A few weeks ago I was out on the MARC station platform at Perryville, Md., with Trains Magazine contributor George Hamlin. We were relaxing in the shade, waiting for the next scheduled Amtrak train to pass when we heard an unexpected horn at the north end of the Susquehanna River bridge. We jumped up and ran to the edge of the platform – staying behind the yellow line! – and saw a northbound train approaching on the bridge. It was a late-running Carolinian, which we had not thought to check for.
But, now being in view of the tracks, I spotted another unexpected train – this southbound with equipment departing the Wilmington, Del., shops following the AEM-7 farewell excursion and tour earlier in the day. Of course, this move would not have been in any schedule we could consult that day. It was purely a happy accident.
So, I say to you all in the Facebook groups and on the email chains, put down the technology, and go out to enjoy the trains! Let there be some surprises in your lives. When you're only chasing after the next special, nothing really is.
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