The Universe Winks.....

Photographing trains at night in New England I'm left with the feeling many nights, that I must have driven through an invisible, (to us earthlings) portal in time, while inside it the universe winks, and out the other side I come, to nearly empty roads, Coast to Coast AM host George Noory providing company on the radio, arriving in neatly compacted villages, their inhabitants in dreamland, I come across the railroad. Picking out a spot, I emerge from the car to silence while I set up the lights, hoping to photograph a passing night train. New England's "big" power, (excluding CPR's D&H, operating down the west side of Lake Champlain in New York) are SD 40-2's and the last group of C30-7's in the U.S., four axle GP 38's and GP 40's dominate on VRS and SLR rosters, locomotive models long since retired or relegated to the confines of yard duties elsewhere in North America. So after viewing what other railroad shooters are producing on the net, I often get the feeling of traveling through one of those time portals, to emerge back in time when the regions locomotives were the norm, and new, country wide. Last evening was another great example, with big plans after the heavy snowfall on the SLR route in New Hampshire to photograph SLR 393/394 plowing through the deep white stuff, I was all set to depart from the compound, when I found myself waiting for the car to warm up, (not a normal activity for me at night when I'm looking for "a" train) the computer, left on, "dinged" announcing an e-mail. Impatient now to get on the road, I glanced at the message, from my friend Frank Jolin, bringing news of a plow train running to Farnham, Quebec from the east. Not an everyday event! Was I glad I waited around! Arriving in Farnham two hours later, empty of people, I found an MM&A employee walking up out of the yard, and asked about the plow train.........and the universe winked, after a radio conversation, he relays the info that it will be here in an hour! Now, I used to shoot at night here in Farnham years ago when I first began practicing, in admiration for the de-turbocharged ex-SP GP 35's Iron Roads operated at the time. SO I recognized the snowbank! Ha,ha,ha! I set up eight flash units, leaving four unused, keeping in mind we're only lighting up a plow and engine, when my set up was noticed by an employee emerging from the station, who asked the obvious question. Even in french, I could understand the questioning tone of his voice, and I finally communicated "plow train" across the tracks to him. He shook his head in a more obvious (to me) no! "To shop.......to shop" he replied. Knowing fully well what he meant, the "shop" resides in the yard to the east, out of sight for a photo. I walked around to him as he got on the radio, and I thanked him profusely when, after a conversation, he shook his head in a "yes" to confirm in broken english they would come "here", pointing to the track in front of him. "Five to eight minutes" he reminded me before walking away, leaving me in solitude within this familiar setting. Shortly afterwards, "the universe winks" as the odd headlight of snowplow VB-101 emerges from the darkness at the west end of the yard, and the plow train drifts down to a stop in front of me! What year is this? A wood body plow built around 1920, pushed by a B23-7, from a class of the early eighties, (being generous) in front of Farham Station! 2009? I happily click away, full of gratitude for the scene provided me as the men unload and "tinker" around the ancient plow, the engineer walks down the platform towards his car, and hollers across to me, "you're just as crazy as we are, out at this time of night!" I smile broadly and nod, thinking how railroaders are the nicest people. Shot on February 24, 2009 at 00:55, with Canons 5D and Zeiss ZF 35/2 (Nikon) lens set at f2.8. One flash erased behind the plow in photoshop. Many special thanks to "SIR" Frank Jolin! Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.

All The Best In 2009;
Gary