This morning I had a chance to head out for my walk, unlike the latter part of last week. So I headed for Stoddard Cove in Ledyard to hopefully catch Providence & Worcester train NR-2. I got there what I estimated to be about 10 minutes before NR-2s arrival, giving me enough time to head to the south side of the cove and set up my two shots – one with the 20D and one with the Speed Graphic.
Once I got into position – aided by the low tide – a mother swan and her young offspring were paddling by picking some breakfast from the shallow bottom. Of course, I got a couple shots of them doing their thing.
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As I was taking those shots, I heard a horn in the distance. A peek over the tracks revealed a trio of headlights heading south under the Route 2A Mohegan-Pequot bridge, and they were on the eastern shore of the Thames. Here comes NR-2!
A couple minutes later, a growing rumble gave way to P&W train NR-2 appearing from behind the trees and onto the causeway between Stoddard Cove and the Thames River. I got a shot with the 20D
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Then a wider shot with the Speed Graphic (as usual, coming soon).
After that, while I was enjoying the passing train, a pair of locomotives again appeared from behind the trees – looks like NR-2 was setup in a couple sections with power behind the cut of hoppers for Tilcon in Groton.
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That happens every now & then, and when it does, there’s usually no power on the tail end of the train. A moment later that suspicion was confirmed.
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Satisfied with what I got there, I grabbed my gear and headed back to the car.
I ended up catching up with NR-2 in Fairview, but passed on a shot there and headed south of the Thames River drawbridge. A quick look at my watch told me I only had a couple minutes there, and it sounded like NR-2 was doing some work in Fairview before heading onto Amtrak. But as I pulled into the parking area overlooking the river and drawbridge, an eastbound Acela was sounding for the crossings at the New London Amtrak station. At least I’d grab this before heading back to the office.
A minute or so later, the eastbound Acela made its way onto the drawbridge
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As the high speed train continued on its journey to Boston, and NR-2 continued to work in Fairview, I packed up and headed back to the office for the remainder of the day.
Thanks for looking!
Tom
