BNSF and CN meet at Reevesville Illinois Kids T-Shirt

BNSF and CN meet at Reevesville, Illinois

On January 2nd, 2020 a empty BNSF grain train sits in the siding at Reevesville, Illinois as a empty CN coal train heads north, on CN's Bluford Subdivision, under the old Illinois Central Steam Train coaling tower.

According to Wikipedia: A coaling tower, coal stage or coaling station was a facility used to load coal as fuel into railway steam locomotives. Coaling towers were often sited at motive power depots or locomotive maintenance shops.

Coaling towers were constructed of wood, steel-reinforced concrete, or steel. In almost all cases coaling stations used a gravity fed method, with one or more large storage bunkers for the coal elevated on columns above the railway tracks, from which the coal could be released to slide down a chute into the waiting locomotive's coal storage area. The method of lifting the bulk coal into the storage bin varied. The coal usually was dropped from a hopper car into a pit below tracks...

Jim worked as a photojournalist for The Messenger Newspaper in Madisonville, Kentucky for 17 years, a daily newspaper that serves the Western Kentucky market. Before that he served as a Photojournalist in the United States Air Force for 24 years, where he traveled the world photographing military operations as a member of Combat Camera. Today he freelances and produces Fine Art Photography that intrigues him and hopefully you the viewer. For information on availability for freelance assignments contact: Jim Pearson 4665 Earlington Road Madisonville, Ky 42431 jim@jimpearsonphotography.com