
Knowing that the New York Central and Savannah & Atlanta heritage locomotives had been released Friday and that Saturday morning they had been moved to Ft. Wayne, Ind., had to try and catch them. Upon getting word that they were likely sitting in Ft. Wayne still, I made a mad dash over there.
The old Nickel Plate Road yard in New Haven, Ind., is very accessible as opposed to say, Conway or even Bellevue. A public street runs right beside the south side of the New Haven yard, including engine facilities and car shops. I felt that I would have a good chance of getting photos.
Well, Murphy’s railfan law applied as Norfolk Southern had parked the heritage units behind a building with no chance of getting any pictures while they were sitting there.
I did find a freshly painted NS caboose in a new paint scheme, but after driving three hours straight from Berea I really wanted those units. I was so near, yet so far.
So, I waited at the local railfan park and watched a steady stream of trains. New Haven is the junction of the Nickel Plate and Wabash mainlines so a lot of trains go through.
Finally, at about 5 p.m., an NS crew moved the units into the open. The light wasn’t great by this time but it was a reasonably clear photo.
The entire railfan park emptied to take pictures much like a pack of wolves with a wounded animal. I waited until dusk, hoping they would be put on an eastbound train, which would have given a much better sun angle. But Murphy’s railfan law struck again and I had no such luck.
To put it in gambling terms, I didn’t hit the big jackpot I wanted but I didn’t go home broke, either. I’d say I was even or slightly ahead.
Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

