Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Corbin, KY in July 1978

On July 6, 1978 Dad shot CR SD45 6130 (ex-PC 6130, nee-PRR 6130) at Corbin, Kentucky.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Wyoming, MI in Aug. 1979

On August 19, 1979 Dad shot C&O GP35 3535 (to CSX 4375, to CSX RDMT 2315) at Wyoming, Michigan.

One of two ex-Wisconsin Central SD45s sitting in the Livingston, MT boneyard.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Canon EFS 18-55mm lens

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in March 2001

On March 8, 2001 Dad shot GCFX SD40-2 3085 (ex-CP 5518, nee-CP SD40 5518) at Etowah, Tennessee.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Bulls Gap, TN in Aug. 1978

On August 6, 1978, Dad shot SOU SW1 1014 (ex-SOU 2011, to TCQX 1014, to TILX 1014) at Bulls Gap, Tennessee.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Decatur, AL August 1979

Two Amtrak E9As lead the southbound Floridian across the Tennesse River bridge and into Decatur, Alabama on a hot summer day in August 1979. This was the second encounter with #436 for Dad as six years earlier he'd photographed it in New Orleans, Louisiana. --> www.flickr.com/photos/hunter1828/1399712894

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN October 1976

One of GEs most powerful locomotives in the mid-70s was the 3000 hp U30C, here represented by L&N #1559 in Etowah, TN.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Silver Grove, KY in July 1977

On July 26, 1977 Dad shot C&O GP9 6028 at Silver Grove, Kentucky.

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in April 2014

Part 98 in an ongoing study of diesel locomotive cabs.

The cab of HLCX SD40-2 8148 (ex-BNSF 8148, nee-BN 8148) at Etowah, Tennessee on April 5, 2014.

Olympus SP-565UZ

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Tate, Georgia in Sept. 1982

On September 16, 1982, Dad shot Georgia Marble NW2 81 (ex-SOU 1065, nee-SOU 2274, to GNRR 81) at Tate, Georgia. Though it looks like this unit is in a scrap line, it's actually undergoing repairs - this unit will go on to serve the Georgia Northeastern eventually.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Atlanta, GA in July 1979

On July 7, 1979 Dad shot Southern U30C 3800 at Atlanta, Georgia.

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in Nov. 2014

On November 2, 2014, Dad shot CSX AC44CW 137 at Etowah, Tennessee.

Olympus SP-565UZ

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in June 1986

On June 2, 1986, Dad shot SBD SD40-2s 8151 (ex-L&N 8151, to CSX 8151) & 8059 (ex-SCL 8059, to CSX 8059) and SD40 8351 (ex-SBD 8292, nee-CRR 3017, to CSX SD40-2 8351) leading a northbound unit coal train out of the East Yard at Etowah, Tennessee.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in May 1979

On May 26, 1979 Dad shot Southern Pacific U33C 8746 at Etowah, Tennessee

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in April 1984

On April 7, 1984, Dad shot SBD GP40 6819 (ex-SBD 3023, nee-L&N 3023, to CSX 6819) at Etowah, Tennessee.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Copperhill, TN in March 1984

On March 1, 1984 Dad shot GE S2m 2301 (ex-L&N 2301) with a tank car at Copperhill, Tennessee.

Gare de l'Est in Paris, France. You don't see much evidence of aerodynamics on this beast. What I found interesting was the fact that right next to it was a streamlined high speed train.

From Wikipedia: "SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer français; "National society of French railways" or "French National Railway Company") is France's national state-owned railway company and manages the rail traffic in France and the Principality of Monaco. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network. Its functions include operation of railway services for passengers and freight, and maintenance and signalling of rail infrastructure owned by Réseau ferré de France (RFF).

SNCF employs more than 180,000 people in 120 countries around the globe. The railway network consists of about 32,000 km (20,000 mi) of route, of which 1,800 km (1,100 mi) are high-speed lines and 14,500 km (9,000 mi) electrified. About 14,000 trains are operated daily. The company has its headquarters in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, in the Rue du Commandant Mouchotte.

In 2010 SNCF was ranked 22nd in France and 214th globally on the Fortune Global 500 list.

It's the main business of the SNCF group, which in 2011 employed 245,090 people and had €32.6 billion of sales in 120 countries."

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Englewood, TN in Oct. 1999

Sometime in October of 1999 Dad shot CSX MoW U18B 9500 (ex-CSX 1984, xx-SBD 1984, xxx-SBD 386, nee-SCL 386) at Englewood, Tennessee.

On August 2, 2009 I found CEFX AC4400CW 1003 sitting on the ready track at BNSF's Great Falls, MT roundhouse.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Canon EFS 18-55mm lens

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Hazard, KY May 1979

As a kid, the DT&I was one of my favorite railroads. I just liked the reddish-orange paint and the huge "DT&I" on the side, and the compass herald. DT&I GP38 214 (to GTW 6214, to LLPX 2215) was in Hazard, Kentucky on May 15, 1979 on an L&N train.

Digital Photo by Michael Wall

flickr.com/photos/bravosixninerdelta/sets/

Public domain photo

Some of the shots of Michael's I post here are included in his photostream, but not all of them are there. Please click the link above to see his sets, which include many more subjects besides trains.

Alabama & Tennessee River Railway is an OmniTRAX owned operation that over 120 miles of track extending from Birmingham, AL to the rail barge terminal at the Port of Guntersville, AL. ATN interchanges with CSXT at Boyles Yard in Birmingham, AL and with Norfolk Southern (NS) at Alabama City, AL.

Headquartered in Gadsden, AL, the ATN has a very diverse traffic base, including food, corn and soybean products, wood products, metals and scrap, industrial chemicals, and cement. The rail line serves over 40 customers including National Cement, Progress Rail Services, Tyson Foods, SMI Steel, Georgia Pacific, Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Cargill, Praxair, Regional Recycling, and Bowater Lumber.

In this shot by Michael, he's captured Fulton County Railway GP20 #2002 (FCR is another OmniTRAX line) hididng behind some shrubs at the ATN yard in Gadsden, Alabama. The unit appears to be a former SP/SSW GP20.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in Oct. 1995

Sometime in October of 1995 Dad shot CSX GP38 2028 (ex-B&O 3828, to UP GP38-3 2413, to UP 913, to HLCX 913) at Etowah, Tennessee.

This is a locomotive located at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia. The Southeastern Railway Museum states the following about this train: "Built in 1951 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. Routinely powered the Atlanta-Washington D.C. portion of the famous Crescent passenger train. Was lead engine when operation of the Crescent formally changed from the Southern Railway to Amtrak in 1979. Originally numbered 2924."

AMTK P42DC 816 (ex-AMTK P40DC 816) leads the westbound Empire Builder into Shelby, Montana May 23, 2011. Last time I saw 816 was December 1998 at Williston, ND.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Canon EFS 18-55mm lens

Technically, this unit isn't a Rarus engine anymore. It's owned by and working for a grain elevator and co-op in Harlem, MT now, but it still carries Rarus markings and numbers. It was built in 1952 for Butte, Anaconda & Pacific and retained it's original number (102) after Rarus took over the BA&P in 1985.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Canon EFS 18-55mm lens

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Hazard, KY in May 1979

On May 10, 1979, Dad shot L&N C420 1307 at Hazard, Kentucky.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Silver Grove, KY in July 1977

On July 26, 1977 Dad shot C&O GP40 4089 (to CSX 6844, to FEC GP40-3 446), GP30 3002, B&O GP40-2 4188 (to CSX 6087) & C&O GP9 6028 at Silver Grove, Kentucky.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in Aug. 1986

Sometime in August of 1986 Dad shot C&O B30-7 8290 (to CSX 5572) at Etowah, Tennessee.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Williamsburg, KY in July 1984

On July 11, 1984, Dad shot O&W SD40-2s 9954 (to BCOL 747), 9955 (to BCOL 748), and 2 more leading a northbound (empty) unit coal train at Williamsburg, Kentucky.

The power, cars and caboose were all owned by Shamrock Coal Company and used to haul coal to power plants in South Carolina and south Georgia. The SD40-2s were built to L&N specs, and crewed by L&N or Clinchfield crews (later SBD crews). The power would eventually be sold to British Columbia Railroad.

Scanned Print

Photo from the collection of my Dad, Jay T. Thomson; Unknown photographer

C&O GP7 5811 and several other geeps at an engine house in Gladstone, VA, sometime in the late 1950s or very early 1960s (thanks to cando71fan for the info!).

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Battle Creek, MI in August 1979

On August 18, 1979 Dad found GTW S2 8111 stripped of many parts and riding on shop trucks at Battle Creek, Michigan.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, in Etowah, TN March 1980

This big Alco C630 was low on luck in March of 1980 when the rear end dropped into the turntable pit at the Etowah engine facilities. They've got it raised and up on jacks and blocks here, waiting for a repaired truck to be fitted underneath.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Savoy, KY in March 1973

Three Auto-Train U-boats lead southbound Louisville & Nashville train #867 through Savoy, KY in March 1973. The Auto-Train engines were built to Seaboard Coast Line specifications and had a toggle switch in the cab for "freight" and "passenger" - with the idea being that if Auto-Train folded within a year or two the engines could be sold to SCL for freight use. Auto-Train actually operated for 10 years on two routes - the original and primary route was from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL and a second route from Louisville, KY to Sanford. When Dad shot this one in 1973 the engines were making test runs from Louisville to Florida for Auto-Train to deterimine which route to actually use. They would eventually settle on a route that took the train through Nashville along the same route as Amtrak's Floridian - and in fact the Amtrak and Auto-Train trains would sometimes be combined into one.

On one of the test runs these units ran on the K&A route of the L&N, Dad got to ride home to Etowah from Morley, TN.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Gainesville, GA in April 1979

On April 28, 1979 Dad shot Gainesville Midland SD40 10 (to SBD 0010, to SBD 8300, to CSX 8300, to CSX 4600) at Gainesville, Georgia.

Note the unusual Hancock Air whistle atop the roof, replaced in later years by a more traditional air horn.

BNSF ES44DC 7532 at West Garrison, Montana on September 4, 2014.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Canon EFS 18-55mm lens

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in Feb. 1977

Sometime in February of 1977, Dad shot L&N SDP35 1222 (to L&N 1701, to L&N 4537, to SBD 4537, to CSX 4537), CR SD40 6348 (ex-PC 6095, nee-PRR 6095, to IMRL 205, to ICE 205) & CR SD45-2 6659 (ex-EL 3674, to NS 1702) leading a southbound freight at Etowah, Tennessee.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Lynch, KY in March 1979.

A shot of US Steel S2 101 with the US Steel Brake Sled built from an old C&O/Pere Marquette coal tender.

Part 124 in an ongoing study of diesel locomotive cabs.

The cab of BNSF ES44C4 7027 at Great Falls, Montana on September 17, 2014.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Canon EFS 18-55mm lens

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at at Grand Rapids, MI in Aug. 1979

On August 18, 1979 Dad shot CR U25B 2549 (ex-PC 2549, nee-NYC 2549) at Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Canadian Pacific SD40-2 5390 (ex-CN 5390, nee-CP 5781, to Progress Rail) was at the Great Falls, MT BNSF roundhouse on October 12, 2007. This unit was originally owned by Ontario Hydro and used by CP to haul OH unit coal trains. When Canadian National won the OH contract in 1996 this unit and several others owned by OH went over to CN. In mid-2000 the unit was purchased by CP. When I shot it here in October 2007 it was soon to be sold to Progress Rail.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Canon EFS 18-55mm lens

Scanned Print

Photo from the collection of my Dad, Jay T. Thomson; Tom Rankin photo

MILW FP7A 60A (ex-MILW 90A, to SQVR 600, to WHOE 806) at South Beloit, Illinois on August 21, 1977.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Houston, TX in May 1983

On May 30, 1983 Dad shot SP GP35 6587 (ex-SP 7475) leading four more SP EMDs at Houston, Texas.

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Etowah, TN in October 2014

On October 29, 2014, Dad shot UP AC44CW 5569 as sole power on a northbound unit grain train in CSX's East Yard at Etowah, Tennessee.

Olympus SP-565UZ

Soo GP38-2 4409 (ex-Soo 799) at New Town, North Dakota December 5, 2009.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Canon EFS 18-55mm lens

BNSF SD75I 8282 in storage at Glendive, Montana on February 20, 2012.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Canon EFS 18-55mm lens

UP SD70M 4864 at Silver Bow, Montana on November 27, 2013.

Canon EOS 350D Digital Rebel XT

Tamron 75-300mm lens

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Elza, TN in Jan. 1980

On January 24, 1980, Dad shot O&W SD40-2s 9955 (to BCOL 748), 9956 (to BCOL 749, to ICE 6450), 9957 (to BCOL 750), and 9953 (to BCOL 746) leading a northbound (empty) OWTX unit coal train at Elza, Tennessee.

The power, cars and caboose were all owned by Shamrock Coal Company and used to haul coal to power plants in South Carolina and south Georgia. The SD40-2s were built to L&N specs, and crewed by L&N or Clinchfield crews (later SBD crews). The power would eventually be sold to British Columbia Railroad.

Reproduced 35mm Slide

Photo shot by my Dad, Jay Thomson, at Crossville, TN in 1974

Savannah & Atlanta 4-6-2 750 pulling a Southern Railway excursion train at Crossville, Tennessee in 1974. In front of it is the tender of another steam unit, possibly 4501. This unit was one of the earliest used in Southern's excursion program of the early 70s. Today this beauty - built by ALCo in 1915 for the Florida East Coast as their #80 and sold to the S&A in 1935 - is preserved at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia.