A $1500 shot of UP 844

[E.M. Bell]

As the saying goes "the best laid plans of mice and men" ......Carmon and myself had been looking forward to, and planning the trip ever since the UP announce they would be running the 844 down the Chester Sub out of St. Louis.  This is about as close to home as UP steam gets for us, and it would be our first time to see the 844.  We  scheduled vacation days, poured over map after map, and planned what would have seemed to have been the perfect trip.

We left home early on Friday the 3rd and made the 5 hour trek to Cape Girardeau, Mo (the end point of Saturdays trip) in order to scout out photo locations. I had only been in the area once before, and wanted to pick out a few prime spots to shoot at. We spent the entire day scouting out every little side road (and dodging all of the flood water and closed roads) in the 95 degree heat. Satisfied we had a good plan, we headed on into St. Louis to meet up with a couple of buddies to spend the rest of the evening watching a few trains and checking out the 844 on display.

Saturday morning, we met back up with the guys and headed out to our first location for the 844. After getting gas near the motel,  our new Explorer (on its first road trip) decided it didn't want to start, and we had to get a jump. After getting to the first photo location, I checked it several time and everything seemed ok. We sat around with the rest of the crowd, and finally got our shot as the 844 roared past us at a high rate of speed. From there, the chase was on, as we tried to get back ahead of them while they made the first "whistle stop" of the day. While fighting the traffic, I noticed the battery voltage on the explorer was starting to drop..slow at first, but then it started a steady fall.

We made it to Prairie DU Rocher, and by that time all the gauges has dropped to zero, and it was missing and sputtering. The guys running with us  where aware of the issue, and offered to stay with us, but I told them to go on and get the shots, we would be ok. I figured a battery or alternator problem, and that turned out to be correct..and the ONE auto parts place in that town was of course closed. We watched the train leave us behind, and with the help of a couple of local folks, got the phone number of a mechanic in the next town. After a call to him, and a hours wait, he shows up with a new battery and alternator (and after testing, we figure out the battery went bad, and fried the alternator in the process) The alternator he brought was the wrong one (of course) and no one around had the right one. We paid him for the service call and new battery, and took off on just the battery to the only place we could find that had the alternator to fit the Ford. By the time we where back on the road, the train was already in Cape Girardeau...and we where out over $700 bucks for the repairs.

It was pretty much a wasted trip to say the least..we got ONE shot of the 844 on the road. The way I figure it, with the cost of the gas, food, motel, and the over priced repair to the Explorer, this ONE shot cost us around $1500 bucks.

From now on, I think I will stick to the NS....if you ever wanted to see what a $1500 train picture looked like, just check this link...  http://www.pbase.com/image/135347222

[Badhorse79]

Ohhh nooo that sucks ! I'd put that battery in front a 12 gauge and blow the hell outta it ! man

[E.M. Bell]

After all of the troubles we went through last weekend trying to shoot the 844, I figured that one "$1500" shot I posted a few days ago was all I managed to get that was worth anything. Last night, I worked up a the rest of the bunch that we shot of her in Saint Louis on Friday evening 06/03, and there where a couple of these that I liked better than the shot on the bridge at Dupo

I guess there is more to the story than just high speed running.... check the link http://www.pbase.com/kd4jsl/up844

[Backyard]

  ...Lord Jesus look at that hogger peaking through his reading glasses to gauge UP #844...

Ah heck Mr. Bell, I drive cars all the time by fancy railroad places...you had your team with you & both photo's are the bomb....

Thanks for your efforts, you just teased yourselves to go further down the line than before....

...you will do it again...

Just try to keep it in color....but that's just me...

More than that, is thanks to Uncle Pete for The Mother of All Steam Restorations!

[tarnett]

A bad day (or days) of railfanning is betther than any good day in the office.

Regards,

Todd Arnett