I wasn’t planning on doing any chasing this weekend – we had a busy one planned. Saturday we spent the day in New York at my cousin’s graduation party, and Sunday was to be a day of working around the house – most notably rototilling the garden. Of course, plans usually change – and the Sunday plans did change as the day unfolded.
Jill & kids had to head out Sunday morning to see a friend of hers from high school and meet her new baby. So I took that chance to get the garden tilled and ready to go. When they got back, we decided to head into Willi for lunch. On our way back home, crossing over Bridge Street we saw a lone NECR geep sitting north of the crossing – looks like there was an extra in town! But with no camera, and Katina had a birthday party to get to at 2pm, an impromptu chase was out of the question.
Well, until I asked Jill if she would mind if I went out for a couple hours – she didn’t have a problem with it since we’d be down a kid anyways. So once we got home, I got suited up and hit the road to find the NECR.
I came across the job working in Willimantic preparing to head south – this is where the afternoon began. Starting at the Frog Bridge, and working my way south through South Windham, and finally wrapping things up down in (literally) Susquetonscut Brook near milepost 20 in Franklin. So enough typing, here’s the stuff from Sunday afternoon. Oh, yeah, in case you’re wondering where “sand” comes into things, that was down in South Windham where they sanded the rails prior to grabbing their train and heading south. You’ll see what I mean…
NECR NERWNE (608 Extra) crosses the Willimantic River while working Willimantic yardREF#:20100523-02-_MG_2070.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:04:40 |
| Aperture | f/3.5 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/400) | | Focal Length (mm) | 93.00 (93/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 Extra) crosses the Willimantic River while working Willimantic yard |
NECR NERWNE (608 Extra) passing under the Frog Bridge in WillimanticREF#:20100523-03-_MG_1207.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:07:48 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.004 s (1/250) | | Focal Length (mm) | 15.00 (15/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 Extra) passing under the Frog Bridge in Willimantic |
NECR NERWNE (608 Extra) passing under the Frog Bridge in WillimanticREF#:20100523-05-_MG_1225.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:08:31 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.004 s (1/250) | | Focal Length (mm) | 15.00 (15/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 Extra) passing under the Frog Bridge in Willimantic |
Joe at the throttle of NECR NERWNEREF#:20100523-09-_MG_2114.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:11:52 |
| Aperture | f/3.5 |
Exposure Time | 0.002 s (1/500) | | Focal Length (mm) | 200.00 (200/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | Joe at the throttle of NECR NERWNE |
NECR NERWNE (608 Extra) passing under the Frog Bridge in Willimantic heading southREF#:20100523-16-_MG_2147.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:33:55 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.004 s (1/250) | | Focal Length (mm) | 70.00 (70/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 Extra) passing under the Frog Bridge in Willimantic heading south |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) comes into view in South WindhamREF#:20100523-18-_MG_2155.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:40:12 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.004 s (1/250) | | Focal Length (mm) | 200.00 (200/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) comes into view in South Windham |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) heads south near MP27 in South WindhamREF#:20100523-21-_MG_2167.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:40:42 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.004 s (1/250) | | Focal Length (mm) | 179.00 (179/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) heads south near MP27 in South Windham |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) heads south near MP27 in South WindhamREF#:20100523-24-_MG_1262.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:40:50 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.005 s (1/200) | | Focal Length (mm) | 18.00 (18/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) heads south near MP27 in South Windham |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) working CC Lonsbury in South WindhamREF#:20100523-25-_MG_2179.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:46:30 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/400) | | Focal Length (mm) | 200.00 (200/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) working CC Lonsbury in South Windham |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) working CC Lonsbury in South WindhamREF#:20100523-28-_MG_2198.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 14:58:14 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/400) | | Focal Length (mm) | 200.00 (200/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) working CC Lonsbury in South Windham |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) working CC Lonsbury in South WindhamREF#:20100523-29-_MG_2207.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 15:04:15 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/400) | | Focal Length (mm) | 168.00 (168/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) working CC Lonsbury in South Windham |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) working CC Lonsbury in South WindhamREF#:20100523-31-_MG_2229.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 15:04:49 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/400) | | Focal Length (mm) | 179.00 (179/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) working CC Lonsbury in South Windham |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) sanding the rails, preparing to head south after switching CC LonsburyREF#:20100523-34-_MG_2254.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 15:05:33 |
| Aperture | f/6.3 |
Exposure Time | 0.002 s (1/500) | | Focal Length (mm) | 122.00 (122/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) sanding the rails, preparing to head south after switching CC Lonsbury |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) sanding the railsREF#:20100523-35-_MG_2267.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 15:06:12 |
| Aperture | f/7.1 |
Exposure Time | 0.006 s (1/160) | | Focal Length (mm) | 168.00 (168/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) sanding the rails |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) in the background, with sanded rails in frontREF#:20100523-38-_MG_2279.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 15:09:51 |
| Aperture | f/5.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.001 s (1/1250) | | Focal Length (mm) | 87.00 (87/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) in the background, with sanded rails in front |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) slowly gets their train underwayREF#:20100523-42-_MG_2300.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 15:12:37 |
| Aperture | f/8.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/320) | | Focal Length (mm) | 168.00 (168/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) slowly gets their train underway |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) grinding south out of CC Lonsbury in South WindhamREF#:20100523-44-_MG_2274.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 40D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 15:12:58 |
| Aperture | f/5.0 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/400) | | Focal Length (mm) | 18.00 (18/1) |
| ISO | 200 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) grinding south out of CC Lonsbury in South Windham |
NECR NERWNE (608 extra) crosses over Susquetonscut Brook in Franklin, CTREF#:20100523-46-_MG_2317.jpg| Taken with | Canon EOS 50D |
| Date Taken | 2010:05:23 15:36:34 |
| Aperture | f/7.1 |
Exposure Time | 0.003 s (1/400) | | Focal Length (mm) | 15.00 (15/1) |
| ISO | 800 |
View in the gallery | NECR NERWNE (608 extra) crosses over Susquetonscut Brook in Franklin, CT |
Thanks for looking!
Tom
I really like the third picture in the series not just for the train and the Frog Bridge but for the gorgeous clouds in the sky, too.
And if I may ask, why do they sand the rails?
Tom,
the shot on the bridge with the creek is amazing!
FYI, the rails are sanded to improve the gripping power (traction) of the wheels on the rail. In this particular spot the train has to start up on a steep grade. It was a heavy train for the one locomotive to pull so the sand is one way to help the locomotive grip the rail.
Linda – Thanks! See Joe’s reply for the sanding (he’d know, since he was running the train…)
And Thanks Joe! I just have one thing to say – I’m glad I was wearing waterproof boots….
Thank you for the explanation, Joe, that makes perfect sense; I’ve often wondered about traction when you’re got steel wheels on steel rails like that.