Lucky Me

There's an old song that talks about how some days are diamonds. From a railfanning perspective today was one of those for me.

After finishing up the paperwork from today's work, a little railfanning adventure seemed to be in order. The River Sub was calling and so I headed south from Red Wing. After a brief stop at the Flower Valley Road crossing, something compelled me to continue southward. As it was only a little way to the Frontenac siding, I soon spotted a loaded COLX train waiting for a meet. This was pretty good evidence of a westbound, and the railfan senses were set to high alert. Sure enough, I was just getting up to speed after the 40 mph zone through Frontenac when the expected headlight appeared, moving fast. The leader was blue and yellow ICE 6451, and it was joined at the head end by three more SD's wearing the same paint scheme.

My first thought was how quick could I turn around and give chase. My second thought was how badly this was going to hurt MN Chris. And my third thought was I hoped there were no state troopers around. After waiting a few seconds for the cars speeding past me to clear I managed to reverse course and start the catch up game. And then I was back in the 40 mph speed zone for Frontenac, seeing the meager amount of ground I had gained melt away. Finally, the two cars in front of me started to speed up and once again I was passing the railcars rather than the reverse. There weren't many miles between my location and Red Wing, and if I didn't catch up before that all hope would be lost. Finally, just as I reached the still-stopped coal train, I was even with the blue and yellow quartet. My speed was limited to just above the speed limit by traffic, and crossed fingers were the order of the day.

Upon reaching Flower Valley Road and making it across the tracks before the gates started dropping, I quickly exited the car and dashed across the road to the music of the 6451's horn. I quickly snapped off this photo:


The all-EMD lashup swept around the corner and approached quickly, and my final shot got them much closer to the crossing. With access to PSE, this would look better as this shot could use a dash of USM, but here it is anyway:


And then, they were gone. I must confess, I sat in the Escape at the crossing, reveling in the sight of the four vintage engines charging northwest with a long freight train trailing behind. Needing to share the experience I posted a quick report to Facebook about NAILING four blue and yellows.

One of the things that I love about railfanning is the exhilaration when things go just right. That might mean lots of well-lit trains, a meet shot, great company on a railfan outing, catching a rare move (for example, the 4449 traversing the Staples Sub), or stumbling upon a really killer consist like this set of power. Lots of the time fanning can be mundane, an enjoyable way to pass time, and a great hobby. But once in a while it surpasses that, and to me at least offers great excitement and a feeling of reward. That's how I was feeling as I sat at that crossing. I did nothing to deserve this show, and still was rewarded with the appearance of these handsome locomotives. It's the kind of rare experience I'll have great memories of and will be able to share with lots of other people. Thanks CP, and keep up the good work!

Red Wing Day 3-or "How I Drove 225 Miles to see a BNSF Coal Train"

Any of its few faithful readers will know that one of the most common subjects of this humble journal is the BNSF coal train. Living in Wadena and travelling the Highway 10 corridor gives me almost countless opportunties at shooting these trains, which are commonly powered by EMD SD70MAC locos. One of the attractions of shooting along the River Sub was the chance to broaden my horizon, so to speak, by working other roads into my photographic gallery.

On this, my last evening along the CP, (see the first day here, and the second day here)I decided to once again visit the Maple Springs area. After arriving there, I settled down with a novel to wait for the arrival of a train. I waited for over an hour before the eastbound signal lit up green, which forced me to head to the other end of the curve and prepare for a backlit shot. Imagine my surprise when this old friend rolled around the curve and out of the trees. This is one of the COLX trains that we see so often on the Staples Sub between Dilworth and Coon Creek.


I clicked away madly as he made his way around the curve with the heavy train. This image is probably my favorite from the whole trip. I love the contrast between the shaded and sunny sides, the glow of the greenery, and the way the right side of the image is framed by the tree.


After a quick run to Wabasha chasing this train (bonus-the DPU was BNSF 9999, one of my faves), I headed back to Maple Springs to wait again. After about half an hour, with no action, I decided to call it a night. However, just to the north, I came across a CP train waiting in a siding. I figured this meant a westbound was coming so I high-tailed it back south just in time to catch this.


Once again, the chase was on. I decided to have a go at him at my old faithful curve south of Red Wing, but ran out of light.

All in all, my impressions of the area are as follows: the scenery is gorgeous, and there are numerous spots to get great shots of trains passing through it. Traffic relatively steady, and Amtrak might be passing through during daylight, especially if you head far enough south (for #7) or are shooting in the morning (#8). Scouting the area will pay dividends in getting good photo angles. There are many shots that I don't have any idea how to shoot, for example, areas where the track is below the highway or the trees are so thick you can barely see the trains.

It's a great part of the state, and I can't wait to get another chance to visit.

Jim

First Impressions of the River Sub

Monday June 22 found me bound for southeast Minnesota. In the past I have spent the evenings in Zumbrota, but this trip I decided to establish my base in Red Wing. It's a bigger town with more hotel and restaurant options. It's also right on the CP River Sub so there were some railfan opportunties involved as well.

After I checked into my hotel, I decided to do a bit of exploring. This is a completely different kind of terrain than I am used to and it calls for a different approach. I caught a DP westbound through town just a few minutes after setting out, but the shot I got at a grade crossing in town was very crowded. I decided to head south and see what opportunities were available.

Just south of town I found a curve that seemed to have promise. Once again, I didn't have to wait too long for a train-and he was even heading into the sun! This is probably the best shot I got although the shadow from the crossing gate really irks me.


Next I headed further south to scout the area. Imagine my surprise when I met Amtrak's Empire Builder westbound at track speed! I made a quick u-turn and gave chase, which allowed me to catch but not pass the train by the time I got back to the curve in the photo above. I grabbed a going away shot but won't post it. Knowing Red Wing was a stop, I rushed into town, past the depot, and set up on an overpass to wait for him to come by. Sadly, the light disappeared before #7 appeared. I packed it in and headed back to my motel, which was just across the street from the tracks, and listened to CP freights pass by well into the evening.

I had a location in mind, and decided to try and be prepared for the Builder the next evening. With a plan and a long drive behind me, it was off to bed with visions of red GE's dancing in my head. So ended my first day along the River Sub.