2010 CP Rail Holiday Train

Arriving at favorite location Port Henry, I gave myself plenty of time to fix/tweak things that might go awry, after all, this is the southbound 2010 CP Rail Holiday Train making its annual deadhead move. This is the one shot of the year I do not want to be late for, ha,ha,ha! True to form, by arriving early, my plan allowed the D&H to entertain by running THREE northbounds by me, heading for their meets further north with the Holiday Train. The last northbound, empty ethanol 643, was heard over the radio up at nearby "Howards" passing siding speaking with the Holiday Trains crew........."You got the whole hillside lit up here!" Hearing this conversation just added fuel to the fire of drama, don't you know! And twenty minutes later the Holiday Train announced its presence in town by blowing for the crossing a mile above me! WIth meets for the night completed, the dispatcher told the crew they had a straight shot to Saratoga now, where the next crew would board. The sky behind the hill above the station brightens from the lights of the consist as well as the headlights, and round the curve emerges the spotless 9824 with the Holiday Train in tow! Complete with trademark christmas tree adorning the engine roof. The most beautiful train I will ever see! Fully involved, soaking in the annual moment atop the stepladder, a voice comes from the hand held scanner hanging from my parka........."Good morning Gary!" and I attempt a wave in return, then concentrate as 9824s pilot plow closes in on my familiar spot here. As the consist slowly passes by, I marvel at my good fortune.......what a sight to see at night! Shot in Port Henry, NY on November 27, 2010 at 03:19. It is difficult to believe in less than two hours, I had picked up the lighting, drove down to Rogers Island, (without an unscheduled interview with a NY State Trooper) and set up a handful of lights in time to capture the previous shot I sent you! A wonderful night indeed!

Shot on November 27, 2010 at 05:14 in Fort Edward, NY on Rogers Island.

I wanted to try and find a location tonight, that showed  the glamour the Holiday Train displays as it travels along the shoreline of Lake Champlain during its nocturnal schedule. Thinking the photo should give you the feeling of following along in the car, oooing and ahhhing as the train comes in close and swerves away again to go around a bluff with its reflection. Most people who make the effort to get out and see this beautiful train prefer to see it at its station stops where the shows are held, never experiencing seeing the train moving through the scenic D&H North End landscape at night along the lake as you follow along. Realizing pacing around the compound would not bring results, I just put that thought in the back of my head.........how (where?) could I shoot an example of this "experience", and let it go.  A couple nights back as I left Port Henry I passed this spot and it clicked! So we begin here tonight, south of Port Henry along Bulwagga Bay, waiting. I'm in a little pulloff along two lane Rte. 9N, which is seemingly filled with traffic speeding along. The neighbor across the way "somehow" notices my presence and leaves chopping wood to ask if I need any help. They all do that eh? Any excuse to get away from the woodpile? Ha,ha,ha! He introduces himself, and I get to meet Elwyn Lang. He admits to liking trains, ( I know, I know......I was shocked to, seeing where he lives, the view and all.......) and I go back to the civic to get paper and pencil to jot down his email for this list. So there we were, on either side of busy Rte. 9N, cars wizzing by at sixty per, I spot an upcoming opening.........and go for it, running across.............only to turn my head back forward and stop short as Elwyn did the same thing, LOL! We pause standing in the double lines, cancelling each other out, then we both cross back to the civic, and I record Elwyns email. After he returns to the woodpile, its maybe fifteen or more minutes before 9824s air horn can be heard further south in Crown Point, and several minutes pass before the glow in the sky to the south transforms into the bright colors of the Holiday Train! This is a great spot to watch trains, being on the outside of a long sweeping curve, you get to see both sides of the Holiday Train as it passes. For the chasers following along, the 9824 closes to within perhaps thirty feet or less from Rte 9N before curving away again towards Bulwagga Bay, offerring the view attached. Providing a taste of the treat for the senses the experience of safely following the Holiday Train at night on the D&H North End offers, twice each year! Shot In Port Henry, NY on November 29, 2010 at 18:01. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.




All The Best In 2010;


Gary Knapp