Going back in time a bit. Last Thursday my schedule prevented me from getting out at my usual time to shoot Providence & Worcester train NR-2 on their way south. But that was a good thing in a way.
How can that be good? Well, I got a hold of a bit of information a little while after I would have left to catch NR-2. That information was this – NR-2 wouldn’t be running, and NR-3 was on their way out of Plainfield, and would be heading all the way to Fairview to work Spicer gas – something they don’t normally do. The stuff south of Dow Chemical and MP5 is NR-2s territory. OK, since NR-3 was heading this far south, I could work in a couple shots. A check of a little math, and my schedule, told me I had a window I could head out in and hopefully time it right and catch NR-3 in Ledyard.
So I left when I figured the timing would be right, and I set my sights on Red Top. I figured with a cloudy day, the shot from the west side of the tracks would work out. Plus I haven’t shot from around Red Top in a while.
After parking the car in the cul-de-sac, I grabbed my gear and started walking around the Red Top area, determining the shot I wanted. I figured on a long telephoto shot of the train coming past the station sign, then a going away shot of the train rolling along the causeway to the south.
A couple minutes after picking my spot, the scanner picked up the chirp from NR-3s marker. That would put them within a couple miles of my position. A few minutes after that, NR-3s headlight peeked over the crest of the grade to the north. So I got a quartet of long shots as the train pulled up the grade.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:8445] [cpg_imagefixthumb:8444] [cpg_imagefixthumb:8443] [cpg_imagefixthumb:8442]Next was the shot I was aiming for to the north
[cpg_imagefixthumb:8441]And a quick switch to the wide angle for the train rolling past me
[cpg_imagefixthumb:8440]Then finally the other angle – along the causeway, from the Thames River side.
[cpg_imagefixthumb:8439] [cpg_imagefixthumb:8438]With the walk back to the car, that gave me enough time to get back to the office. So I didn’t persue the train any further south.
Thanks for looking!
Tom
