Winter’s Light

It is late afternoon on Jan. 10, 2015. I’m standing on the bridge carrying Old State Road over the CSX Willard Terminal Subdivision tracks west of Greenwich.

Cresting a grade and heading toward Willard is CSX manifest freight Q351. I had first spotted this train southeast of New London on the New Castle Subdivision but had been out of position to get a decent photograph. I was able to get ahead of it and catch it here.

The attraction of the train was is bright red and clean Canadian Pacific leader which gleams in the late afternoon sunlight while providing some contrast with the snow and drab colors of the slumbering foliage along the tracks.

The image is a reminder of the rewards of winter photography when low sun angles produce warm light on otherwise cold days.

Article and Photograph by Craig Sanders

Light Power Move in Greenwich

There is something about late day or early morning light. It’s warm and if you can find a train during the golden hour chances are you’ll have yourself a good if not great photograph.

I don’t know that I’d describe this as a great photo but I do like the late day winter light.

This was our last catch on a day spent chasing CSX trains on the New Castle and Willard Terminal subdivisions.

It’s a light power move headed westward in Greenwich, perhaps back to Willard Yard.

Photograph by Craig Sanders

Snowy Siding in Boughtonville

It is afternoon in Boughtonville on a sunny January winter day in 2011. We’ve heard there is a westbound CSX manifest freight coming and have set up to capture it.

The train is stopped just beyond a grade crossing to wait for a signal at the crossovers in Boughtonville.

I decided to try something different in my composition by getting low and featuring the derail on a siding leading to a grain elevator.

I have a hunch this siding is seldom used but it was still in service at the time.

Photograph by Craig Sanders

Coal Train in Boughtonville

There had been a winter storm a couple of days earlier that left some snow along the CSX Willard Terminal Subdivision between Greenwich and Willard.

I met up with Roger Durfee and Peter Bowler and we made a foray out to CSX territory.

It was the last winter in which I would be making photographs with slide film and it was a cold but sunny day.

Traffic on CSX was heavy on this day, which was the norm then. Sure, there are still a lot of trains to be found on this line today but not as many as there was back in January 2011.

We’ve heard of an eastbound coal train coming so we’ve set up in Boughtonville, a hamlet located not far from Willard.

On the point is a former Burlington Northern SD70MAC still wearing its Grinstein green and cream with Alizarin red striping. The BN logo has been erased from the nose and a BNSF reporting mark affixed below the cab windows. A standard BNSF “pumpkin” is trailing.

The train is at the crossovers but is making a straight move on No. 1 track.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

For the Love of Candy Apple Red CP Units

Getting onto the CSX Willard Terminal Subdivision by GN Tower (visible at far right) in Greenwich. If you look closely, the conductor is flashing us the peace sign.

West of Greenwich approaching Old State Road, the Q351 has crested a grade visible in the background.

The Q351 is about to duck under the Old State Road bridge. How could we not just love that bright red Canadian Pacific leader?

We were sitting in downtown Greenwich alongside the former Big Four route from Cleveland to St. Louis. We could see a train making the turn to take the long connection onto the former Baltimore & Ohio, which is now the Willard Terminal Subdivision of CSX.

It was Q351 and on the front were two Canadian Pacific locomotives. This train often operates with Union Pacific motive power because it hauls cars bound for interchange to the UP.

Interestingly, we had been waiting for a K train on the New Castle Sub to get a signal and proceed through the southeast connection to come down the Mt. Victory Sub.

We barreled over to the vicinity of GN Tower and tumbled out to get a grab shot.

Then it was off to Old State Road for some photos from the bride over the CSX tracks.

My favorite image made there is the bottom third photo shown above. The lead CP locomotive was a bright and clean candy apple red. Oh how it shined in the January sunshine.

I went with a wide angle view to give a sense of place and season. It was a bitterly cold winter day.

We chased the train and caught up with it near Boughtonville. The plan was to photograph the CP power across the snow covered fields.

But Q351 had a stop signal at Walnut Road and we had to get back to Greenwich. The across the field shot will have to wait for another time.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders