CF&E Action/Short Line Action.

[FCIN]

Got a call from my conductor friend on R J Corman Thursday Sep 1st, that they were headed to Shelbyville, KY, to work Macro Plastics on the Bloomfield Branch. Macro is about the last active customer on this 2.5 mile former L&N industrial spur in Shelbyville and since I hadn't managed to catch RJC working the branch, I threw myself together and drove the 25 miles to Shelbyville.

By the time I caught up with them, they had just finished placing two cars of plastic pellets at Macro and pulling one empty. Here's a shot of the Macro Plastics facility and the spur where the plastic pellets are unloaded. 5 cars can be spotted and unloaded here. Nice grade huh?     Conductor Mark Johnson has just tied in the air on the empty and they're getting ready to shove the car back to the NS crossing and to the junction with the main line in downtown Shelbyville.     Here's a photo of the track looking northward from Macro Plastics. Rated for 10mph, the crew rarely exceeds 5mph on this branch and with good reason. As Mark said, the ties are just for looks! Actually was in the same shape when I worked for the L&N in the 70's.     Shoving the empty ahead of them with Mark riding the rear, RJCC 7709 a former Conrail GP38-2 crosses Old Brunertown Rd     I drove on ahead and made my way to the NS crossing and took this shot of the crossing gate and derail as a Loram rail grinder passed by on NS.