The General by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
If you're ever in Kennesaw, GA, I highly recommend checking out the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History. The crown jewel of the collection is Western & Atlantic #3, the "General", which famously was stolen by Union soldiers during the Civil War and set into motion the fabled "Great Locomotive Chase". The General last ran in the 1960s, I believe, and is now permanently displayed at the museum. 9/22/2013
Big Bruiser by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Splitting the intermediates at CH 118, L303 rolls east behind a trio of EMD products. With only 10 on the roster, CSX's big SD70ACe-T4 units remain a small but interesting footnote in a sea of General Electric products. 11/6/2022
IC SD40-3 #6261 by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Originally built for the Burlington Northern, Illinois Central #6261 sits outside of the CN's Homewood shops on a cold winter morning. 1/3/2008
Teep Geep by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
A loaded rail train has just crossed the GTW diamond at Wayne and is rolling west on the old Pennsy behind TP&W GP40X #4056 and CF&E SD40-2 #5597. This was the only time I ever saw the 4056 moving, and a spirited chase ensued. 4/6/2014
Gravity Drop by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
West Michigan’s power waits in the clear while the conductor rolls a string of empties west down the mainline. This will position the cars on the west end of the engines so they can be shoved to the CSX interchange. 3/30/2023
Sunday Morning by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
An in-bound dinky passes an MOW employee checking the switches on a quiet Sunday morning in Hinsdale. 10/2/2022
South Chickamauga Creek by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Southern #630 leads one of the many TVRM excursions that day over the impressive bridge over South Chickamauga Creek. The chunky little 2-8-0 was the museum's main workhorse at that point, as Mikado #4501 was still undergoing restoration. 9/28/2013
Planning Ahead by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
One interesting trait of the Grand Trunk Western and it's predecessors was how it set up its right of ways. Single track lines were also laid with a 60/40 ft split from the center of the rails, just incase a second track would need to be added later. They did the same thing with many of their bridges, either building a doubletrack bridge from the start or pouring large piers capable of handling a second track. One of these bridges spans Monroe Ave in Grand Rapids, on what is now the Grand Rapids Eastern. To my knowledge, the left portion of the bridge has never held a second track, though it would certainly be able to. GR #2104 can be seen approaching with it's train. 3/30/2023
CN #5288 by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
With the recent announcement that CN 4-6-2 #5288 would be leaving TVRM for the Colebrookdale Railroad, I vaguely recalled shooting it during my visit to the museum in 2013. Sure enough, I did. This old CN varnish hauler saw lots of service on the Central Vermont and was part of the original Steamtown collection. At some point TVRM acquired it with plans to eventually restore it, but that never happened. 5288's stoker was actually removed and installed on Southern 2-8-2 #4501. From TVRM's website:
"The 5288 was built in March of 1918 by the Montreal Locomotive Works for the Canadian Government Railway as number 516, and later as number 1516. The locomotive is classified as a J-7-b, having an open cab, unlike the J-7 class that had enclosed all-weather cabs.
The Canadian Government Railway sent the locomotive for use on the Grand Trunk Railway, where it was relettered and numbered Grand Trunk 1516. The locomotive was taken over by the Canadian National Railway in September 1919, being renumbered to Canadian National 5288.
The locomotive principally handled passenger trains in eastern Canada. The 5288 also operated in the United States when it also pulled international trains into White River Junction, Vermont. By 1956, the locomotive was assigned to pull commuter trains in the Montreal area.
When retired in 1960, the locomotive was stored servicable in the Canadian National Railway’s Turcot roundhouse. F. Nelson Blount, the founder of Steamtown, USA, acquired the 5288 in September 1961. He had it moved to Steamtown, USA in Bellows Falls, Vermont.
It remained with the Steamtown, USA collection even into its transition as a National Park after moving to Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 2001, after being deemed as surplus, the locomotive was donated to TVRM, where it resides on display today. The locomotive was essential in the restoration of the Southern Railway 4501, when its mechanical stoker was removed in 2012 to be reconditioned for use in the 4501." 9/28/2013
Waiting by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Y106 holds just shy of the Franklin St bridge as it waits for Z151 and L303 to clear up. 2/23/2023
Grand Ledge by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
After a day of shooting trains on the CN a few miles south, it was somewhat bewildering to find an SD75I leading Q335 with a CEFX SD40M-2 tucked behind it. The yard at Grand Ledge was full of stored cars at that time, mostly former Conrail boxcars awaiting eventual scrapping. 10/20/2007
Gloomy Day Z151 by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Marquette Rail's Z151 makes a rare daylight appearance in Grand Rapids behind leased Ohio Central SD40-2 #9934 and GMTX GP38-2 #2648. 11/3/2006
The Elusive Elk by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
During the first few years of Watco's Grand Elk operations, their runs to Grand Rapids were very sporadic. Random days of the week and random times of the day, I want to say this was one of the first times I ever caught 303 heading south from GR. 4125 was just one of two SD40-2s on the roster back then. Now they have 6! 8/12/2011
B49 by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Norfolk Southern local B49 is switching out Van's Logistics on the Hughart Runner with one of the usual-assigned GE B32-8s on a cold winter day in 2007. Van's briefly located on the NS before moving to the Grand Rapids Eastern and finally Marquette Rail. 1/25/2007
Golden Hour Berk by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Pere Marquette #1225 catches the late day sun on the grounds of the Steam Railroading Institute. After sunset, the big Lima engine will be lit up for a night photo session put on by the Pere Marquette Historical Society. 7/25/2008
CN 4-6-4T #47 by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Canadian National #47 is a 4-6-4T that was used in commuter service in the greater Montreal area. A rare North American tank engine, these little brutes could run equally well going forwards and backwards. Sadly, it is looking a little rough these days, like so many pieces in the Steamtown collection. 10/1/2016
Winter Time @ 118 by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Grand Rapids-Toledo freight Q334, normally nocturnal during this time period, splits the intermediates at Haddix Rd in Lake Odessa. The reason for the delay was due to the freight getting a knuckle late the night before, and the recrew had just finished reassembling the train to continue east. A pair of visiting CP ES44ACs add a splash of color to the wintry landscape. 2/15/2014
Goodbye KCS by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
My one and only day on the actual KCS involved my friends and I chasing an empty grain train from Oklahoma all the way up to Joplin, MO. With a pair of Belle ES44ACs in a steady rain, GBVKC is seen here rolling through Anderson, MO. 5/3/2019
Kindel by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
Was snapping photos of L303 here with the old Kindel Furniture smoke stack when suddenly my camera stopped shooting. The hell? Turns out my memory card was full. Oops! That hasn't happened in a while. Anyway, here's a pair of AC4400s rolling towards me right before I got "FULL". 3/30/2023
Grinding East by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
The battle with the Thornapple grade is won and the train is gradually increasing speed as L303 heads for Detroit with an SD70MAC toting 75 cars. 3/23/2023
Essexville Coal by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
The first N956 of the season makes its way into Wyoming Yard. CSX-LSRC had these trains for 6 months out of the year, while CN-HESR had them the other 6 months. Now the trains run exclusively CSX-LSRC (via the B&O, stupidly) and the plant in scheduled to close very soon. It really is too bad BNSF didn't slap a swoosh on the noses of these Grinsteins when they patched them out. They need something in that void! 8/2/2013
Market St by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
L303's power waits for the signal to head around the east leg of the wye as the crew turns the power for the trip to Detroit. 2/23/2023
Dash 2s by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
A pair of SD40-2s, one home-grown and the other leased, lead an S327 across the Thornapple River on a nice summer day. 8/12/2006
CSXT SD40-2 #8352 by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
CSX 8352 sits outside of the Wyoming Yard diesel house on a bright and clear winter day back in 2016. The engine had been repainted only a couple of months prior, and was still very fresh looking. Originally built as a Clinchfield SD40 (CRR #3018), it was rebuilt in the early 1990s by VMV to Dash 2 specifications. The tracks the engine is sitting on have since been removed, as CSX has made it their goal to tear up every piece of rail that isn't absolutely essential. 2/20/2016
James G. Blaine by
Jonathon Leese, on Flickr
A historical marker tells the world that congressman James Blaine hails from West Brownsville. Meanwhile, north-bound coal loads running as N72 negotiate the street trackage through town. Running for several blocks, this is one of the longest stretches of active street running in the US anymore. 8/13/2022