The rear motor on a five engine set is a surprise. One never knows what they'll use for power on the Q542, though the switcher is probably being shuffled from Knoxville to Corbin yard.

Loading with a wheel loader, three at a time, generally takes six hours. The unit train is cut into two halves with three motors for each half.

Let the loading begin. With 8,000 tons of coal above our heads, the first mpty is loaded from the control room at the Kopper Glo prep plant.

On a sweltering summer day with humidty so thick you could cut it, coal is loaded the oldfashioned way at Mountain Energy Resources. The Model 4200 Trackmobile is shuffling mtys one at a time unde... (more)

So shiny you can see reflections in the paint, Operation Lifesaver Special 975 is shown in a closeup after arriving back from Kenova Yard.

Watseka Farmers & Grain 7210, an ex-LTV Mining Alco, idles away beside the mammoth grain elevator at Pittwood, IL.

Making the ground literally shake, two SDs roar out of Hickory Creek #1 tunnel and across Hickory Creek. The helper shack at Chaska has just asked them to make it to Oaks and everything is maxed o... (more)

A frontend loader gets down as it loads a Top Gon. Not seen very often, this style of loading coal in Appalachia is very expensive due to fuel costs though is a necessity when there are no loadout... (more)

Showing the notched ceiling for the upcoming doublestacks, Antler Number Two tunnel is ready for business when the corridor project is completed.

Grain train G796 needs no help today with three motors for the Duff Mountain grade. Good thing as the helper crew has just turned their motor and the helper equipment isn't cooperating.

Loading coal the hard way with frontend loaders. The old loadout has fallen into disrepair behind the stockpile and beltlines.

Grain train G930 heads south over Hogcamp Branch with a helper on the end. The helper will get stuck at North Kilsyth after cutting off, allowing four northbounds to pass. What a day.

Jewell Smokeless Coal loadout. Did I say coal?

Sporting an eclectic mix of power thru the rugged Hickory Creek gorge, the daily Q539 ambles out of Tunnel #1 enroute to Knoxville. An SD40-2 and slug bring up the rear of the power.

Pulling a gaggle of seven engines including an SD50, SD60M, Dash 8, MP15DC, and a B36-7, the hillhelper powers up in a rare move to pull Q540 north over Duff Mountain.