ShortlinesUSA
10-23-2009, 10:08 PM
Some of you may be familiar with (or heard tales of) a lime green coal train that used to ply the rails of the L&N and then Seaboard System in the southeast. The "railroad" was called the Oneida & Western, and was actually a company-owned train operated for the Shamrock Coal Company. This way, the company did not have to worry about the availability of railroad cars and locomotives for delivery of its product.
There were 8 SD40-2s built to L&N specifications, two trainsets (usually run at 72 cars), and two cabooses (UP CA-11 type bay window) all painted in the unusual paint scheme.
I was fortunate enough to live near the destination coal plant for many of these trains-- SCE&G's Bushy Park power station, known as "Middleton trains" on SBD and now CSX. I was in my early teens, and my photography during this time period could pretty much be summed up in one term-- awful. In reviewing my slides recently, only a handful of presentable images have been found. This particular shot is at the south end of Bennett Yard in Charleston, while the train awaits a new crew to continue to Atlanta. This is a 25 year old Kodachrome 25, and it looks like it was taken yesterday. I can't say the same for the Ektachromes in my collection. I preferred E6 for better turn around time (much like the youth of today prefer digital for the instant results), but in retrospect would have my whole collection on Kodachrome until it turned to the failing product now replaced by Provia for me.
There were 8 SD40-2s built to L&N specifications, two trainsets (usually run at 72 cars), and two cabooses (UP CA-11 type bay window) all painted in the unusual paint scheme.
I was fortunate enough to live near the destination coal plant for many of these trains-- SCE&G's Bushy Park power station, known as "Middleton trains" on SBD and now CSX. I was in my early teens, and my photography during this time period could pretty much be summed up in one term-- awful. In reviewing my slides recently, only a handful of presentable images have been found. This particular shot is at the south end of Bennett Yard in Charleston, while the train awaits a new crew to continue to Atlanta. This is a 25 year old Kodachrome 25, and it looks like it was taken yesterday. I can't say the same for the Ektachromes in my collection. I preferred E6 for better turn around time (much like the youth of today prefer digital for the instant results), but in retrospect would have my whole collection on Kodachrome until it turned to the failing product now replaced by Provia for me.