‘Invisible’ L&N Heritage Units

It may not be obvious but you are looking at two Louisville & Nashville heritage units.

No, CSX GP38-3 No. 2031 and SD40-3 No. 4065 are not wearing any L&N markings. But both units were purchased by the L&N decades ago.

Neither unit, though, came from the EMD factory looking like they do in this photograph of CSX southbound manifest freight Q561 in Hamilton, Ohio.

They were delivered as, respectively, a GP38-2 and an SD40-2. A few years ago CSX rebuilt each locomotive and in the process gave it a new squared-off cab that some wags have described as SpongeBob SquareCab after a children’s cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants.

In case you were wondering, the 2031 was built in April 1972 as L&N No. 4061. The 4065 emerged as L&N 8074.

The train they are helping to pull will soon complete its journey from Selkirk Yard near Albany, New York, to Queeesgate Yard in Cincinnati.

The image was made last Friday on the joint line used by southbound CSX and Norfolk Southern trains in Hamilton.

Article and Photograph by Craig Sanders

Running Light

CSX GP38-3 2000 is running light heading westbound to Sterling. The unit is shown on Feb. 28, 2020 in Warwick.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

When I think of Clinton

I spent many a day watching and photographing CSX trains in the part of Clinton, Ohio, that used to be Warwick.

I always think of Clinton as a bucolic kind of place with enough scenery to make it interesting.

When Clinton comes to mind so do images such as this one made by Bob Farkas on Feb. 17.

The CSX New Castle Subdivision heads generally southwestward out of Akron and even dips virtually due south behind turning to head northwestward at Warwick.

That bend to the west-northwest is in downtown Warwick, such as the downtown is.

Shown is GP38-3 No. 2000 running long hood forward with the D750 coming eastbound around the curve.

Photograph by Robert Farkas