With the wind whipping today, it made an already cold morning seem even colder. In fact it didn’t warm up much by lunchtime either – it was just an all around cold day. But I did manage to make my way out this morning for my walk & caught Providence & Worcester train NR-2 in Ledyard. Also needed to run an errand at lunch, and happened to get a few more shots on my way back to the office.
I headed out at the normal time, aiming for Mill Cove in Ledyard. As I was travelling north on Thames Street, NR-2 reported to the Worcester dispatcher that they were south of MP12 and about 15 minutes from the sub base. I should be able to get to the cove ahead of the train.
Not long after pulling into the parking lot at Erickson Park, I heard a marker chirp on the scanner. Since New England Central train 608 was still to the north, that only meant that NR-2 was in range. A second later, the P&W frequency locked in on the scanner and NR-2 reported that they were south of MP5 – otherwise known as only a mile away.
A quick ride to the south got me into position as NR-2 was moving across the Red Top crossing. A quick metering of the scene, and I dialed in the proper exposure as the train came into view. First shot was of the train hitting milepost 4 as the wind continued to gust from the northwest – right in my face.
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Then a quick series of 3 shots as the train moved onto the causeway between the cove and the river
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And a wider shot with the Harvard boat house in the frame
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Then one of the lead power crossing the inlet to the cove right in front of me
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And a pair of the trailing power as it approached the south end of the cove
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As the train slipped behind the tree line, I got back into the warmth of the car and headed back south. First stop was at the parking lot to the south of the Thames River drawbridge to check on the bridge’s progress. When I got there, I noticed that the crane barge was moved to the north side of the bridge. I got a couple shots of the ongoing work – the first one of the entire bridge
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And a closeup of the west tower as it continues towards completion
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Not too long after that, Amtrak train 171 was in the picture. So instead of the usual telephoto shots, I slapped the wide angle lens on, and headed up close to the road for a shot with some of the houses on the east bank of the river in the frame. Here’s a shot of 171 heading onto the bridge
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And according to the Shore Line dispatcher, NR-2 would be hot on 171’s heels. He wasn’t kidding – not long after 171 cleared, NR-2 was heading onto the bridge
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Then a quick zoom in, and a pan to the west, I got a shot of the entire train of NR-2, with the docks in the foreground
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At that point I called it a trip – not only because NR-2 was heading out of sight, but because I really couldn’t feel my face from the blisteringly cold wind. So I headed back to the office.
At lunch, I had to head out for a quick errand. On my way back over the Gold Star Bridge, I noticed that the crane was holding another piece of steel in the air above the west tower of the drawbridge. So I headed for the boat launch on the Groton side of the river to get a few shots on my way back to the office.
I got there, and the wind didn’t let up as compared to this morning. I still headed to the boat launch, and got a picture of a small tugboat heading north, and a pair of sheaves for the drawbridge sitting in the NECR yard across the river
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Then a wider shot of the west tower with the crane holding the steel in position
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Just then, I noticed that New England Central train 608 was working the north end of the New London yard. I got a shot as they were pulling north with the US Coast Guard Academy in the background.
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And finally a tighter shot of the crane holding the steel in position as workers secure it in place
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Again with a numb face and hands, I headed back to the warmth of the car, and eventually to the office for the remainder of the day.
Thanks for looking!
Tom
