After waiting at this spot for over an hour watching the clouds go in and out, I heard the Pan Am OCS call ready to depart Lawrence after picking up passengers at the station. At this point, the sun had dipped below the thick band of clouds and the train came around the corner in the sweet afternoon sunshine. Fall is my favorite time of year and it always comes and goes so fast. The little bit of remaining foliage was a nice bonus.
The train is being led by locomotive 7542 (built as CSX 7542, August, 1989). The unit appears to have been freshly painted in its second coat of Pan Am blue paint. Due to the installation of positive train control on this territory, the classic FP9 set can no longer lead here forcing the OCS to have different power.
Behind the train is the 267-foot tall clock tower at the former Ayer Mill which is reported to be the largest mill clock tower in the world. The four glass faces are only six inches smaller than the faces of Big Ben in London.
