Monday, November 04, 2013

Random Ramblings -- Smoke Break

CSX Transportation; Bridgeport, N.J.; May 4, 2013

On the evening of May 4, 2013, I was in southern New Jersey and found out a CSX train of empty ethanol tank cars would be leaving Pureland Industrial Park near Bridgeport that evening. I had wanted to get a night shot of a train crossing the old swing bridge just north of Bridgeport, so this looked like a good opportunity. I was joined by my brother Bruce and Mike Burkhart, and we found the train and the power on the trackage of SMS Rail Services in the industrial park and chatted briefly with the crew. We told them we'd be set up for a night shot at the bridge (which is technically on Conrail Shared Assets). 

Soon the train came out of the industrial park and headed north. As we werre ready to fire the flashes, the train came to a stop (in perfect position for our shot! -- see above) and the conductor came out of the nose door of the locomotive. He came over to us and asked if any of us had cigarettes. As it turns out, we're all cigar smokers, so we had plenty of lighters, but no cigarettes. However, we told him we'd run to a nearby convenience store, pick up a pack of his favorite brand, and meet him at the former station up the line in Woodbury. We had wanted to shoot the Woodbury station as well, and this would guarantee us the train wouldn't get past us there -- he'd need to wait for his cigarettes!

Well, as it turned out we got to Woodbury well ahead of the train, even though it was less tha na 20 mile drive up there. As the train approached, the conductor once again came out of the nose door. We got our shot (below), he got his cigarettes and we headed our separate ways. Not a bad way to spend an evening!
CSX Transportation; Woodbury, N.J.; May 4, 2013

1 comment:

Charles Freericks said...

Nice images. Who knew cigarettes could get you two shots. Used to be chocolate and nylons, right? :-) Wait, that was different.

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