Continued from previous post…
We slipped, slided, and slung our way through the parade of other railfans on US Highway 111 and raced to beat the train to the grade crossing located at our next turn on 62nd Avenue. Well, I lost. I was trapped at the crossing. I waited for the beast to clear the crossing and then I headed north on Highway 86 towards Interstate 10 to head west.
My next preplanned photo spot was to be near the end of the Highway 62 and the tracks just west of Palm Springs, CA. I missed the intended exit due to heavy traffic volumes which made me late to get in postion before the train arrived. I motored on.
Thankfully the train began to slow as it began it’s ascent of Beaumont Hill west of Palm Springs. That gave me the extra time I needed to try a few off-ramps and see if I could get into position in time. Fortunately I was able to. It ended up being a location known by the railroad as Fingal, CA.
We watched in amazement as the train struggled to climb out of the basin in which it currently traveled through. We were captivated to see such an awesome sight. So much so that I almost forgot to take photos. At this point I had a spare video recorder handy so I placed it in position and turned it on just in time. As the train approached our location I began snapping off frames. Here are a couple of them:
Wow. Again I was lost in watching this train climb the grade at 18MPH. It took nearly ten minutes. I lost track of the fact that I had set down the other video recorder. I ran over to take a look at what it captured.
Here is the video that I edited to remove gaps and mind lapses:
The trip was over and I deemed it successful. Not so much because I got the shots I had hoped for but rather for the experience.
Turns out it wasn’t over. More to follow…