Saturday, December 23, 2017

CSX/L&N Henderson Bridge across land and the Ohio River

(Bridge Hunter, no Historic Bridges, Satellite Bridge, Satellite Flood Plains)

This 1932 bridge replaces an 1885 bridge.

Jim Pearson Photography posted
In this going away shot we see the full 8,256 feet of CSX I028 as it heads north across the Ohio River Bridge and viaduct on the CSX Henderson Subdivision from Henderson, Kentucky on April 19th, 2022. Between the viaduct and the bridge the total span above ground is just at 4.5 miles long.
The current viaduct and bridge were built by the L&N railroad and were dedicated on the last day of 1932 at a cost about $4 million. It replaced one erected in 1885, also built by the L&N, which at that time was the longest channel span of that type in the world at 2.3 miles long.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 160
Jeff Noble: An interesting bit of trivia in this photo toward the upper right is the former course of the river and, thus, one of those several places where Kentucky extends over "into" Indiana. You can see the small body of water to the left of the river's course, with grazing land to the left of it, and greener land to its right. That's the state line with Indiana to the left and Kentucky to the right. The more famous piece of Kentucky "in Indiana" is just upriver from here at Ellis Park on US 41, which has a Kentucky address but an Indiana phone number.

1888 photo via info via photo gallery
Source: 1888 Panoramic Map

Photo via info via photo gallery
Source: Postcard

Dwight Cook posted
Dwight Cook I took this long ago I the it’s in Henderson Kentucky.
Don Steinhauer That is on the henderson ky side.
Don Steinhauer We painted on that for about 3 summers back in the 80s

Jim Pearson Photography posted
CSX I028 makes its way down the Viaduct after crossing the Ohio River docked at Henderson, Kentucky, after passing the American Duchess paddle wheeler at Henderson, as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision at Rahm, Indiana on July 14th, 2022.
This is one of several great shots I snagged in this area while out railfanning with outstanding rail photographer Brian Caswell. We’ve been friends here on Facebook for some time and finally met up in person for a half day on the Henderson Subdivision. Check out his page SpeedShot Train Photography and give it a like for some inspiring train photography!!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 110.
Jim Pearson Photography: https://fineartamerica.com/.../csx-i028-makes-its-way...

I had noticed from the lack of development and from the land scars that the Ohio River must flow over the peninsulas during a flood.
Satellite

Javid's photo below confirms that L&N had to build a long trestle across the flood plain to allow the flood waters to safely pass under the tracks.
Javid Beykzadeh posted
CSX Henderson Bridge in Rahm, IN.

Thanks to drone technology, Jim was able to catch the flood plain filled with water.
Jim Pearson Photography posted
CSX Q025 Southbound over the Ohio River Floodwaters
This is a shot that I've been wanting to get even before I started flying a drone! A shot of a train passing over the floodwaters from the Ohio River as it heads across the river at Henderson, Kentucky coming out of Evansville, Indiana. This is a shot that one could only get with a john boat in the past and I neither had one or knew anyone with one, so this has always been a dream shot for me!
With the partly cloudy skies I was worried that I wouldn't have sunlight for the shot, but as you can see with the broken clouds on March 10th, 2021, they parted enough for this dramatic lighting as CSX hot intermodal Q025-10 made its way up the viaduct to the bridge over the Ohio River heading south into Henderson, Ky on the CSX Henderson Subdivision.
The scene as far as the eye can see here is normally farmers fields, but today it was an extension of the Ohio River as it was right at 37 feet above flood stage as the train passed over it.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

Dan Gurley shared
It is this flood plain on the Indiana side of the CSX/L&N Ohio River Bridge that Jim caught covered with water.
 
Hydrology

Jim Pearson Photography posted
CSX Q025 Southbound up the viaduct at Rahm, Indiana
On March 10th, 2021 I posted a shot of CSX Q025 (Bedford Park, IL - Jacksonville, FL) as it made its way up this viaduct at Rahm, Indiana while all the land here was covered with floodwaters and that shot is my current header picture here on my page.
Many folks asked for a shot along the same viewpoint after the floodwaters receded back into the Ohio River and so here the shot a month later! On April 9th, 2021 CSX Q025 approaches the bridge over the Ohio river between Rahm, IN and Henderson, Ky as it makes its way south on the CSX Henderson Subdivision on a breathtaking spring day!
From the Web: The current viaduct and bridge were built by the L&N railroad and were dedicated on the last day of 1932 at a cost about $4 million. It replaced one erected in 1885, also built by the L&N, which at that time was the longest channel span of that type in the world at 2.3 miles long.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.
 
SteelRails posted
CSX Transportation CSXT 330 GE AC44CW on the former L&N Evansville Division that claimed the longest bridge, the three-and-a-half mile Henderson Bridge across the Ohio River. An Intermodal train ID: I029 that runs between Chicago and Fairburn, Ga (which is south of Atlanta) crossed the approach on October 28, 2022.
https://steelrails.pixels.com/featured/csxt-330-ge-ac44cw-steelrails-photography.html
Randall Hampton shared
 
Jim Pearson Photography posted
Digital Photo Art-CSX P001-23 Office Car Special passenger train makes its way across the old L&N bridge over the Ohio River as it heads south at Henderson, Kentucky with CSXT 1, 2 and 3 leading the way on the Henderson Subdivision on August 23rd, 2022.
CSX repainted these three-executive fleet F40PH locomotives in a paint scheme inspired by predecessor Baltimore & Ohio and a fleet of cars to finish out the train set. The city of Baltimore chartered the railroad on Feb. 28, 1827, to build west to a suitable point on the Ohio River. Ground was broken on July 4, 1828, at Carrollton, Md. By 1929 the railroad operated 5,658 miles of track and had 2,364 locomotives. In the 1970s the B&O became part of Chessie System and in the 1980s it became part of CSX.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.
Jim Pearson Photography: https://fineartamerica.com/.../digital-photo-art-csx-p001...
[A later comment: YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/JimPearsonPhotography]

Jim Pearson Photography posted
CSX P001 heading south on the Henderson Subdivision from Evansville, IN
CSX President’s Passenger train P001 heads south up the viaduct as they approach the bridge over the Ohio River to Henderson, Ky from Evansville, IN, with CSX GEVO units 3310, 3271 leading and CSXT 1 & 2 trailing as they pull 11 cars at a little over 1,000 ft long. I heard they had problems with PTC on CSXT 1 & 2 and that’s why they GEVOS led the train on June 10th, 2021.
CSX has repainted two of its F40PH locomotives, to be used on this business train, into predecessor Baltimore & Ohio's blue, gray, and black paint scheme. CSX1 is former 9998 (former Amtrak 288) and from what I can find out CSXT 2 is the former F40PH 9993 (former Amtrak 395). The other F40s are expected to be painted in the same scheme in the coming months as they are cycled through the shops.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

Eric Bitton
they fixed the issues later at Waycross

Brian Crane commented on Jim's post
I flew over that area last Thursday on the way back from Henderson. Pretty impressive how much flooding there was.


Jim Pearson Photography posted
On October 13th, 2021, I spent most of the day trackside with Virtual Railfan Moderator UP Dave, (David Siteman) showing him around some of my favorite spots in Western Kentucky and southern Indiana. We both had a great day trackside, and it was finally great to meet him in person! If you’re not already a member, check out Virtual Railfan Live and Virtual Railfan Lounge here on Facebook!
Here we find CSXT 5110 as it leads empty coal train CSX E300-12, a Stilesboro, GA (Plant Bowen) to Effingham, IL (CN) train, across the Ohio River bridge from Henderson, KY on the way north to Evansville, IN on the Henderson Subdivision. This bridge was originally built by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and was intended to be double tracked eventually, but it never happened.
According to Wikipedia: The Bridge spans the Ohio River between Henderson, Kentucky and Vanderburgh County, Indiana. The bridge is owned by the CSX Transportation.
The original bridge was constructed in 1884 to 1885 by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad at a cost of $2,000,000. The single-tracked bridge was approximately 3,686 feet (1,123 m) long, and its longest span, at 525 feet (160 m), was reputed to be the longest trestle span in the world at that time. The bridge ran from the northern edge of Main Street in Henderson to the low water mark on the Indiana side, resting on 15 stone piers. It was designed to carry two 118,000-pound (54,000 kg) engines followed by 60,000-pound (27,000 kg) coal tenders, and its maximum uniform load capacity was 2,500 pounds per foot (3,700 kg/m). A crowd of 8,000 watched the first train cross the bridge on July 13, 1885.
Prior to the opening of the bridge, railroad passengers and freight had to be transferred to a ferry for the river crossing. The bridge reduced the travel time by several hours.
By 1930 the volume and weight of train traffic were taxing the capabilities of the original bridge. Construction of a new bridge just upstream of the old one began in May 1931. The new bridge, costing over $3,000,000, opened on December 31, 1932. Including its approaches, It is 12,123 feet (3,695 m) long, and its span over the main channel is 648 feet (198 m) long. The demolition of the old bridge, using dynamite, was completed on December 11, 1933.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.

Jim Pearson Photography posted
CSX loaded grain train, G419, with the latest CSX Heritage Unit, L&N 1850, heads south across the Ohio River at Henderson, Kentucky on October 5th, 2023, on the Henderson Subdivision. This bridge and trackage for the Henderson Subdivision used to belong to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, before it was absorbed by CSX.
According to CSXT: CSX has introduced the sixth locomotive in its heritage series, a freshly painted unit honoring the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. Designated CSX 1850, the locomotive will be placed into service, carrying the L&N colors across the 20,000-mile CSX network.
The paint scheme was designed and applied at the CSX Locomotive Shop in Waycross, Georgia, which has produced all six units in the heritage series celebrating the lines that came together to form the modern CSX. Like the other heritage locomotives, the L&N unit combines the heritage railroad’s iconic logo and colors on the rear two-thirds of the engine with today’s CSX colors and markings on the cab end.
Chartered by the State of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N grew into a vital transportation link between the Gulf Coast and the nation’s heartland. The railroad was absorbed by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which subsequently became part of the Chessie System and, ultimately, today’s CSX.
The CSX heritage series is reinforcing employee pride in the history of the railroad that continues to move the nation’s economy with safe, reliable and sustainable rail-based transportation services.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 150.

Fortunately, the street-view car driver was either a bridge or a railroad fan because I don't think most people would have bothered driving on Newman Road. It is more of a gravel lane than a road.
Street View
Obviously, the tracks are on an embankment here, so the trestle doesn't go further north than this spot. The following street view shows that the trestle does continue to this embankment.
Street View, maximum resolution
USGS


"The L&N railroad bridge dedicated the last day of 1932 cost about $4 million. It replaced one erected in 1885, which at that time was the longest channel span of that type in the world." [HendersonKY History] I wonder if it is still the longest channel span in the US. I can't find where I read it today, but the bridge is 2.3 miles long.

Javid's photo above indicates the trestle uses steel girders near the bridge where the bents are high. The "close-up" street view above shows that the trestle uses concrete girders when the bents are shorter and it is economical to place them closer together. A Bridge Hunter Photo captures the transition about a forth of the way from the right side of the photo. This photo confirms what I saw on the satellite image --- the spans get shorter as the bents get lower for the steel girders. I assume the depth of the steel girders decreases as the span decreases to save steel. A closeup photo of the transition The location of the transition

Ron Harper posted eight photos with the comment: "I was in Henderson Kentucky today Trestle that goes across the Ohio River."
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3

4

5

6

7

8

Jim Person posted
5 of 12: I've been challenged by Fred Wolfe to post one pix a day, 12 in all, of some of my favorite shots of 2019 and to keep this ball rolling, I challenge Fred Guenther to post 12 of his 2019 best!

Today's photo is from May 18, 2019 - CSXT 911, the new CSX locomotive Honoring our 1st Responders, heads up intermodal Q026 with CSXT 5286 trailing as it makes its down the viaduct after crossing the Ohio River Bridge at Rahm, Indiana as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision.
Jim Pearson No. 25-26 run between Miami and Chicago daily.

Bill Neil shared

[JP Photog catching two Tier 4 locos from the same vantage point.]

JP Photog posted a sequence of photos of a southbound CSX grain train starting with it going over the transition from concrete to steel girders. You can click the arrow on the right side of the photo to see more photos. Then he caught a coal train going over the steel girders.

Jim Pearson Photography caught a southbound CSX train on the trestle (source).
One of Jim's favorite shots of the trestle
Jim Pearson posted
September 12, 2020 - CSXT 945 leads Q503 south as it makes its way up the final leg of the viaduct to the bridge across the Ohio river to Henderson, Ky as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision on the dog days of summer!
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/1000, ISO 100.

Jim Pearson Photography posted
CSX Q025 Southbound prepares to cross the Ohio River
On March 10th, 2021 CSX hot intermodal Q025 pulls up the final stretch of the viaduct as it prepares to cross over the Ohio River bridge at Henderson, Kentucky as it heads south on the Henderson Subdivision from Rahm, Indiana.
According to Wikipedia: The Henderson Bridge is a railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River between Henderson, Kentucky and Vanderburgh County, Indiana and the bridge is owned by CSX Transportation. The original bridge was constructed in 1884 to 1885 by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad at a cost of $2,000,000.
The single-tracked bridge is approximately 3,686 feet long, and its longest span, at 525 feet, was reputed to be the longest trestle span in the world at that time. The bridge runs from the northern edge of Main Street in Henderson to the low water mark on the Indiana side, resting on 15 stone piers.
It was designed to carry two 118,000-pound engines followed by 60,000-pound coal tenders, and its maximum uniform load capacity was 2,500 pounds per foot.
A crowd of 8,000 watched the first train cross the bridge on July 13, 1885. Prior to the opening of the bridge, railroad passengers and freight had to be transferred to a ferry for the river crossing.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

Jim Pearson Photography posted
CST P001 heading over the Ohio River Bridge at Henderson, KY
The nice evening light on the Henderson Subdivision bathes the scene as the CSX President’s Passenger train P001 starts its run across the Ohio River Bridge at Henderson, KY. CSX GEVO units 3310, 3271 leads with CSXT 1 & 2 trailing as they pull 11 cars at a little over 1,000 ft long. CSX had problems with PTC on CSXT 1 & 2 and that’s why they GEVOS led the train on June 10th, 2021.
CSX has repainted two of its F40PH locomotives, to be used on this business train, into predecessor Baltimore & Ohio's blue, gray, and black paint scheme. CSX1 is former 9998 (former Amtrak 288) and from what I can find out CSXT 2 is the former F40PH 9993 (former Amtrak 395). The other F40s are expected to be painted in the same scheme in the coming months as they are cycled through the shops.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.
Jim Pearson Photography

A photo of a train with three locomotives on the S-curve of the flood plain approach trestle.

The following is a copy of the information provided by Tom's comments to make it easier to access the links:
Since the first link is now broke, I browsed his bridge photos hoping that I could find the overview of the floodplain under water. The comments on these two photos do confirm that the approach sometimes goes over a lot of water.
Tom Barrows Flickr
US---Sunset-Rails---Rahm_IN---5-22-2011
After spending the morning chasing an INRD coal drag, got the wild idea to try one more at Rahm. Like Trainchaser's shot the day before, we found a CSX grain train traversing the flood plain at Rahm. Instead of 10 feet of water (or more), it is now a landscape of mud puddles.....and sunsets!

Tom Barrows Flickr
US---CSX-452---Rahm_IN---6-3-2011
Still hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, the water level was just under the ballast deck.

Bridges & Tunnels with Sherman Cahal posted three photos with the comment:
The Henderson Bridge carries CSX across the Ohio River between Henderson, Kentucky, and Vanderburgh County, Indiana. At the time of the original bridge's completion for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N) in 1885, it was the longest of its type in the world. The 8,200-foot bridge connected to all of the railroads entering at or near Evansville with the L&N at Henderson, thus making the shortest and most direct route from St. Louis, Chicago, and the Midwest to Nashville, Chattanooga, and the Southern seaboard.
A new bridge replaced the c. 1885 span in 1932. While no longer the longest bridge of its type in the world, it was the longest in the L&N system.
Check out more photos of the Henderson Bridge at http://bridgestunnels.com/loca.../henderson-railroad-bridge/

Bridges & Tunnels with Sherman Cahal shared

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Jim Pearson Photography posted
CSX President’s Special southbound on the Henderson Subdivision
CSX President’s Passenger train P001 heads south up the viaduct approaching the bridge over the Ohio River at Henderson, Ky from Evansville, IN, with CSX Gevo units 3310, 3271 leading and CSXT 1 & 2 trailing as they pull 11 cars at a little over 1,000 ft long. Not sure, but I heard they had problems with PTC on CSXT 1 & 2 and that’s why they had to put the Gevos on the front on June 10th, 2021.
CSX has repainted two of its F40PH locomotives, to be used on its business train, into predecessor Baltimore & Ohio's blue, gray, and black paint scheme. CSX1 is former 9998 (former Amtrak 288) and from what I can find out CSXT 2 is the former F40PH 9993 (former Amtrak 395) but can’t really confirm it for sure. The other F40s are expected to be painted in the same scheme in the coming months as they are cycled through the shops.
Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone, RAW, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/500, ISO 100.

Jim Pearson Photography posted
Trains and barges on and over the Ohio River at Henderson, KY
In this Infrared shot from August 13th, 2021, my plan was to catch two barges passing each other under the bridge on the Ohio River at Henderson, Kentucky while I was waiting for military train CSX W816 to make its way south on the Henderson Subdivision.
I never expected the train to head over the river during this moment, as I hadn’t heard it call the ballast deck (last place they call on the scanner before hitting the bridge) before I got out of the car and decided to grab the barge shot in infrared while I was waiting. If I had known, it was this close I would have put my drone up for this shot! Not that I’m complaining at all though!
The containers behind the power contain the munitions for the last half of the train, which was armor, consisting of Bradley Fighting Vehicles and M1 Tanks.
Tech Info: Fuji XT-1, RAW, Converted to 720nm B&W IR, Fuji 18-55 @18mm, f/3.6, 1/500, ISO 200.

Jim continues to find new views of this bridge.
Jim Pearson Photography posted
CSX P001-23 Office Car Special passenger train makes its way across the old L&N bridge over the Ohio River as it heads south at Henderson, Kentucky with CSXT 1, 2 and 3 leading the way on the Henderson Subdivision on August 23rd, 2022. CSX repainted these three-executive fleet F40PH locomotives in a paint scheme inspired by predecessor Baltimore & Ohio and a fleet of cars to finish out the train set. The city of Baltimore chartered the railroad on Feb. 28, 1827, to build west to a suitable point on the Ohio River. Ground was broken on July 4, 1828, at Carrollton, Md. By 1929 the railroad operated 5,658 miles of track and had 2,364 locomotives. In the 1970s the B&O became part of Chessie System and in the 1980s it became part of CSX. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Air 2S Drone, RAW, 22mm, f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100.
Jim Pearson Photography: https://fineartamerica.com/.../csx-p001-23-office-car...
Uwe Schillbach: Are there any photos of the bridge when it had a second track? Or was it always single track?
Jim Pearson Photography: Uwe Schillbach Originally it was planned for two tracks, but the second was never installed.
[Some comments discuss antennas for a Bearcat AT125 scanner.]
Evansville Aerial:  Congrats on the capture Jim! I see you're getting more comfortable with getting that bird close.
I'm a jelly pot over here, but happy for you to get this shot! Just be mindful of the air turbulence right after it passes and the drone's compass getting off while near that much steel.
Jim Pearson Photography: Evansville Aerial Thanks and this shot is cropped in some as I moved out away from this spot before the train got to its position.
Randall Hampton shared
 
Jim Pearson Photography posted
The new CSX Heritage series locomotive, the Baltimore & Ohio unit 1827, leads CSX hot intermodal I018 as it makes its way across the Ohio River from Henderson Kentucky on its northbound move on the Henderson Subdivision, on July 17th, 2023. According to Wikipedia: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States with its first section opening in 1830. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway took financial control of the B&O in 1963.[52] On May 1, 1971, Amtrak had taken over all the remaining non-commuter routes of the B&O. The B&O already had a controlling interest in the Western Maryland Railway. In 1973 the three railroads were brought together under one corporate identity, the Chessie System, although they continued to operate as separate railroads. In 1980 the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries, a holding company that owned the Seaboard Coast Line, the Louisville & Nashville, the Clinchfield, and the Georgia Railroad, agreed to form CSX Corporation. SCL Industries was renamed the Seaboard System Railroad (SBD) in 1983, the same year that the Western Maryland Railway was completely absorbed into the B&O. SBD was renamed CSX Transportation (CSX) in 1986. On April 30, 1987, the B&O's corporate existence ended when it was absorbed into the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, which merged into CSX Transportation on August 31 of that year. Tech Info: DJI Mavic 3 Classic Drone, RAW, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2000, ISO 210. Purchase at this link below! https://fineartamerica.com/.../csx-heritage-series...
Worldwide Railfan Productions shared

Screenshot @ 0:16
Andy Harris Robinson: 6 inches
Brandon Chase: Bet that guy on top needed new underwear
Andy Harris Robinson: Brandon Chase one of them did it was 3 of us up there .. he wanted to get down.
[I was going to find a hydrologic chart until I noticed that the above comments are three years old.]
George Robert Hill: Henderson River Front

Bob Kyle shared
Destin Tillman: I've had my fist touch the bridge between the radar and the trusses (L/B).... took the radar down to get an extra foot of clearance to grab our barges and go.

An 8:26 video of an intermodal train going south across the viaduct     Around 2:40, it has drone video of a DPU and soon we see the bridge.

A 5:51 video of replacing concrete-tie track with wood-tie track.


4 comments:

  1. Here is a distant image showing the entire floodplain under water: https://flic.kr/p/b7RbFg

    ReplyDelete
  2. Here is a morning image of a Southbound about to start the grade segment leading to the bridge over the Ohio River: https://flic.kr/p/bq7d3w

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  3. Here are a selection of images on my Flickr page if you care to browse! :https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=42474750%40N07&sort=date-taken-desc&text=rahm&view_all=1

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the share. Just today I came across a request for photos of Chessie or C&O American cranes, so I provided him a link to your crane photo.

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