Sometimes, patience really does pay off. After getting a tip from a friend that 213 had a brand new ET44AC leading, I headed out to intercept. I was told that a Lynchburg crew was called for 10:00 A.M., so I figured the train would be through sometime between 4:00 - 5:00 P.M. Unfortunately as the day went on, I began receiving reports that the train was having EOTD and mechanical issues, and hadn't even reached Danville by 2:30. I originally intended to shoot the train under the old Southern intermediates in Lowell, NC, but as the sun began to sink, my hopes were dashed. I decided to make the drive up to Landis to an open field in an attempt to shoot the train in the train in the last rays of light. Sure enough, the train didn't leave Pomona until well after 7:00, and yet again my plans had been foiled; however, as the sun sat just above the treeline, I heard a horn in the distance. "FINALLY!", I though. As the train rounded the corner, my heart sank. It was 173 with an older NS ES44AC leading. "You've GOT to be kidding!" As the sun slowly fell and the sky faded to black, I was ready to head home. For whatever reason, I decided to stop by Kannapolis on the way back to see what the signals could tell me. Sure enough, a red over red on track two indicating a northbound, and a high green on track one for a southbound- this HAD to be 213. Finally, the scanner crackled to life: "213, diverging clear, North Kannapolis, out." Although it was much too dark to take a photo of a moving train, I figured I'd at least watch the new unit roll by. As the headlights grew closer, I realized the train was crawling. As the lead engine passed, I could hear the brakes screaming. In a matter of seconds, the train was stopped, the lead unit illuminated perfectly by a floodlight in the parking lot. I ran and gapped my tripod and set up the camera. Not having access to fancy strobe equipment, I set the aperture wide open, set the shutter to a 30 second exposure, focused, and pressed the shutter. After three attempts, the headlights were once again on bright, and the train began to roll forward, and took off into the Carolina night. Sometimes, you just get lucky.
