Willsboro In Autumn

Last night was something else! FIVE photos in one night! WHile it's not unusual on my travels along CSX, up here in the North Country I don't usually get that many chances during one night out, LOL! HEading out from the compound with the intent of capturing a shot of Ethanol train 642, which spent the better part of the day sitting up in Rouses Point, due to a late delivery from Montreal and a track block in Saratoga, I drove north up I89. During the hour and a half drive, 252 and 930 arrived in Rouses Point as well! I went through town with all three trains still waiting for U.S. crews to appear. With breakfast in the car with me in the form of a thermos filled with soup, alongside the usual thermos of tea, I made a quick stop at a 24 hr. grocery store for a bite to eat, then headed for Plattsburgh. I was well aware how the night was shaping up.......the soup might not get consumed until later. While I shot some new angles around the Plattsburgh station, the best shot of the night came after 642 passed by. Learning via the car scanner the trailing unit SOO 6060 was low on water, they picked up a unit off 253 which met 642 at Rockland. WHile they were performing the moves to pick up the third engine, I drove south from Plattsburgh around 642, arriving at Willsboro. Driving in down the dirt road leading to the old station and newer modular M.O.W. headquarters, I took one look, and knew I had made a good choice visiting Willsboro! The background trees foliage was glowing in the dark! This is the elusive "peak" foliage trackside! Quickly setting up the lights, I apparently drew the attention of a neighbor across the tracks, who came out with a flashlight, then figuring out what I was up to, went back inside to watch. A test of the lights revealed the grand colors! After some fine tuning of the setup, 642 was heard blowing for a nearby crossing north of me, coming off the scenic trackage above Lake Champlains Willsboro Bay we have visited before! Then it became time to enjoy the scene. The crew, after spotting my awareness flash as they approached, must have gotten a chuckle out of the situation, having been photographed by me earlier up at Plattsburgh, Ha,ha,ha! Amid the great sound effects of locomotives accelerating the heavy ethanol loads past me came the flash! The final photo of the night became the best! We will visit Plattsburgh later, (where I will give evidence in answer to the always pressing question: When are NS locomotives most attractive?) but I wanted to send out this shot first. I really like the contrast here between the unkempt old station, used as a storage area by M.O.W., and the peak foliage with white house across the tracks, with 9732 splitting the two extremes! Special thanks to veteran D&H engineer Marty Shapiro who brought 642 past the camera. SHot in Willsboro, NY on OCtober 20, 2010 at 04:58 with the 5D and Nikkor 14 - 24/2.8 lens set at 19mm and f2.8. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.


All The Best In 2010;
Gary