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Splendor in the Grass
By: George W. Hamlin
September 6, 2006
 | | George W. Hamlin |
No, this has nothing to do with Wordsworth’s poetry, nor to a 1960’s movie starring Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood that used the same title. Instead, think the Canadian Prairies, and a search for some of the few remaining wooden grain elevators along Canadian Pacific’s Aldersyde Subdivision, between Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta, in June 2005. Early on, it had been a somewhat frustrating exercise. I’d caught up with a southbound, behind one of the leased CEFX SD9043 MACs, and even gotten it coming past the elevator at Brant, but a good-looking shot wasn’t possible in the gray drizzle.
Further south, there was an orange Pioneer elevator at Vulcan, but no trains, and the weather, while improved, was still gray-sky grubby. Finally, at Carmangay, I encountered both a northbound, behind another SD9043, and some sun. By the time I reached Barons, with its trio of elevators, both old and new, there was bright sun to photograph the structures, but I assumed that I’d seen my quota of trains on this stretch of railroad.
Closer to Lethbridge, the light got even sweeter as the end of the day approached. And at Nobleford, there was a bright orange Pioneer elevator, along with another less-colorful one to the south. Great light, excellent subject matter, but no train. Until, fortuitously, a horn sounded to the south. From a lighting perspective, the obvious shot was from the far side of the track, but there was a problem: the grass.
No, it looked fine, but it was high enough that it was impossible to ascertain whether slithering creatures that feed on the mice and rats that often dine on the grain in the vicinity of an elevator were present, and while I was willing to share the environment with them for a brief period, I had no desire to encounter one.
Recalling that snakes will flee when given any warning, the best option seemed to be to land hard at several spots in the grass in quick succession, creating mini-earthquakes as warnings for any denizens of the dirt in the vicinity. Nothing stirred on the ground, and I was rewarded with a classic shot, enhanced by the trio of action red CP SD40-2s on the point.
Copyright © George W. Hamlin. All Rights Reserved.
This article has been viewed 5184 times.
User Comments on this Article:
Posted by Craig Walker on September 6, 2006:
Low, warm light, a dramatic sky and classic Canadian elevators -- What a great shot!
Posted by Chris Wilson-CP 9102 on September 7, 2006:
Nice sky and shot George!
Posted by Ron Flanary on September 20, 2006:
Great shot, and wonderful story, George.....
Posted by Bret Stringer on September 29, 2006:
Nice! Who's got the video of you stomping through the grass? :-)
Posted by John Puda on November 22, 2006:
I like this sdhot alot. I like the grain elevator in the back. Plus with other building in the back. The reading is great!
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