Ending the year with a "roundtuit" shot on the CNO&TP

[E.M. Bell]

This past Saturday (12/31/11), I finally managed to find some time to get out and shoot. As hard as it may be to believe, it had been over a MONTH since I had the ol Canon out of the bag due to the holidays, work, and a list of "honey-do's" 32 miles long. I cant tell you the last time I went that long without getting out, even if just around the house....the withdrawal symptoms where getting the best of me.

Carmon decided to stay home and try to get rid of the head cold she had, so I headed out well before daylight, and met Doyle Massey and a couple of other fellows down in Burnside KY. The Burnside "Black Hole" was swallowing trains left and right, and for the first couple of hours the CNO&TP was pretty much a parking lot. That worked out in our favor though, as it gave the clouds time to clear out, and by the time the trains started running, it was nothing but sun. The afternoon would prove to be one of the busiest days I have seen for awhile, and we hardly had time to change locations without missing a train.

Doyle wanted to spend some time at Southfork, shooting the Green River bridge, so we made our way up the valley and spent some time there. I was finally able to talk to the lady that owns the land around the bridge, and got permission to get a few shots that I had been wanting to try for awhile. There is an old, abandoned house on the property that I had been wanting to work into a shot for years, and I finally got "roundtoit" that afternoon, with rather pleasing results I think.

Just for the record and according to the frame counter on my camera, I pressed the shutter button around 8,642 time in 2011...what a year it was!

I added 14 new shots to my 2011 2nd district gallery from the day, and you can find those at this link. http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/nscs2eb11

Here are a few small samples...the big ones can be found on Pbase, if these wet your whistle to take a look.

NS 224 crosses the Green River Bridge at Southfork KY...Have a GE & a RC Cola!


Train 175 is already loosing speed as they start up the grade across the bridge. I would love to see all the trains that old house has seen in it's life. I wonder if the lady who owns the farm would sell that place..fix it up and make a weekend hideout..


Looking up through the #12 bent of the bridge, as a Northbound passes overhead.


My last "keeper' of 2011, and a fine way to end the year. NS 168 passes under the signals at Southfork, with an all EMD SD60-SD70-SD60-GP38-2 set of power.