Lunch with CDOT, P&W and Amtrak in Old Saybrook

Well, due to other commitments, I couldn’t make it out for my normal AM walk today. So I figured some stairs may be in order instead, so I opted to eat my lunch on the road, and head to the Old Saybrook Amtrak station for lunch. I was hoping to get lucky and catch at least Providence & Worcester’s train NR-2 or NH-1, and maybe an Acela. Well, I’d get all that and a little something else.

While traveling down I-95 towards Old Saybrook, I heard the Amtrak Shore Line dispatcher talking to some extra at Old Saybrook. I couldn’t make out who it was – maybe it was a work train. That would make an interesting start. As I got off the highway and started towards the station, I heard P&W train NH-1 working near the wye. OK, I’ll get a freight too. Then the Shore Line dispatcher came back again – this time it sounded like she said something about a CDOT press extra? Interesting. As I pulled into the station parking lot, I saw a set of the newly repainted CDOT coaches, but no power on the western end of the train as you would typically see on a CDOT/Shore Line East train. So I got out and looked – the power was on the east end, nestled below the pedestrain overpass.

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3014]

And a shot looking the other way, getting some of the new coaches:

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3031]

A couple minutes later (and right after I dropped my 18-50mm f/2.8 lens on the platform, only to lose the lens cap over the side…phew!) , the train pulled out. Armed with my new toy (the Sigma 2x teleconverter), I got a couple shots of the train pulling away from the station on track 1

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3030] [cpg_imagefixthumb:3029]

The second one is at the longest end of the lens/converter combo – 400mm. Love the way it accentuates the heat waves!

Of course, I noticed some different stuff, and gave it a try – there’s a pile of old rail piled up by the east leg of the wye

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3028]

Just as I grabbed those shots, the automated warning system announced that a train was coming. A quick glance to the west showed an Acela heading towards the station at track speed. So I got one shot of it far off in the wavy haze, and one as it came out of it

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3027] [cpg_imagefixthumb:3026]

While all that was happening, P&W train NR-2 arrived, and they were swapping cars and power with NH-1. I grabbed one shot of Rod bringing back a set of power to tie onto NR-2 for the trip west. The train in the foreground is the tail end of NH-1, which will end up gettting two of the engines that Rod is backing up.

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3025]

And an angle of NH-1 waiting, and departing caught my eye, so of course I shot it.

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3024] [cpg_imagefixthumb:3023]

Then they were off into the haze to the west of the station

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3022]

So it was back to NR-2 to the east of the station. Tom saw me and came over for a short chat while he was waiting for the other two locomotives to finish their move off of the west leg of the wye and head back east. A few minutes later, he headed back to work, so of course I grabbed a shot of him.

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3021]

And one of Rod walking down the east leg of the wye

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3020]

Then the two shoved the cut of cars up the west leg.

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3019] [cpg_imagefixthumb:3018]

Then it was time for me to head out. But I wasn’t done shooting quite yet. On the way back, I swung by the overlook to the south of the Thames River drawbridge in Groton to check on the progress. Well, it looks like they stripped the forms on what appears to be the last pour of concrete on the eastern pier (don’t quote me on that – I’m only going on observation, and I haven’t seen the plans). So I grabbed a couple shots.

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3017] [cpg_imagefixthumb:3016]

And I also grabbed a shot of a fishing vessel moored to the state pier across the river.

[cpg_imagefixthumb:3015]

Which finished up my day of testing of the new 2x teleconverter. So far, I’m pretty happy with it. So it all got packed up, and I drove the mile or so south to the parking lot for the rest of the day.

Thanks for looking!
Tom