ChuckCobleigh (12-5):
Ah, you’ve had that kind of experience too!
Your experiences bring back memories of Kearney, NE. I drove 1500 miles over two days to see a fantastic location with triple-tracks and 7-9 trains zipping by per hour. Just a cool place with 120-150 trains a day, at least that was the way it was. First day on my visit … UP was rebuilding the grade crossing, and all trains were crawling by AND trackmen kept working nonstop! Each day was a different track. What a disappointment!
Central Ave. grade crossing, Kearney, NE Thursday, September 23, 2010
I would imagine part of the problem causing 12-hour maintenance windows on Tehachapi is the sheer volume of BNSF trains, which with all the constant curvature on the Pass, must take a severe toll on the tracks which in turn causes the need for maintenance often. In those cases, perhaps “Link” photography is in order. (Remember him?) Sleep during the day and photography at night when all the action is taking place under a full moon. Of course, nowadays, a local would see you wiring up flash units and call the police thinking you are a terrorist! I guess we can’t win …
Take care,
K.P.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
K. P. HarrierOf course, nowadays, a local would see you wiring up flash units and call the police thinking you are a terrorist!
Well, today with wireless triggering, one would probably not need the small utility trailer full of flashes, wire, batteries and bulbs that Link would take on the road, but yeah, some local yokel might do that anyway. Of course, "back in the day" Link could count on cooperation from the railroad and crews, which doesn't seem to be a probable scenario these days.
I do enjoy leafing through my Link books from time to time; the man was definitely a storyteller and we are blessed to have his stories these days.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.