Weather predictions of light blowing snow and moderate temperatures led me to head out for winter night photography on the evening of Jan. 15, 2014. The light snow would provide a bright fresh covering without the dangers of a big storm. Care would still be needed as the forecast also predicted high winds and drifting.
My destination was the Wisconsin & Southern hub at Janesville, Wis. The still active former Milwaukee Road roundhouse and yards are adjacent to downtown and have good public street access for photography. From Janesville, Wisconsin & Southern lines emanate in all directions: West to Monroe, north to Madison, east to Milwaukee and Horicon, and southeast to Fox Lake, Ill., and Chicago via trackage rights.
As I arrived at Janesville the power for train T-003 was ready to leave the roundhouse tracks.
T-003 is the Wisconsin & Southern road freight connecting Janesville with the eastern hub at Horicon. Tonight’s power was SD40-2s Nos. 4051, 4010, 4007, and a yellow Geep .
The snow was swirling as the power moved from the roundhouse. Retreating to a street overlooking the roundhouse, I caught T-003 power shoving west past the roundhouse to the yards.
After building its train in the yard, T-003 left Janesville eastward passing the roundhouse and engine servicing facility. Conveniently, the tracks cross a major intersection providing easy access.
Serendipity. I planned on maybe one quick location in town, but the train held back to line switches to cross the Union Pacific line from Janesville to Evansville which it crosses on parallel tracks.
The trainman dropped a fusee to help protect the crossing as he prepared to line switches. A quick drive into a defunct fast food parking lot yielded my favorite image of the evening.
After crossing the Union Pacific, the line climbs above street level crossing two streets before crossing the Rock River bridge. Though it is hard to see, there are two bridges here as the Union Pacific line has branched off slightly to the north.
Mini Polar Vortex: The line east from Janesville crosses the Rock River and turns north to Milton Junction where trains can head north to Madison or east to Milwaukee and Horicon. The train stopped short of Milton Junction where to cut off five cars to take into Milton and spot for a customer. As I waited I noticed the train lights illuminating the swirling snow blowing across open fields. The snow also absorbed some of the headlight glare.
The crew left the train at Milton to spot cars and returned with the cars they picked up. As I watched from parallel Highway “Y”, I realized I can actually shoot this scene. Sitting in the car I used the door frame as a brace to use a slow shutter speed as the crewman returned to the cab.
Off to the Races: TheT-003 left Milton with a direct route to Whitewater. My parallel highway is direct but was snow packed and windblown. I headed east behind several cars traveling with an abundance of caution. By the time I made my way to the former Milwaukee Road station in Whitewater I could see the headlight of T-003 approaching. The opposite side was well lit but tight. With little time to second guess I opted for the dark open side.
Time to quit: It was only 10:30 p.m. and the night was still young but the T-003 moved through Whitewater at track speed and I had already experienced the slow going of secondary roads. Facing an uncertain chase I decided to call it a night and head home.
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