Throughout the month of August, I want to try a photography project that focuses on the trains in TRAINS Magazine's backyard. How many different pictures can be taken in a circle extending 10.27 miles from downtown Waukesha, Wis.? You're watching Union Pacific local LPA70 switching cars on a spur off the Waukesha Industrial Lead. The industrial lead is an isolated piece of trackage that was once part of Chicago & North Western's main line from Milwaukee to Madison. The lead branches off of UP's Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul main line at a place called Belton, and runs due west into Waukesha. But only 8.7 miles of the line are in service. There's a red board wedged between the rails 2 miles east of Waukesha in New Berlin, Wis., not far from where this photo was taken.The line's remaining shippers are located in the New Berlin Industrial Park, which is where I photographed MP15 No. Y1377 delivering covered hopper cars to Schoeneck Containers on Aug. 18, 2011. Union Pacific only works this line two afternoons a week, always on weekdays. Of all the trains I wanted show in this blog series, this was the one I was most worried about missing.Thanks to a tip from our Ad Sales Rep, Mike Yuhas, who closely follows UP's Milwaukee-area locals, I was able to go out at the right time to photograph the train.What I like:
I enjoy shooting locals, and this image has a classic local freight feel, especially with that distinctive ex-North Western bay window caboose.What I don't like:
I'm shooting into the midday sun. I tried a couple of other angles, but this scene, with the local actually pulling empties from a shipper, was my favorite, despite the less-than-optimal lighting.
Galleries:Flickr: Matt finds the trains in TRAINS' backyard albumFacebook: Trains Magazine Facebook Page
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