T.G.'s Photography Blog

  CSXT 1973, the Chessie System heritage unit at Weedsport, NY.  CSXT 1973, CSX's Chessie System heritage unit, leads M364 east on the Rochester Subdivision at Weedsport, NY . CSXT 1973 is one of twenty (currently) specially painted locomotives honoring railroads that have become part of CSX. In 1973, the Chessie System was created from the merger of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the Western Maryland Railway. The Chessie system scheme was used on the railway's locomotives up until 1980, when the Chessie System merged with the Seaboard Coast Line under the CSX Corporation.  Photograph taken on October 4, 2024, at Weedsport, NY.

  CSXT 1850 and BNSF 6901 are on the point of manifest train M380 at CP-286 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. M380 is stopped on Track 8, waiting for room at DeWitt Yard. Next to M380 is I003 taking head room on Track 1 at CP-286 as it gets in position to start working DeWitt Yard.  CSXT 1850 honors the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N). The L&N was founded in Kentucky in 1850. and grew to serve fourteen states. Eventually, the L&N through a series of mergers became part of CSX.  Photograph taken on November 2, 2024, at East Syracuse, NY.

  CSXT 1976 and CSXT 2626 lead M634 east through the curve west of BeeBe Bridge Rd.   After heading west on M363 earlier this month , CSXT 1976 came back east on M363's counterpart train, M364. M363 and M364 run between Selkirk, NY., and Avon, IN. While bike riding along the old Erie Canal at Canastota, NY., I caught M364 being led by 1976 at BeeBe Bridge Road (MP 271.5 of the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision). The canal is just out of sight to the right of the rectangular pond in the photograph. The rail line and canal intersect just around the curve, in the background. Looking at old topographic maps from the late 1890s, the rail line and canal have always met here. I'm assuming the rail line at one time crossed over the canal on a bridge, though today, the old canal segments just end on each side of the tracks.  Photograph taken on September 7,  2023, at Canastota, NY.

I007-28, led by CSXT 1982 and CSXT 877, is slowly passing under the westbound absolute signal at CP-286 in East Syracuse, NY.   Last week CSX's Seaboard System heritage unit, CSXT 1982, made an appearance in Syracuse. CSXT 1982, along with CSXT 877, led intermodal train I007-28. I007 is a daily train runs from North Bergen, NJ., to Rose Lake, IL., (just outside St. Louis, MO ). Along the way I007 stops to work DeWitt Yard in East Syracuse, NY. The train also stops to work at Avon, IN.  CSXT 1982 and CSXT 877 sit at CP-286 waiting to reverse and shove east toward DeWitt Yard. In the background are the steeples of St. Matthews Catholic Church.   CSXT 1982 was the third heritage unit to be painted at CSX's Waycross, GA., paint shop. The number 1982 signifies the year that the Seaboard System came to be, from a merger of the Seaboard Coast Line and the Louisville and Nashville railroads. According to CSX's website, "the Seaboard System was the first step under the CSX Corp...

 CSX's latest heritage unit , CSXT 1973, commemorating the Chessie System, made an appearance in Central New York (CNY) on July 4th. The locomotive was leading intermodal train I157-03. With the family in tow (and for some reason my wife deciding to come along with us) we headed to Savannah, New York, to see it.  I003-04 rolls west under the cantilever signal bridge on the western edge of CP-320.   Shortly after arriving at Control Point (CP) 320 of CSX's Rochester Subdivision in Savannah, NY., the first train to make an appearance was I003-04. I003 was making it's daily trek from South Kearny, NJ, to Bedford Park, IL. Bedford Park is a suburb of Chicago, IL. X363-03 rolls under the EAS cantilever signal bridge at CP-320.   Amtrak's Empire Service train P281 was next, but I skipped photographing it. Then came X363-03, led by CSXT 3410 and CSXT 5350. X363 is an extra (X) M363 . X363 was running M363's normal route from CSX's Selkirk Yard in Selkirk, NY., to Avon...

In December 2006, at the east end of BNSF's Lindenwood Yard, I found a trio of locomotives that piqued my interest. The trio featured BNSF 643 (an ex-Santa Fe Warbonnet), BNSF 6934 (an SD40-2), and Wisconsin Central (WC) 3026, the heritage map anniversary locomotive. BNSF 643 is the lead locomotive on an eastbound/northbound manifest train at Lindenwood Yard. BNSF 643 (a C44-9W) was built in 1994 for the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) as ATSF 643. The locomotive was patched sometime after the Burlington Northern (BN) and Santa Fe merger. As of November 2019, BNSF 643 was still wearing its Warbonnet paint scheme , even though it was considerably more worn and faded. BNSF 643, BNSF 6934, and WC 3026 are eastbound along the River des Peres, at Sublette Ave. Built as ATSF 5191 in 1981 by Electromotive Division, BNSF 6943 was renumbered and repainted sometime after the BNSF-SF merger. The locomotive is an SD40-2, which is one of EMD's most popular freight locomotives ...

The "Green Bridge" is a nickname for a pedestrian bridge in Minoa, New York. The bridge crosses over the eastern edge of CSX's DeWitt Yard and Syracuse Terminal Subdivision between North Main Street and South Main Street. There is no road crossing connecting the two streets, so the bridge allows pedestrians to cross safely over the tracks. It also gives railfans access to safely watch and photograph train movements on the eastern end of DeWitt Yard.  The "Green Bridge" at CP282 Looking at the north access ramp, as an ex-Wisconsin Central boxcar on train Q626-06 begins to roll under the Green Bridge. The Green Bridge earned its nickname because it is painted green. Though these days, the green color is faded, and reddish-brown rust seems to be more prominent. The bridge crosses directly over the top of control point (CP) 282 of CSX's Syracuse Terminal Subdivision. The bridge is a popular railfan hangout, even though the bridge can make photography difficult. ...

CN 3115 is one of the Canadian National Railway's (CN) heritage locomotives. Heritage locomotive paint schemes usually honor railroads acquired by present-day railroads . CN 3115 honors BC Railway, whose railroad operations were acquired by CN in 2004. BC Rail began life as Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) in 1912. In 1918 the British Columbia provincial government took over the PGE. In 1972 PGE was renamed British Columbia Railway, and then in 1984, that name was shortened to BC Rail.  Q212-22 arriving at CP282 Nearing CP282, CN 3115 leads Q212-22 slowly east on Track 1. CP283's signals are in the background. I heard CSX's NF dispatcher, who controls the Syracuse Terminal Subdivision (STS) tell Q212-22 that it was going into Track 7 to hold for some traffic coming west. Track 7 runs between CP286 and CP291 of the STS. NF was making room for I017-21 to run west on Track 2 while I009 worked the Departure Yard Lead and tied up Track 1 at CP285. CP285 is on the western end ...

Back in April of 2008, I was able to photograph Union Pacific's (UP) heritage locomotive, UP 1995. UP 1995 was leading train MNLAS-22, a manifest train from North Little Rock, Arkansas, to the Alton & Southern's Gateway Yard, in East St. Louis, Illinois. The train originated at North Little Rock on April 22, 2008, and arrived at Gateway Yard on April 23, 2008. UP 1995 and UP 9419 lead train MNLAS-22, north of Fults, IL. I first caught train MNLAS-22 just to the north of Fults, Illinois, as it rolled north on UP's Chester Subdivision. At the location of the photographs above and below the train was about halfway between Fults and Chalfin Bridge, Illinois. The Chester Subdivision runs from Dexter, Missouri, to East St. Louis, Illinois. In Illinois, the line runs across the flat farmland that lies to the east of the Mississippi River. In the photographs taken north of Fults, Illinois, the distance between the spot the photographs were taken to the river bluffs in the backg...

NKP 765 leads train O99 south at Palmer, IL. Nickel Plate Road (NKP) 765 , Norfolk Southern (NS) 1072, and NS 1070 lead NS train O99 south on the Brooklyn District near Palmer, Illinois. The steam locomotive and its train were on the way from Decatur, Illinois, to the St. Louis, Missouri, area to run some Norfolk Southern employee appreciation excursions, over the weekend of September 8-9, 2012. Norfolk Southern 1070 and Norfolk Southern 1072 are two of Norfolk Southern's heritage locomotives. These locomotives are painted in past paint schemes of railroads that NS has merged with over the years. NS 1072 is painted in an Illinois Terminal Railroad paint scheme, while NS 1070 is painted in a Wabash Railroad paint scheme. Photo taken: September 6, 2012. Palmer, Illinois. 

December 13, 2011. Godfrey, Illinois. Kansas City Southern 2, KCS 3, and KCS 1 are pushing KCS' holiday train south on the Godfrey Subdivision at the Route 111 crossing. Photo © Tom Gatermann

December 13, 2011. Delhi, Illinois. Under an overcast sky, with rain falling, Kansas City Southern (KCS) 2, KCS 3, and KCS 1, push KCS' holiday train down the main line at Range Line Road. The train was heading to Godfrey, IL. for display later that evening. Photo © Tom Gatermann

UP 1996 leads Union Pacific train IMAG2R-10 north on the Mount Vernon Subdivision, across the St. Joseph Road crossing, while traveling north on the Mount Vernon Subdivision. UP 1996 is Union Pacific's Southern Pacific heritage locomotive. The train was heading to Union Pacific's Global 2 inter-modal facility in the Chicago, IL. area. Photograph taken on January 14, 2012, at Benton, Illinois.

November 25, 2011. Litchfield, Illinois. A detail shot of Illini Terminal 1604. The locomotive is painted in a scheme commemorating the Illinois Terminal System. Photo © Tom Gatermann.