Whether it is a sports team, a theater company, or a musical ensemble, there is something special about opening day or opening night. The players or performers have been putting in hours of practice and planning as they pointed toward the moment when the season, run or concert series would begin.
There is much anticipation and hope for an auspicious start that will herald great things to come.
And so it was as I made my way to east central Illinois back on Feb. 20 for my first railfan photography outing of the year.
That day proved to be far from a promising beginning. Shown above is the only train I wound up photographing.
Amtrak’s northbound Saluki passes the former Illinois Central station in Arcola, Illinois. There is still some snow lingering from a previous storm and Train 390 was more than a half hour late. On the point was a P42DC rather than the usual SC-44.
I would spend the rest of the day hanging out in Tuscola but train traffic was minimal and I ended up going home feeling disappointed. It was just one of those days.
Opening day is never the only game or performance of a season and this won’t be my only outing of this year. More and better days lie ahead. I’m looking forward to them because you never know what you will see, what you will find.
Article and Photograph by Craig Sanders
Tags: Amtrak, Amtrak P42DC, Amtrak P42DC locomotives, Amtrak Superliners, Arcola Illinois, P42DC, Railroad stations
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