Western Railroad Discussion > Any ol' yellow face will do

Q: What do you do when you know a train is imminent, but you are about 30 seconds tardy in getting to the crossing you have in mind for a photo? A. You hit the flashers, jump out and just grab whatever shot you can get!

Now the plot gets thicker… Yesterday afternoon I acted on a tip about a Ft Riley-bound military shipment coming my direction with CSXT power leading. So far in 2020 I’ve spent about 90% of my railfanning time in the driver’s seat of my scanner. It’s a combination of cold weather vs an aging body, plus the fact that I have enough scanning to do to keep me very busy until 5-6 years after I kick the bucket. But this tip was enough to get me outta the house and on the chase.

Heading east I was hoping to intercept the train before the sunshine was gone. I made it all the way to Topeka, but still no train. Now I knew a sunset series was possible. And the sun angle might paint some golden color on my target. But I wasn’t exactly enthused because the approaching CSXT color scheme would look only so-so in the potential sunset color. UP’s banana yellow would look much better! Then, as I was driving along NE Calhoun Bluff Rd (aka old US hwy 24) approaching my intended photo location and I saw that the crossing gates were down. Dang, my train was already here. Borne out of last second desperation I jumped out on the deserted roadway and fired away. To my pleasant surprise Uncle Pete came to my rescue with this local! So I guess all’s well that ends well.

1. UP 831 leads a westbound local train over the crossing at Calhoun Bluffs on the NE side of Topeka, KS on February 21, 2020.

Thanks for the heads up!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/20 09:09 by santafe199.

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NICE catch in the setting sun with an interesting narrative.

Larry

Always Plan A.  Grab shot at the least.
sd-45
 

Great catch.
John

NIICE..!!