At about 3:00 I was there. I'd test the funky old camera
and see if it would take consecutive shots. It seemed OK.
I'd check the best angle. I had 2 choices, one side of the
tracks or the other. There would be no crossing them in
the heat of picture taking. These are looking south toward
the Vermillion River trestle.
No, this would not work. There are two bends in the tracks
where the train would twist and I wanted those shots.
That's the old switch for Chastant Feed.
This is from the other side of the tracks.
Looking in the opposite direction is the Pinhook Rd. crossing.
Evidently the stop sign is obsolete or for the siding.
This is looking back along the side of Chastant's.
I opted to jump the tracks when I heard the horns. Here
she came through the first turn.
Looking closer: Big pic....Click to enlarge.
Looking closer: Big pic..... Click to enlarge.
And through the second.
Looking Closer: Big pic ..... Click to enlarge.
Looking Closer: Big pic ..... Click to enlarge.
I got a few howdy beeps. She loves attention.
And away to the depot she went.
Looking Closer: Big pic ..... Click to enlarge.
I would try to get to the yard but I was too show. At the
BR Junction I set up quickly. There were two L&D tugs
parked on the branch.
I'd head on to the Lafayette yard's west switch where I'd
seen the standoff the other day. I had expected her to be
long gone. If I would get that earphone hooked up I would have
known she was stopped by a signal malfunction and the switches
were all wrong. These Amtrak guys must live with frustration.
A large man had climbed down from the cab. I think I saw
him trying to fix a switch at Cade a while back. He and a
woman conductor and another man were kicking this switch.
It was the funniest thing I've ever seen on the railroad.
He was coming around the front of the engine.
He had the tool box opened.
Looking closer:
He whacked it a couple of times and I swear, the train
started moving before he was in the cab.
Looking closer:
Looking closer: In the above photo you can see the black
smoke from the engines. That happens when they are revved up.
Notice below. It was under power. This was no freight trying
to attain 25 miles an hour. In comparison it is a dragster.
I gave chase but it was gone.
At the east switch these two were waiting, but they were
not going anywhere. I didn't care. I'd gotten 3 X's AMTK
in one afternoon. Not bad ...... Especially not bad for one hour.
I checked back later and all the lights were off.
I went home by way of Lake Martin.
There's no excuse not to. In one of my favorite viewing spots
here came a tourist boat.
The bird didn't care, either.
Friday afternoon at Lake Martin is somewhat different
than Friday afternoon in Lafayette.