Summerail Trip - 7

Hi, August 7 began in Linton, IN when the radio came to life and told a work crew that they would have to wait until the Switz City Turn cleared.

After a considerable wait, but not long enough for the fog to lift, the train appeared behind a pair of SD90/43 MACs (above and below) on the former Milwaukee Road track (north/south).

The train pulled south of the diamond about 1/2 mile and then proceeded to set out some cars on two side tracks (above and two below).

The train then backed around the connection seen on the left side of the second picture onto the former IC line (east/west), the engines ran around their train and they spotted some cars. The light power shown above has completed the job of spotting cars and is in the process of running around the train again, pushing back and taking the connection to the former Milwaukee. As this point we lost the train as it made it way south to the former Navy installation at Crane, IN.

After many false starts we got our next shot a few miles south of Linton on the northbound trip (above and below).

The train once again took the connection to the former IC,

ran around its train again,

and headed east for Switz City.

On arrival at Switz City it switched the yard on the east side of town (above and three below). As the light for east facing trains was getting poor we decided to check out the Indiana Southern.

A loaded Indiana Southern coal train was being re-crewed in Marco.

We chased it getting photos in Sandborn, IN,

south of Sandborn (above and below) and

at Edwardsport as it arrived at the power plant there (above and below).

Our final shots were of the westbound road freight sitting in Switz City waiting for a meet with its eastbound counterpart.

Thanks for looking.

Summerail Trip - 6

Hi, August 6 turned out to be a day devoted to the Evansville & Western.

Before the train, EV1, left Mount Vernon, IN it worked the Indiana Port there (above and below).

After EV1 got out on the mainline and headed for Evansville we caught it at South Mount Vernon (above and two below),

Ford Road, east of Mount Vernon, and

along Creamery Road in St. Philip (above and three below).

The road and the tracks separated after the creamery road shot so, not knowing if we were ahead or behind, we elected to wait for EV1 at the north end of Howell Yard, where the train would enter CSX tracks for interchange. However, before EV1 showed up Q501 passed through the interlocking (above and below).

Finally EV1 was allowed to enter the yard (above and two below).

We then moved to the south end of the yard where the EV1 crew dropped their train.

On the way back to Mount Vernon we again photographed the train along Creamery Road in St. Philip.

As the crew was going in to work the port we checked out a coal train we had spotted earlier at a coal unloader. This time the train was being unloaded and the power was in position for some easy photos. It was our only opportunity to photograph and E&W SD70MAC.

Return to where the crew was dropping cars netted this photo.

A quick move got us to this location at the port's exit.

Here the crew has returned to their train at North Mount Vernon (above and below).

Thanks for looking.

Summerail Trip - 5

Hi, Our first stop was back to the engine house for the Squaw Creek Southern in Yankeetown, IN. We learned that they would dump a coal train using the Soo Line SD40 but we were not allowed to get into a position to photograph the operation. Also, Respondek Rail is the contract operator but the railroad actually is owned by Peabody coal company.

So we decided to check out the mine at Boonesboro where again we drew a blank.

At this point we decided to take a look at the trestle approaching the former L&N bridge over the Ohio River in Rahm, IN (above and nine below). The views above and five below are from the rear of a group of farm grain storage bins.

This view is included because a pure set of YN2 power, even grubby like these, is becoming very rare.

There are some dirt farm roads in the area that allow for a variety of angles (above and four below).

In Evansville we stopped briefly to photograph this ADM switcher at a grain elevator.

Next we followed the tracks of the Evansville Western west to Mount Vernon, IN, their headquarters, but saw nothing until we got to Mount Vernon. We checked in at their office and we were told the only activity was a local, however, by the time we located the crew they were within a plant.

So we returned to the trestle at Rahm for afternoon photography on the other side of the trestle (above and four below). All of these trains are bound for Evansville.

In the background on the right is the Ohio River bridge (above and below).

Thanks for looking.