Acting on a tip received earlier in the night from Frank Jolin, I visited the D&H in Port Henry, NY 'round midnight last night. 252 had the CEFX 1019 for a leader! It was forecast to be a superb night weatherwise for night photos, and while the promised heavy rains had not materialized yet, it was unusually warm for the middle of November. 252 was running behind 930 tonight, that much I knew, and while I had been away for a couple hours on the NECR after the pair of trains arrived in Rouses Point for their crew changes, I figured both trains had enough time to be out on the road by the time I arrived in Port Henry. Crossing Lake Champlain at nearby Crown Point via the free carferry it started to rain, and by the time I jumped out of the civic to setup in Port Henry it had turned into a steady downpour! Conditions don't get much better than this for night photos! Seeing the potential for another fine result here, with Mother Natures contribution tipping the scales my way, I setup the lights around the scene, keeping an ear open for 930 coming south. Little did I know at the time, I had merrily painted myself into corner tonight, assumming 252 would be following 930, a common practice. Please take note, as I did, the newly installed handicap access platform in the photo. They did good! Not obscurring the view of the building! I was impressed. Out of sight to the left of the scene is a shack holding a ramp perhaps? I'm not out of the woods yet though here, as I note the "yet to be installed" light posts. I'm hoping the round cement foundations with heavy copper wire emerging are not for tall posts with flourescent lights. I'll see what they are planned for soon enough, I can wait. Ha,ha,ha! The rain continues and as I finish with the lights, the car scanner picks up 930 hitting the talking detector twenty minutes away up at "Howards" passing siding. Disappointed, knowing 930 has an NS unit leading again tonight, I decide to make a "test shot" of 930 to check the lighting, then wait for the following 252 to shoot the "money shot". In hindsight, this decision saved the night in my case, with its gorgeous weather contributing to a night photo. Seriously, for me, the only weather better than this for shooting trains at night is when it rains in winter with snow on the ground. Each flash unit and its Pocket Wizard transceiver are inside a zip lock freezer bag, safe from the rain. The last item to emerge from the car is the most important, the camera bag, transported under the black umbrella to the stepladder. Some twenty three minutes after they passed the detector at "Howards", headlight glow backlights the hillside the rails go around above me here, and 930 slowly swings round the curve, cruising past the station and my flash. The rain showing up well in the headlights. Surprisingly, the black and white NS power looks pretty good in tonights photo! Not a thing needs to be changed in the lighting, I've had plenty of practice setting up here! And I wait and wait for 252, enjoying being out in the rain but dry, until it becomes obvious, with a meet between 930 and northbound 253 setup for Fort Ticonderoga just to my south, that 252 ain't coming by until 253 goes past me northbound. So I return to the civic to pour the last of the green tea, camera and its bag safe beside me, while 253 closes in from the south,and then....... "someone" near the West Chazy tower tones in the dispatcher! Trains moving around Rouses Point use this tower exclusively. I stare out the window at the near perfect conditions, the flash units waiting, grimacing, thinking to myself...........who could this be? Ha,ha,ha! I conclude, listening to the bits and pieces of the conversation I monitor, its indeed 252 with the CEFX leader, the crew is just now on board and ready to depart! With work enroute, they are at least three hours away, well into drab overcast daylight by the time they pass my location here later this morning. Now I dig the camera out from its bag again, inspect the nights photo.........yup, the NS power looks "pretty good" now, the station looks great, with help from Mother Nature! Shot on November 17, 2010 at 03:28 in Port Henry, NY with the 5D and Zeiss ZF 35/2 (Nikon) lens set at f2. Please enjoy! Comments are welcomed.
All The Best In 2010;
Gary
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