Well, the weather guys got it a bit wrong…again. They were saying it would clear up overnight and we’d have a great day today. Bzzzzzt!! It started out hazy, foggy & humid and ended up about the same. Oh, well, I still got out for my walk this morning. And not only did I catch the usual Providence & Worcester train NR-2, but I did snag a few different ships in the Thames, along with a P&W hyrail doing an inspection.
I headed out a bit earlier than normal today, since NR-2 has been quite early the past few mornings. By the time I got to the Nautilus, the Worcester dispatcher was giving NR-2 an update to their Form D, granting them permission to travel the tracks between MP12 and MP6. That meant they were north of Norwich – confirmed a minute later by NR-2 reporting they were south of MP13 – and someting, most likely a hyrail, was just south of MP6.
As I got to Mill Cove in Ledyard I saw a red pickup truck rolling down the rails – yep it was a hyrail in front of NR-2 doing a routine inspection of the Norwich Branch. I got a shot of him crossing the inlet to Mill Cove.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4160]
A few minutes later, he reported to the dispatcher that he was inside Fairview’s yard limits, which in turn prompted the dispatcher to give NR-2 permission to head all the way into Fairview. And as usual, they reported their position – this time around MP10. So that gave me a good 5-7 minutes to decide what I was going to do.
Today I brought along my Zeiss-Ikon Nettar 515/2 folding 6cm x 9cm medium format camera, loaded with a roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 ASA film. I walked around looking for shots I could take with the black & white film. One shot struck my eye – a rendition of this shot that was featured in the September 2005 issue of CTC Board – Railroads Illustrated. So I picked my spot, used my 20D to meter the scene, dialed in the settings and waited.
A couple minutes later, NR-2 began sounding for the crossings at Dow Chemical a mile to the north. Showtime! I got one shot of the lead engine – a nice and shiny 4001 – through the trees prior to getting the shot with the Nettar.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4159]
Then once I got my shot on film, I got a telephoto of the entire train heading down the causeway
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4158]
Next stop was the Thames River drawbridge.
I picked the spot close to the bridge because I wanted to get a couple black & white shots too. But when I got there, Amtrak train 171 was heading west across the bridge – missed them. But not more than 30 seconds later, an eastbound came rattling across the drawbridge with a pair of AEM-7 “toasters” ont he point.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4157]
Next up, the Amtrak Shore Line dispatcher gave NR-2 permission to head out of Groton interlocking, but would have to approach New London slowly, as the Shaw’s Cove swing bridge was open for some boat traffic. So I got a shot of NR-2 crawling across the bridge – both on film and digital.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4156]
Not bad. Time to head a bit south for a couple more shots. But as I climbed into the car, something to the south caught my eye. It was the US Coast Guard cutter Eagle being helped into her berth by Fort Trumbull by a tug! Change of plans…
A couple minutes later, I got to my spot and grabbed a shot of the tall ship being eased into position by the tug boat
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4155]
And I grabbed a shot of a pleasure boat heading north in the river
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4154]
Then a shot of the Scoter still unloading those metal plates (copper, I think, but I’m not positive)
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4153]
And a smaller boat, equipped with fishing gear, came speeding down the channel, heading for a day on the Sound
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4152]
Now that the Eagle was near the dock, I got a shot of her, with Fort Trumbull in the frame
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4151]
Just then, NR-2 was beginning to head towards Shaw’s Cove. But something else caught my eye – another tall ship! The Mystic Whaler was preparing to get underway, and was backing away from her mooring in New London as NR-2 rolled through the station.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4150]
Then a shot of NR-2, with a pair of channel markers in the foreground.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4149]
And the entire train across Shaw’s Cove
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4148]
As NR-2 was clearing the signals at Shaw’s, the Mystic Whaler was hoisting her sails.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4147]
A couple minutes later, NR-2 was heading back for the NECR lead, so I got a shot of the train, with the Mystic Whaler now that her sails were fully hoisted on the masts
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4146]
And a really loooong shot – NR-2s trailing power crossing the trestle over Winthrop Cove – I would guess this is a good mile and a half away from where I was standing.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4145]
Finally, I got a couple more shots of the Mystic Whaler, now fully under wind power, tacking away from New London, and eventually south in the Thames River channel.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:4144] [cpg_imagefixthumb:4143]
Not too bad… A look at the watch confirmed my feeling – it was time to head back. So I traveled the mile or so south, and headed back into the air conditioned confines of my office.
Thanks for looking!
Tom
