Nighttime Detour

Please enjoy the attached photo. August continues to be a most enjoyable month this year! First the TRAINS magazine article, now NECR detours over VRS powered by solid sets of blue & yellow GP 38's! It's been "a long time" since I have seen a solid set of NECR power on anything. So with thanks to Scott Whitney for the original heads up on Monday evening, I had my plans for week changed. Thankfully, I was in a position to drop everything for this event. The detours lasted three days/nights into Thursday morning. The first two nights became recon patrols, visiting favourite photo locations ahead of the detour, only to notice "something's wrong here"......the scene had changed for the worse, LOL! Knowing I had a third chance Wednesday night I was laughing it off when I arrived well ahead of NECR 324 at Bartonsville Covered Bridge Tuesday evening only to find one of those refrigerated box trucks parked alongside the tracks smack dab in the scene facing me! What else can you do? Wednesday evening came and armed with the knowledge that NECR 323 (the final detour) would be arriving in Bellows Falls around 18:00, I drove down to East Wallingford to where my friend Helen Fox has lived since she was eight. After knocking at the door and reaquainting ourselves at dusk, ( thankfully I remembered her name.....) I proceeded to set up and wait. With plenty of time to time to get the lighting to my satisfaction it was a couple hours before I broke out the thermos of green tea, as this is a deceiving location to light up a train at night. We're deep in Vermont here, quiet descends after dark in hill farm country, one of which is located above the tree line to the right of the photo, contributing wafts of manure odors on breezes through the night. Note the tire swing up in the tree. While I set up a family comes down to the end of their driveway behind me here to watch, hoping to see the train, one of the kids asks a parent..........."he's gonna park his car there"? Little does she realize, having delivered me here, now the "cah" is the least of my concerns, LOL! Another car arrives and conversations ensue. By eleven p.m. my tired audience disperses, disappointed. Most of the neighbors lights stay on though, as they've seen my act here before enough to stay up for the train. When I shot the P&W Johnson City coal train here, I met Mrs. Fox and told her of my plans, only to be admonished that "there are no trains here at night". On any other night Helen would have been correct! To her credit she allowed me to set-up around her house anyway that night. It was after eleven p.m. when the VRS dispatcher in Rutland broke the silence, calling the NECR 3849! Bringing a wide grin to Gary's face! A half hour later I hear an airhorn towards Mount Holly, the NECR GP 38's ARE NOT equipped with dynamic brakes, so you cannot hear them coming downgrade that well. Almost another half hour goes by as the head end closes in. It's just before midnight, as the moment is savored, NECR 3849 leads three sisters around the curve and past me at 10 mph, making it easy to pick the spot I want the head end in. A sight I have'nt seen in years, four NECR GP 38's together! WOW! Worth waiting hours for. Before departing in a glow, I shared the photo with Helen Fox, thanking her for her hospitality. What a location. eh!? Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed. Shot on August 13, 2008 at 23:59 with the 5D and Zeiss ZF 28/2 (Nikon) set at f2. Flash units erased in photoshop behind the pilot of 3849 and in front of the tree.

All The Best In 2008;
Gary