of wind turbine parts is going east across the historic 1900's stone bridge at Indian Creek where it meets the Youghiogheny River. The train is going up a grade, but the single AC44CW had no trouble pulling it without any rear DPU. I got very lucky to get this as I had no idea this particular train was coming. I just heard a distant rumble in the gorge and knew I had to get ready.
The Spirit of Brunswick has a drag headed east out of the yard at Cumberland at Mexico. Meanwhile Q373 waits for a place to land in the receiving yard. Provia 100 shot with a Cannon AE-1.
If YN2 is Bright Future and YN3 is Dark Future, then this one has to be Faded Future, an old ratty YN2 scheme on an old GE AC4400CW.
CSX S452, an extra Q452, comes into Waycross nearly four hours after crossing the Baldwin diamond in Florida. I wasn't complaining about his long wait at Braganza siding, as it allowed the sun angle in Waycross to turn in our favor. The 4561 in charge is the only active SD70MAC remaining in YN2 paint. The three others on the roster are currently stored in Russell, KY, along with many other units. On a side note, this is also the old friend in my profile picture ;-)
...yes, I do, my dear friend ♡
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Everyone, please have a great week!!!
We might finally moooove in two/three weeks - yaaaaay!!!
CSX 422 on coal train N788 is passing CSX 476 on empty coal train E622 while it is refueling on Track 1. Both of them are GE AC44CW's and luckily they both still have YN2 bright future paint.
CSX still knows how to throw an EMD party from time to time, and the 8781 in Bright Future paint was the perfect leader on such a sunny day as this. It is the only SD60M left on the CSX system in this paint. Seen on train Q353-20.
C40-8W 7789 in charge of today's southbound limestone loads as she works through Habersham. She may be a bit rough, but she looks in good in the classic Bright Future scheme.
R353-08 going west out of Connellsville after working the yard for a while. It is using Track 2 because there was a rail-laying train further down on Track 1.
This tree is me. Sometimes I feel so lonely walking down the path; a long and uncertain path with people's betrayals and discouragements. Thankfully the nature, the sun, the sky, the grass have protected me all along. I am probably not the prettiest tree but could still stand up tall and proud. Thank you God! - Taken somewhere in Massachusetts!
Loaded coal train N73 going north on the NS Mon Line at the Besco Street crossing. A NS signal maintainer sits back at the defect detector box.
Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2011
The story of Alice lives through the dreams of a child....
To whom, the world itself is an wonderland...
...and she doesn't need to visit underground.
Because, the world never ceases to attract her attention.
Captured during the Spring Festival 2011. She was selling flowers to the singles and couples. My sincere thanks to the artist(s) who painted those motifs ...all I did was to notice the wonderful sunlight falling upon the colors and instructed the child to lean on the wall.
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Intermodal train Q138 heading east at about noon in South Connellsville. The pole line has now been removed as it was obsolete. Electrical wires for a modern signal system are now buried underground. CSX 7911 has managed to survive a roster purge of C40-8W's on CSX, as of this posting in 2022.