It is 18:38 (6:38 pm) and the Los Angeles Union Station Train Festival 2023 has been closed for 38 minutes. And with the sun due to set at 19:07 (7:07 pm), and rumors of Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway 4-8-4 3751, one of the locomotives on display, due to head back to the Amtrak facility a few miles to the south, a group of railfans and steam locomotive afficionados is growing anxious. Will this 1927-built Baldwin locomotive move while there is still any light, or not? Rumor run rampant: They have called for Amtrak Dash 8-32BWH 509 to come help it move (true); they cannot find the person who took this track out of service; and he's the only one who can reauthorize it, etc. The golden light of the gloaming ("All right, Walker … step away from the Thesaurus!") is creating fantastic photo opportunities, but … Will this locomotive move before all is enveloped in darkness? ("Seriously, Craig … This isn’t a gothic romance novel … stop it!") Unfortunately, I could not tell, as I had to catch Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line train 754 back to Fullerton at 19:20 (7:20 pm), lest I be stranded in downtown Los Angeles all night … or, until the next Amtrak Pacific Surfliner departs at 19:57 (7:57 pm). What a conundrum, as that train will cost me more money to travel upon than Metrolink, with its lower fare and more generous senior discount! O, woe is me! ("C'mon, man … knock this stuff off!!!") Sadly, I never found out … but Metrolink train 754, with me aboard, did, in fact, pass Amtrak 509 waiting near the old Terminal Tower, holding for that elusive clear signal that never seemed to come. ("That’s it! Enough with this fancy 'prose'! End this NOW!") (Los Angeles, California – September 10, 2023) Fin ("Right! We warned you about this posh BS! Off you go!")
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
