Western Railroad Discussion > Answer: 4 ~ 6 inches*

Date: 08/26/16 03:30
Answer: 4 ~ 6 inches*
Author: santafe199

*That’s the answer to my speculation in yesterday’s thread: “If the train doesn’t show…”

I went out shooting Wednesday with a very faithful canine railfan companion. My Jack Russell co-pilot loves to go chasing trains! She knows what they are by name and will get excited at the phrase “go shoot some trains”. It’s normal Jack Russell nature to take on an animal 5 times their size and think it’s a even match. I think Daisy had the same idea about trains until she experienced her first one close-up. I was in my car at a crossing, ready to shoot out my window. Daisy had her paws on my right leg watching. As I focused on my long telephoto shot I heard her growling in preparation for a barking jag. I got my shots and turned to watch her. Just as the first bark was forming the engineer laid on his rather loud horn for the first long blast of the classic 4-honk crossing sequence. When that happened Daisy’s aggressive growl turned into a mouse fart. Her ears laid back and she knew she was defeated. So now she will sure watch a train as it rolls by…

On our way home Mr “mg8711” texted me a heads-up about a couple of KP trains. (see this thread from yesterday: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,4106356 ). I could see some energetic weather building in the western sky so I contemplated the possibility of getting some interesting background weather shots. I stopped at Bailey Rd just west of Rossville, KS. I watched the sky & waited for a train. It gets a lot more interesting in these captions, especially if you’re a dog lover:

1. At 5:35 PM I had what was probably my best shot composure. The ONLY things lacking were a yellow nose and the triangle of bright lights coming at me to give balance to the right hand side of my frame. Alas, the train would take another 32 minutes to arrive on the scene

2. At 5:56 PM the atmospheric scene has been completely altered, just like a giant kaleidoscope! Shafts of sunlight are now slicing down through the storm clouds like laser beams. Both images 1 & 2 are looking more or less SW.

3. At 5:59 PM I turned 180 degrees and shot this image. Good old Kansas cornfield, looking about ready to cut.
(is that Margaret Hamilton way up there on that tiny broom???)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/16 08:55 by santafe199.

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Date: 08/26/16 03:34
Re: Answer: 4 ~ 6 inches*
Author: santafe199

It was at this juncture I decided to let Daisy out of the car to “go do her job”. I was sorta planning ahead, not knowing if things would develop into a chase eastward. Daisy did her usual run around and sniff routine looking for a place to squat. She was just getting into position when a rogue lightning/thunder strike exploded a few hundred feet over our heads. The electric blue light & ear-splitting crackle ran a jolt of pure adrenalin through my nervous system! And Daisy’s as well, I suspect. Involuntarily I looked up in the sky. But as I did so out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a little white dog re-connecting with Terra Firma. I didn’t see her actual jump, but I can definitely say she was airborne. I estimated a vertical jump of 4 inches or more. That may not sound like much until you realize Jack Russell terriers aren’t exactly built very high in the air. In her mind she must have thought this calling card from Mother Nature was some loud animal running around in the cornfield. She hit the ground running and with ears perked straight up and nose to the trail! She buzzed in & out if that corn field a few times. She just knew something was in there. It was all I could do to get her back into the car…

4. At 6:17 PM Daisy is still convinced there is “something” in that cornfield she needs to go chasing after…

5. At 6:19 PM UP 5150 shows up solitary with a rather disappointing looking local train M-TPTP. It was solid empty DODX & variations of TTX flats, obviously out of Ft Riley bound for somewhere to be loaded with military equipment. “Hey Uncle Pete, you’re LATE by 32 minutes!”

6. At 6:20 PM FRED is receding into an already clearing eastern sky.
(6 photos & 2 near-electrocutions at Bailey Rd crossing just west of Rossville, KS on August 24, 2016)

Thanks for looking!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/16 03:39 by santafe199.