The winter solstice, or hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This year, the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice was on December 21, making it dicey to catch BNSF Railway train H-BARSDG, crossing from Track 1 to Track 2 as it comes off Metrolink's Olive Sub and onto Metrolink's Orange Sub heading from Barstow to San Diego, even though it was running during daylight hours … barely … as this was the Northern Hemisphere's shortest day of the year. (This train usually operates after dark, even in the summer.) BNSF Dash 9-44CW 5045 (built by General Electric in July 2004) leads this train, passing through Orange at 4:33 pm (16:33) with long shadows already stretching across the mainline. Total darkness will envelop this area in about 30 minutes. As the solstice technically occurred at 1:21 am Pacific Time, this is the first train I've photographed this winter! (Orange, California – December 21, 2024)
