Midnight moves. The yard in Owosso, MI is a busy place at midnight, with multiple freight trains being assembled for early morning departures. In this scene, a Chesapeake & Ohio Conductor holds his freight on a siding as Locomotive #2699, an N-1 Berkshire type, brings its freight down the main line.
This image was captured in the Owosso Yard, on Michigan's Great Lakes Central Railroad. The featured locomotive is Pere Marquette Railroad N-1 Class, 2-8-4 "Berkshire" Locomotive #1225, which was re-lettered as C&O 2699 for a January 2026 photo shoot organized by Lerro Photography. The 1225 was re-lettered to represent the former PM N-Class Berkshires, which were renumbered when the Pere Marquette Railroad merged with the Chesapeake & Ohio in 1947.
The reason railpictures.net has captured my imagination for so many years. Images of quality and distinction, in other words, amazing railroad photography.
Landscape photography is difficult due to the challenge of combining good light and good scenery. Good railroad photography enters another level of complexity since it requires the first two while there is a train in view.
