With about 79 empty NS System Grain cars, GLC 393 sits just south of Begole Rd. An extra crew on the GLC dragged the train up over night, and tied it down. Ultimately this train is bound for Andersons in Hemlock on the MMRR. The MMRR crew was on duty at their normal time of 0700, and hopped on the 393 to take the train east. This is the first NS train of the season. Ontop of this NS System train, the MMRR also got a CSX system train which was delivered to Paines last night. A double system train to end the week... (And absolute money makers). The way that the elevators work, you can only have a motor at one elevator. So, with this in mind, the MMRR borrowed the 393 to run the NS train to Hemlock, then ran their HESR 2144 to Paines to grab the CSX system train and drag it to MAC in Breckenridge. That way they are able to give each elevator a switch whenever they need it throughout the day.
I woke up at 0600 as I usually do. I don't need to be to school until 8, but just incase I need to do something in the mornings or beat the traffic, I then have the time to do it. Knowing of the Grain Train's presence, I got my equipment packed up, and got breakfast around 7. By 7:15 I was at the train getting set up. Of course, every morning traffic is always packed. So, by 7:20ish I packed up, and headed to school. By the time I got into the parking lot at 7:30ish, the sky was bright pink, It was textbook for a winter sunrise photo. I knew that if I tried to go back down to the train, I would most likely miss the perfect sunrise. It sucked to see after shooting the train, but this is just a lesson learned if anything. Nonetheless, I'm still happy to have gotten what I did.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
