Every so often you get put in a situation where a train can be shot over and over. That happened to me yesterday, and I took advantage as best I could.
Due to some family issues, Mrs. L4T and I have made the trip from Duluth to International Falls and back 3 times in the past week. My wife has even more of these trips under her belt in the preceeding weeks. It's a long, boring, and recently, very cold drive. Last week the drive was brightened a bit when I got my first decent photo of a train along Highway 53 near Ash Lake. That train must have made a meet, given his slow speed leaving Ash Lake South. Since I was headed north that day, I only got one shot at that train.
Similar situation yesterday, but this time I was headed the same direction as the train. I even was a bit ready for the train as I had just spotted a northbound and suspected there might have been a meet. Sure enough, this guy was just getting underway. This first shot is just after the power crested the hill at the south end of the siding.
I moved a little way down the road to get him again, this time working in an edge of the rock cut the highway travels through in this area, paralleling the tracks.
CN has been doing some work on the ROW just north of Cusson, where the track curves away from the highway for a short distance, then rejoins it again. Here the train is once more, now getting close to track speed as he rounds the corner.
I raced to the overpass on the north edge of Orr for what I thought would be my final shot.
The train must have slowed going through Orr as I was able to catch up near the bridge south of town, for one final frame showing the mis-matched power set.
At that point, the tracks disappear into the wilderness east of the Highway. Someday I will explore that area and see if there are interesting shots to be had, but on this day we had to get back to Duluth. Many thanks to Mrs. L4T and her mom for their patience as we waited for a couple of these shots. Couldn't do it without their support!
