Convergence in Willimantic – P&W and NECR

The email came in late yesterday evening – the last daylight Willimantic extra will be running on Saturday (today) from Plainfield to Willimantic to pick up some hot cars for Worcester (a new job is starting that will run nightly from Plainfield to Willimantic, and will be symboled NR-4). So I droppped Bob LaMay a quick email to see if he’d be interested in another joint chase. He said yep, and we planned on meeting up in the morning – somewhere around Plainfield, which is where the train would be starting out at 7am. Like last time, my time was limited and I wouldn’t be able to chase the train in both directions, but it would turn out to be a great morning, with an unexpected twist in Willimantic.

I got to Plainfield a bit before 7, so I pulled down by the old diamond, and waited for some sign of either Bob or the train. After about 10 minutes, I began to hear radio chatter – the crew was getting the power ready to head out of the engine house. So I figured I might call Bob next to see where he’s at. He was down the road at Packer’s Pond, so he figured he’d head up my way to catch the train getting ready to leave Plainfield.

A few minutes later, Bob pulled in, and we chatted for a while. While chatting, the scanner locked onto the New England Central frequency as train 608 got their track warrant to work between MP 32 (Willimantic) and the New London north yard limits. That meant that they’d be out of town by the time the P&W pulled into the yard. Oh, well. Not too much longer after that, a pair of GE B40-8s came into view, and pulled a pair of cars out of one of the sidings.

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While the train was getting ready, we decided to try a different vantage point – on top of the retaining wall adjacent to the new lead to the Willimantic Branch. Not long after we got to the top, the train came into view with the pair of cars that would be going to Willimantic to be interchanged with the New England Central.

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The train then backed up to retrieve and mount the marker on the end of the train. While they were doing this out of view, I got a shot with the fisheye of the former diamond area, which is now a zig-zag of tracks

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After a few minutes, the train was again heading in our direction. This time I went with the wide angle lens, and got a pair of shots as the consist went past us. A quick note, in the first shot, notice where the track used to go towards the diamond, just below the lead locomotive.

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Next was the telephoto showing the crew – today with two guys on the ground – lining the switch to head onto the Norwich Branch main.

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Followed by a shot of the two guys riding the shove north on the main

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And a nice portrait type shot of one of the guys

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Then a going away shot of the second guy

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As the train passed by, Bob & I moved back down to ground level to get a shot of the train approaching the Willimantic Branch lead switch

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While they got ready to head west on the Willi branch, we headed down to the Route 14A crossing for a different angle of the train coming around the new track by the retaining wall and heading west

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Watching the train roll through the crossing, and getting a friendly wave from the cab, Bob & I then decided to head west to Packer’s Pond. Bob was going to opt for the sunlit side, but I went for the side where I’d be shooting into the sun. So I parked the car, grabbed my camera and hiked my way down into the river. About the only unobstructed angle was on a rock actually in the river. So I made my way to the rock and got there just before the train came into view. Let me tell you, I’m glad I went with that angle. Here’s a trio of shots from the “wrong side” of the tracks.

First up is a vertical shot of the lead locomotive heading across the bridge

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And a tighter shot a couple seconds later

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Then finally more of a silhouette shot of the trailing locomotive and first car of the train

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As the train rolled out of view, I made my way out of the river and back to the car, headed for the next spot – off of Buttsbridge Road overlooking the P&W bridge spanning Aspinook Pond.

I got there ahead of Bob, so I pulled off of the road, and made my way onto the bridge. As I was crossing the road, Bob came rolling across the bridge and parked behind me, joining me at our shooting spot.

A minute or so later, the familiar low rumble came at us, and the train rolled onto the bridge over the icy pond

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Even before the train was off of the bridge, we headed back to the cars to leapfrog the 10 MPH train, and get to a spot in Versailles. As we were approaching a small stone arch bridge carrying the railroad over Kinsman Road, I took a left, following Route 138 towards Amgraph in Versailles, when I noticed Bob continued straight and went through the arch bridge. Hmmm, I guess he knows something I don’t. So I made a quick reversal and headed back to join Bob already in position.

About 5 minutes later, the train rolled over the arch bridge continuing its journey west

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A run back to the cars, and another sprint to get ahead of the train. We got ahead of them just west of Amgraph, and got a shot of the train passing below Riverside Drive

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Back to the cars, and our next stop – the Route 138 crossing in Baltic.

We got there a few minutes ahead of the train, giving us ample time to scout the scene and pick our spots. Bob went with a wider shot on the south side of the tracks, and I opted for a more elevated shot, shooting into the sun on the north side. This gave me a nice telephoto angle of the train coming through the S curve to the east of the crossing. It also meant I’d be shooting into the sun. That’s not a problem for me – the mist in the air would add to the mood of the shot…

The familiar GE rumble again came down the tracks ahead of the train, and moments later the pair of B40s came into view

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Zooming back out, one more shot of the train, just as it was approaching the crossing.

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And a going away shot of the entire consist heading for the Route 97 crossing in Baltic, not more than a half mile away.

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With the 10MPH limit imposed on the train, that half mile was easy to make up on the road and get ahead of them. We pulled off of the road to the west of the crossing to get a few shots. Bob again went with the wider shot at the crossing, and I went with the telephoto shot, again into the sun.

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Next one I saw coming – a car in the crossing ahead of the train. But the train was far enough away – the signals activated a couple seconds after the car rolled through

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After the train cleared the crossing, I got a going away shot of the lead power

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And the entire train heading into the trees, continuing west towards Willimantic.

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Bob took off as I was getting the going away shot, but we had decided our next spot would be the Scotland Dam. So that’s where I was headed.

I pulled in behind Bob’s already parked car, grabbed my gear, and started for the dam, where I found Bob already scouting around for angles. We talked a bit, and decided on a perch on the top of the rock cut adjacent to the dam. While scouting things out, I got a shot of Bob looking around for his angle.

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After that, he decided on an angle on the other side of the tracks. I stayed put on the top of the cut. I figured after the train went by, I’d move to the other end of the cut and get a couple shots as the train rolled around the curve to the west.

A handful of minutes later, that all too familiar rumble rolled up the Shetucket River valley, soon followed by a trio of headlights coming around the bend

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Another wave from the cab as they passed below me, and I was off to the other end of the cut. As I got there, the train got into position for the shot around the curve. I got a pair – one horizontal and one vertical, both with a slight reflection in the frozen Shetucket.

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And now the walk back to the car. Bob had a shorter distance since he began heading back soon after the train passed, while I was waiting for my shot to the west. As I was heading up the hill, he headed off towards South Windham – our next spot. I rolled out a couple minutes after him, and made my way, again, to the Shetucket River.

As the bridge came into view, I noticed something odd – Bob wasn’t there yet. Hmmm, and he had a good 2-3 minute head start on me. Oh, well, maybe he had a different spot in mind. So I parked in the lots by the tennis courts and made my way back up to Plains Road where I’d wait for the train.

While I was waiting, I saw a familiar car coming from the opposite direction that I came in from. It was Bob – apparently he went all the way around, down Route 203, up 32, and finally onto Plains Road by the IGA. He parked his car, and made his way down the side of the river in a hurry. As he was heading for the river side, I could hear horns in the distance – the train was approaching the Route 203 crossing, putting them a few minutes away from us.

While waiting I had contemplated also moving to the river bank, but looking around, and figuring out the timing just didn’t add up in my head, so I stayed put. A minute or so later, the train rolled across the bridge. I got a wide shot as the train was rolling west over the Shetucket

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Since I was closer to the cars, I headed out first and went to our next stop – east of the Frog Bridge on Pleasant Street in Willimantic. A few minutes later, Bob caught up and joined me there.

While we were waiting for the train’s arrival, we were listening to the scanner. Some interesting chatter was coming across. Apparently, New England Central train 608 was still in town – they needed a new conductor, so they didn’t get underway until just after we arrived in town. This would mean that the P&W would need to wait outside of the yard limits until 608 got their train together and headed south.

With that news, Bob & I decided to head for Bridge Street to see how the angles would work there. With nothing striking our fancy, we headed for the foot bridge over the middle of the yard – the sun works well from this angle at this time of day.

About 10 minutes later, the gates at Bridge Street dropped, and 608 came into view, with a RMPX leaser on the point

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Swapping to the wide angle, and repositioning myself, I got a shot of the train approaching the foot bridge, with some of Willimantic’s buildings in the background

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The train stopped near the Willimantic sign, where the conductor got off and cut the engines away to pick up the cars on one of the yard tracks

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They then backed down the track, grabbing a string of 9 loaded cars

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At that point, we decided to head back to the spot west of the Frog Bridge. As we got there, the train pulled under the bridge while they were finishing making up their train

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While we were waiting for them to finish up and head south, Bob got the idea to go a bit closer to the bridge. So we started hiking up towards the big copper frogs, and got there just as the train began moving south. A quick short sprint brought me to a spot where I could get the train, bridge & river into the same frame. The first shot I got one of the copper frogs in the frame, and at the opposite side is the waterfall in the river

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And as the train continued to move south, I panned a bit to the right, getting more of the river and waterfall in the frame, and cutting out the frog. I think this shot works better than the previous one…

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And a quick vertical with the lead locomotive and waterfall in the frame. Oh, yeah, and my shadow on the nose of the locomotive.

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Watching the 21 car train roll by, I swapped the wide angle for the telephoto, and got a shot of the train, arched through the frame, with one of Willimantic’s Victorian houses in the background.

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Yes, that’s our cars in the background too.

As soon as 608 cleared the yard limits, and reported that to the dispatcher, the P&W extra got their warrant to work in Willimantic. Soon after that, the train came rolling up the NECR main.

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And past the old American Thread mills

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Then under the Frog Bridge

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At that point, I checked the watch – it was time for me to head out. So I bid farewell to Bob – he was going to chase them east out of town – and made my way back home.

I had to make a quick stop on Main Street (Dunkin’ Donuts for a little treat for the wife & girls), and noticed the P&W power stopped near Bridge Street. One final shot for the day was in order.

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Not too bad of a morning.

A bit later on, I got a call from Bob – apparently they P&W picked up a number of cars from Willimantic (11 or 12 if I remember correctly) to bring to Plainfield. Too bad I couldn’t chase it back to Plainfield. Bob was planning on going as far as Packer’s Pond. Even without the chase back east, I still had a pretty good morning.

Thanks for looking!
Tom