Ahhh, the last one and I’m caught up. This one is from last week, when I got out after a fresh snowfall. I decided to mix things up a bit, and not only shoot at a spot where I haven’t been in a while, but also shoot from the “wrong” side of the tracks. It’ll be a quickie – only a couple shots, but I think they turned out rather well.
Last Wednesday I was able to get out well ahead of Providence & Worcester train NR-2, and head up to a spot I used to frequent – Stoddard Hill State Park near the Ledyard/Preston town line. As I was driving up Route 12, I heard the call over the scanner that NR-2 was south of MP12 and about 15 minutes out of the Sub Base. OK, since I was within a half mile or so of Stoddard Hill, I figured I could make it out there, park the truck, and hike out to the south side of the cove for a shot or two – the train was a good 4 or so miles away, so it would be close, but doable.
I got to Stoddard, parked the truck, grabbed my gear – the 40D with the telephoto, and the 20D with the wide angle – and made my way to the tracks. As I started walking south, I heard a marker chirp on the scanner – which typically meant they were within a mile or two. A glimpse to the north confirmed that – I saw NR-2s headlights north of the Mohegan Pequot bridge. Should work out nicely.
I got into position, and had originally planned on a shot on the eastern side of the tracks – the side that’s closest to the cove, and also on the sunlit side. But a quick look around, and I decided at the last minute – just as the train was approaching Poquetanuck Cove a half mile or so to the north – to switch to the shadow side of the tracks. Hey, it was worth a shot…
A few moments later, NR-2 rounded the bend to the north of me, and popped into the sunlight, all the time blowing the fresh snow off the tracks.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:8485]Then a quick switch to the wide angle to get the train rolling past me, with the snowy Stoddard Hill in the background
[cpg_imagefixthumb:8484]As fast as it came into view, it was around the bend, and out of sight south of MP7. So I hiked back to the truck, and headed back to the office. A nice brisk walk, with a couple keepers to boot!
Thanks for looking!
Tom
