Well, it's been a quiet week out here on the prairie. It got cold, then it got warm again. The grass is turning green and for the first time snow is not in the forecast. Once again I went out West in search of the Dakota, Minnesota, & Eastern trains along the old CNW track running from Brookings to Huron SD. This time I had a little more success.
1. Junker SD40-2 sits at the edge of the yard near the CP roundhouse in Huron, SD. I've seen them scrap engines at this yard before. This one looks like it might be a parts donor.
2. Yard crew tells me there should be an e/b coming through about 9:30 PM. So, I stuck around, wondering where to catch it. I ate a late dinner along the James River, at the old mill pool. The ice was gone and the wind was perfectly still. Gazing into the water I saw a perfect reflection of the trestle. AHA! I set up two big flash, tested them, and waited. Train finally got orders and I heard it slowly heading my way. The bad news: crummy CSX power. The good news: I nailed the shot!
3. I decided to pack up and "chase" the e/b back towards I-29, partly because it was the only train I knew was rolling, and partly because that would have me heading back towards home. The train was long, heavy, and badly underpowered. It was barely able to get up the longer hills. On the radio I heard there was now a w/b train waiting at DeSmet SD. I looked for it but never saw it--the siding appeared empty! It was a ghost train I could hear but not see. I went back to the trestle in Huron and set up a couple of flash and my camera, this time on the west bank. I waited in the dark--nothing new for me. Finally I hear horns to the east, and then headlights appear. Train gets out on the trestle and I can see it in the dim light. It's a single engine! Are you kidding me? And it's another CSX wide body instead of a DME SD-40. Cripes. I push the button and nail the shot. This has to be the shortest "train" I've ever got a night shot of! That's the way it goes out here. You're lucky if you see anything at all sometimes! By then it was 12:30am. I packed up, filled my gas tank, and got home at 3 am. Luckily my wife didn't wake up when I slid in under the covers.
Kent in SD
